He was awarded the Silver Star, the United States military's third-highest personal decoration for valor in combat, for his actions in the Korean War.

He was gravely wounded in a Viet Cong mortar attack on the night of his 43rd birthday, losing an eye, earning his second Purple Heart, and ending his time as a fully qualified naval aviator.

[4] White was promoted to the rank of colonel on July 1, 1969, and later served as commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

He rose to the rank of lieutenant general and served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Aviation) at Headquarters Marine Corps under Commandant Robert H. Barrow until his retirement in 1982.

After his retirement from the Marine Corps, White worked for next 23 years as a consultant in the aviation field for Burdeshaw Associates, LLC, and lived in the Belle Haven neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia.