Earle Wheeler

General Wheeler

Wheeler (left) shows President Johnson a model of a US Army helicopter, 1966

Earle Gilmore "Bus" Wheeler (born January 13, 1908 in Washington, DC , † December 18, 1975 in Frederick , Maryland ) was a general in the US Army , the 23rd Chief of Staff of the Army and the sixth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was.

Military career

Wheeler graduated from the US Military Academy in New York in 1932 and became an infantry officer . After four years of service in Fort Benning , Georgia , he was transferred to China with the 15th US Infantry Regiment and then from 1938 to 1940 together with the regiment to Fort Lewis , Washington .

Between 1941 and 1944, he served in a number of uses. He was then sent to Europe with the 63rd US Infantry Division. In 1945 he returned to the United States to serve as an instructor at Fort Sill , Oklahoma . He was then transferred back to Europe from 1947 to 1949, where he served in the US Constabulary .

In 1950 he graduated from the National War College and returned to Europe again to serve in various staff positions at NATO until 1955. He has now been appointed to the United States Department of Defense , where he served on the General Staff. In 1958 he took command of the 2nd Armored Division and a year later, in 1959, of the III Corps . In 1960 he was appointed director of the Joint Staff . Two years later he was for a short time Deputy Commander of the US European Command under Lauris Norstad and in the same year, 1962, was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army .

In 1964 he succeeded General Maxwell D. Taylor , who went to South Vietnam as ambassador and enjoyed the special confidante of President Johnson , as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and held this post until 1970 and thus for almost the entire Vietnam War .

Given the large number of generals available in 1964 who had made a name for themselves during World War II and in Korea , Staff Officer Wheeler was a surprising decision for the senior post in the Pentagon . His relatively little combat experience may have been a plus in the eyes of the new President Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson, who had had a bad experience with General Lemnitzer under President Kennedy , was not known for his tolerance of military free thinkers. For this reason, Wheeler has been severely criticized by some historians for accepting Johnson's decisions on the way through the Vietnam War .

Earle G. Wheeler died in Frederick, Maryland of a heart attack while being transported in an ambulance from his home in West Virginia to Washington, DC.

His awards include a .: the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , the Legion of Merit , the Bronze Star with oak leaves, the Army Distinguished Service Medal with double oak leaves, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal , the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal , and the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaves.

Awards

Selection of decorations, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of the Military Awards:

• Defense Distinguished Service Medal
• Army Distinguished Service Medal
• Legion of Merit
• Bronze Star (2 ×)
• Army Commendation Medal (2 ×)
• Commander of the French Legion of Honor

Web links

• Biography (English)