Carl F. Whittier was born in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1915. He grew up in the state capital, where he later met and married Ruth Lela Bickford. The couple established their family in New Hampshire, having two daughters, Marion and Thelma. Whittier entered the U.S. Army during World War II, earning the rank of Private First Class and assigning to Company I of the 262nd Infantry Regiment, 66th Infantry Division, known as the “Black Panther” Division.

After training in the United States, Pfc. Whittier and his regiment deployed to England in late 1944 to prepare for combat operations in the European Theater. On December 24, 1944, the 262nd Infantry Regiment boarded the Belgian troopship SS Leopoldville at Southampton. The vessel crossed the English Channel toward Cherbourg, France, carrying reinforcements intended to secure the flanks of the ongoing Battle of the Bulge.

Just over five miles from the French coast, a German U-boat torpedoed the SS Leopoldville. The ship sank into the freezing waters of the English Channel over the course of several hours. Pfc. Whittier was one of the 763 American soldiers who lost their lives in the disaster. His body was never recovered from the English Channel, and he was officially declared missing in action on December 24, 1944.