In 1942, the U.S. War Department changed the Western Pacific Railroad’s station from Hackstaff to Herlong, the location of its new Sierra Ordnance Depot. It was done so to honor the first ordnance officer to lose his life in World War II. In 1943, Lt. Col. E.A. Cryne commanding officer at Sierra Ordnance Depot supplied the following information to G.I. Martin, Western Pacific’s agent at Reno as to who was Herlong.
“Capt. Henry W. Herlong, Ordnance Department was born in Florida, August 27, 1911. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1933, at which time he was commissioned a second lieutenant. In September 1936, he was transferred from infantry to field artillery and was detailed to the ordnance department December 27, 1939.
“After pursuing a four months’ course in aviation ordnance at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland early in 1940, Capt. Herlong was assigned as a student to the 51st Ordnance Proving Ground at Langley Filed, Virginia, where he remained until October 1940. At this time he was transferred to Savannah, Georgia for duty with the 5th Air Base Group.
“While stationed at Savannah, Captain Herlong was killed in the line duty at LaGrange, Georgia, June 22, 1941.”