During World War II he served in the US Marine Corps and saw combat in the Battle of Guadalcanal.
Monogram Pictures created a huge buildup for Whip to become a movie cowboy star. The following claims were made -- that he was born in 1911 on a fabulous ranch in Pecos, Texas; was a rodeo champion; had an engineering degree; was a World War II Marine hero; was a direct descendant of General Custer; and did all of his movie stunts. None of these claims were true.
Whip was provided with a huge white horse named Silver Bullet. The name was later shortened to Bullet, and, still later, changed to Rocket because Roy Rogers had a dog companion named Bullet in his pictures.