After graduation from Stephen High School in 1939, he worked on the farm at home from 1939 to 1941. He came to Montana in 1941 and got a job with the Great Northern Railroad . First on the extra gang from mid April to August, then the signal gang until August 1942. In August of 1942 he was drafted into the US Army

During his service in the United States armed forces Stephen was in the Medical Corps attached to Ordinance U.S.A.

YOUR IN THE ARMY NOW

Aug. 23 - S.H. Whalen and others from Marshall County, Minnesotta to Fort Snelling,

Minnesota by bus and drafted. Got poison Ivy from weed pulling detail

Aug. ? - Left by train to Fort Custer Michigan and the 187th Ordinance Battalion (Quartermaster)

Aug. 30 - Left for Fort Custer by passenger train to fairgrounds at Nashville, Tennessee, for maneuvers.

Account no Medical Training, worked as waiter at Officers Mess..

Oct. 1 - To camp Forrest Tennessee, near Tullahore for Medical Basic Training.

Nov. 12 - Left for Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Near Fayetville.

Nov. 13 - Arrived Fort Bragg 1600 hours (4:00 p.m.). Attached for Quarters and Rations

(Dec. 17 - moved into attic of four story brick barracks.

16 - Medical Detachment activated, 187th Ordinance Battalion Quartermaster)

18 - Attached for Quarters and Rations to 876th Ordinance Heavy Maintenance Company

1943

March 9 - Left Fort Bragg at 1000 (10:00 a.m.) hours by troop train.

13 - Arrived Camp Anza, California, between Riverside and Arlington at 1900 (7:00 PM) hours .

Two weeks of shots, inspection, formations, gas mask drills and chamber. Good food and fine weather

27 - Put on alert.

30 - Left Camp Anza bytrain to Wilmington, Port of Los Angles. Boarded troop transport, Hermitage.

April 15 - Arrived atPort Of Wellington; New Zealand. Two meals a day. Hiked up town and around the Bay during our time there.

20 - Left Wilmington. Long deep swells in Tasman sea.

24 - Arrived Port of Melbourne, Australia.

25- Easter Sunday. Up town on commuter train for a meal.

26 - Left Melbourne right after breakfast.

May 11 - Arrived Port of Bombay, India and by train to British Army Camp outside of Deolali

18 - To Bombay and boarded British ship and departed through Arabian sea. Bad food. Slept in hammocks slung over mess tables

26 - Arrived Port Of Korramshahr, Iran and Persian Gulf Command. (in charge of our southern supply line to Russia). Put up in Bombay tents. Big spiders.

29 - Left by open truck for Andimeseshk Ordinance Depot. Arrived at supper time - wind burned and dried out. Mud walled barracks. How long will we survive we here?

? - S.H. Whalen temporary duty (R & R) to Hamadan (7) days.

Oct. 6 - Major inspected. Barracks at night playing poker in their shorts and raised heck, they should have been clothed or in their bunks under mosquito nets.

13 - Sprinkled rain today. Got 2 x 4 beds with lashings.

14 - Candy bars in the PX. Kitchen and mess hall caught fire

20 - Electric lights in barracks

21 - Barracks windows screened in 0530 (5:30 a.m.) hours Reveille.

27 - First real rain, roofs leaked, strange pungent oder came out of ground.

Nov. 4 - transferred to Medical Detachment 506th Ordinance Heavy MaintenanceCompany.(FA). In 506th Ordinance barracks next to shower building and between showers and

latrine.

Dec. 5 - some men went boar hunting.

6 - Fresh meat and butter arrive from States.

16 - Big rain, some vicheles half under water. Some shops or warehouses had 3 or 4 feet of water. Part of the roof of a 917th Ordinance building caved in.

2 5 - Turkey for Christmas dinner. Green grass coming up.
 

1944

Jan. 1 - Turkey for dinner

30 - Private from 870th stabbed in bar uptown. Died on way to hospital.

Feb. 16 - Enlisted man from 917th shot last night by British Indian Army Guard and buried this P.M.

Mar. 2 - started to build new Heat Center (hot weather)

20 - started using mosquito nets again. 100 degrees in the sun

April 1 - changed to khakis and sun helmets.

5 - had earthquake at 0235 (2:35 am) hours.

8 - S.H. Whalen: Private to Tech 5

16 - S.H. Whalen: temporary duty (R & R) to Teheran (7) days.

17 - start work at 1400 (2:00 PM) hours instead of 1300 (1:00 P.M.) Golf ball size hail. .

21 - Enlisted man from 1507th run over by truck after 2nd show. Died a few minutes later. . 27 - weeds and grass all brown and dry. Lots of bugs

May 12 - two hour dust storms tonight

28 - 31 men from battalion ( over 38 years old including Riddle) go home.

June 1 - Denbow and Scharf go home. 110 degrees in the barracks this PM

13 - Sun couldn't break through dust.

29 - Ice cream at PX. Bed check started. To many GI's caught up town after hours.

July 1 - Swimming pool opened. Lots of chlorine in water. Looks foggy out after swim.117 degrees in the barracks today.

4 - Enlisted man from 327th electrocuted changing 220 light bulb.

18 - Lieutenant Kiel from 870th shot in head and killed while returning from Palestine.

Aug. 19 - 877th Ordinance now in France.

Sep. 9 - 352 engineers moving out.

Dec. 1 - MTS folded up

25 - Good Christmas dinner.

1945

Jan. 8 - 160th pulling out for Khorr - mashahar.

15 - Andimeshk Ordinance Headquarters is no more.

25 - 335th and 917th departed Andimeshk Ordinance Depot, Iran, 0900 (9:00am) hours by motor convoy to

Quarry Camp. Ahwaz, Iran at 1900 (7:00 PM) hours..

Feb. 1 - Depart 0700 (7:00 am) hours by rail transportation to Port Of Khormashahar, Iran at 1500 (3:00 P.M.) hours. Embarked in HR Exchequer (Victory Ship) at 2100 (10:00 P.M.) hours.

2 - Depart 1415 (2:15 P.M.) hours to Abadan, Iran, 1545 (3:15 P.M.) hours to fuel up.

3 - Departed 1315 (1:15 P.M.) hours. Drop anchor beyond river mouth (evening)

4 - Depart down Persian Gulf.

11 - Arrive Port of Aden, Yemen. Hot, rocky dry, looking mountains behind Aden.

12 - In Red Sea. No blackout

15 - Arrive at Suez, Egypt. South end of canal

16 - Arrive at Port Said, north end of canal and into Mediterranean Sea.

20 - Arrive Port of Algiers. Left 2 hours later and north across the Mediterranean.

21 - Arrived Port Of Marseilles, France.

22 - Dembarked 0915 (9:15 am) hours by motor transport to Delta base section staging areas army post office 772. 1115 at section at Cp2 bivouac area 44, about 18 miles north of Marseilles.

29 - Moved to Delta Base CP2 Bivouac area 79.

April 6 - 506th Heavy Ordinance Maintenance departed by motor convoy. (Field Army) 0525 (5:25 A.M.). camped at Lyon 1900 (7::00 PM) hours.

7- Departed 0900 (9:00 am) hours and camped at Dijon 1830 (6:30 PM) hours.

8 - Departed 0630 (6:30 am) and camped at Reims 1930 (7:30 PM) hours.

9 - Departed 0830 (8:30 A.M.) hours, entered Belguim1530 (3:30 PM), camped by road at Rosse 1745 (5:45 P.M.) hours

10 - Departed 0800 (8:00 am) and camped in street in Liege 1545 (3:45 P.M.) hours. Went to Mass and Connunion at Sisters Convent. Church had been destroyed by by VI Buzz

Bombs.

11 - Departed 0630 (6:30 am) hours through Duren, Julich. Aachen (almost blundered into the remains of theRuhr pocket) Cologne, Cobelentz and crossed the Rhine on a pontoon bridge 0930 (9:30 a.m.) hours (Remagen?) to

Montabaur, Germany, 2230 (10:30 P.M.) hours and camped in a school house.

12 - Departed 0830 (8:30 am) hours. Arrived Schraufa, east of Marburg, to airoplane repair plant 1830 (6:30 PM) hours.

14 - Departed 0830 (8:30 am) hours. Arrived at Wega, camped at a little factory,

24 - Departed 0500 (5:00 AM). Arrived at Erfurt, teletype school, 1100 (11:00 am)

1130 (11:30 am) hours..

May 5 - S.H. Whalen transferred from Medical Detachment to 506th Ordinance Heavy Maintenance Company ( Field Army)

7 - S.H. Whalen detached service to Bad Hamburg, north east of Frankfurt, as medic for colored bomb disposal company.

8 - VE DAY!

16 - 506th assigned to Ninth Army.

20 - Rausch and Whalen from detached service to duty..

29 - Depart Erfurt 0700 (7:00 am) hours to Kaiserluten, Germany.

30 - Kaiserluten to Metz, Verdun, Reims, France.

31 - Reims, Chateau Therry, Paris, Chartz, Le Mans Barracks in pink city

apartments.(built for Renault workers) and employed in Ordinance Parts and

Salvage Warehouse.

.OCT. 13 -Transferred to 3112th Ordinance Base Armored Vehicle Maintenance Company.

NOV. 11 - Depart Le Mans 0930 (9:30 am.) hours. Arrive Brussels, Belgium, 0686 Ordinance Depot 2300 (11:00 P.M.) Transferred to 443rd Heavy Auto Maintenence Company.

29 - Depart 0745 (7:45 am) hours. Arrive Camp Phillip Morris, Le Havre,

France, 2200 (10:00 P.M.) hours.

Dec. 4 - Depart 0300 (3:00 am.) hours. Arrive dock port of Le Havre 0800 (8:00 am.) hours. Embarked on SS Le Grande (Victory Ship) 0500 (5:00 am.) hours.

Deport Le Havre 0800 (8:00 am.) hours.

13 - Disembarked 2100 (9:00 P.M.) hours port of New York USA Bush Terminal Brooklyn , New York. Crossed harbor on ferry to New Jersey 2300 (11:00 P.M.) hours. Depart by train to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.

14 - Arrive Camp Kilmer 1030 (10:30 am) hours.

16 - Deport by train 1400 (2:00 P.M.) hours. Reading, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, West Virginia.

17 - Depart Chicago 0400 (4:00 am.) hours to Camp Mc Coy, Wisconsin 1030

(10:30 am.) . Barracks 2526

19 - DISCHARGED!. Caught Hiawatha at 1700 (5:00 P.M.) hours (2 hours late).Just made the north bound flyer at St. Paul 1930 (7:30 P.M.) hours.

20 - Arrived at Stephen, Minnesotta, 1100 (11:00 am) and rode out with Lawrence Thibadeau, the mail carrier.

Upon his return to civilian life, Stephen returned to work on the railroad. He was in the Signal department for many years living in different cities in Montana, North Dakota and Washington, including Great Falls, Montana until his retirement in 1982? and is still residing in Great Falls, Montana. He is leading the bachelors life.

Information supplied by Stephen Whalen

Witten up by Keith A. Whalen (Nephew)

STEPHEN & nephew KEITH