World War II Honoree

Leonard Alva Whisenant

Hometown

Phoenix, Arizona

Honored By

Zell Whisenant

Relationship

Wife

JOINED THE PHOENIX POLICE DEPARTMENT ON JULY 2, 1942. PHOENIX WAS A SMALL CITY THEN OF ABOUT 65,000 POPULATION, WITH JUST 4 POLICE DIVISIONS: NORTH, EAST, SOUTH AND WEST. ON-THE-JOB TRAINING FOR A NEW POLICEMAN CONSISTED OF RIDING IN A PATROL CAR WITH AN EXPERIENCED OFFICER. ONCE TRAINED, USUALLY WORKED WITHOUT A PARTNER, IN A PATROL CAR EQUIPPED WITH A ONE-WAY RADIO FOR CALLING THE STATION IN CASE OF TROUBLE, BUT WITH NOT MUCH ELSE TO MAKE THE JOB SAFER OR EASIER. EVENTUALLY, HE DID ALL PHASES OF POLICE WORK FROM MANNING A STATION RADIO ROOM TO DETECTIVE, INCLUDING PATROL CAR, MOTORCYCLE PATROL, SCHOOL CROSSINGS, JUVENILE AND VICE SQUAD. HE EVEN DID A WALKING PATROL DOWNTOWN, WHICH HE LIKED BEST OF ALL OF HIS WARTIME DUTIES, AS THIS BEAT INCLUDED THE NIGHT SHIFT AT THE CITY BUS TERMINAL. LUKE ARMY AIR BASE WAS ABOUT 12 MILES WEST OF PHOENIX AND HE WAS THERE UNTIL THE LAST BUS TO THE BASE DEPARTED AT 1:00 A.M. TO KEEP ORDER AND TO MAKE SURE THAT NONE OF THE WAITING SOLDIERS WERE LEFT BEHIND. HIS YOUNGER BROTHER WAS IN THE ARMY AND 5 OF HIS BROTHERS-IN-LAW ALSO SERVED IN THE ARMY AND NAVY DURING THE WAR. HE WAS PROUD TO BE SERVING AS WELL, DOING IMPORTANT WORK FOR PUBLIC SAFETY ON THE HOME FRONT AND DOING HIS PART TO ENSURE THAT ALL THOSE YOUNG SOLDIERS ON PASS IN PHOENIX GOT SAFELY BACK TO THEIR BASE.