John P. Wheeler

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John Parsons Wheeler III. (* December 14, 1944 , † December 30 or 31, 2010 ) was an American soldier and a military advisor on the staff of several US presidents .

Life

Wheeler graduated in 1966 at the United States Military Academy at West Point and served during the Vietnam War in various positions, first as a platoon commander of a platoon , and later on the staff of the Defense Ministry and the headquarters of the General Staff in Long Binh . During this time he wrote the first handbook on the effectiveness of chemical and biological warfare agents for the US military, which helped the US to abandon the use of biological weapons . In 1971 he retired from active service. He later wrote the book Touched by Fire about the post-war experiences of Vietnamese soldiers and opponents of the war .

Under President Reagan he campaigned for the recognition of Vietnam War veterans and, on his instructions, created the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program . On his initiative, the establishment of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund , of which he was chairman from 1979 to 1989, and the construction of the first Memorial Wall went back . He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission , where he was involved in investigations into insider trading .

From 2005 to 2009 he was an advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force , responsible for facilities, logistics and the environment. Most recently, Wheeler worked as a consultant for Miter Corporation , a government-affiliated security think tank .

assassination

On the morning of December 31, 2010, Wheeler was found murdered while unloading a garbage truck at the Cherry Island landfill in Wilmington . The cause of death was found to be blunt violence from beatings. Wheeler was last seen alive on the afternoon of December 30th in Wilmington, where he was believed to be homeless because, according to witnesses, he looked unkempt and confused and claimed to have been robbed. Because of his political past, his death attracted public attention, the FBI got involved in the investigation. After his death, it became known that Wheeler had suffered from mental disorders for a long time and was treated for a post-traumatic stress disorder due to his experiences in Vietnam . His family offered a US $ 25,000 reward for clues about the apprehension of Wheeler's murderer.

On March 30, 2011, Vietnam Veterans Day, a memorial ceremony for Wheeler was held at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial . At the end of April, Wheeler was buried with full military honors , including in the presence of General Wesley Clark at Arlington National Cemetery .

Awards

  • Air Force Exceptional Civilian Service Award with Bronze Device
  • Joint Service Commendation Medal
  • US Representative of the Pew Foundation , British American Project

Books

  • Touched by fire . Avon Books, 1985

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Body of US military expert found in Del. landfill . Forbes Magazine, January 3, 2011
  2. ^ A b Family of slain Pentagon worker offers $ 25,000 reward Reuters, February 1, 2011
  3. ↑ In his final days, ex-Pentagon official was disheveled - USATODAY.com
  4. ↑ Delaware crime: In Wheeler's final days, details of a disheveled man ( Memento of the original from January 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Delaware online January 5, 2010  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.delawareonline.com
  5. ↑ Vietnam Demons & John Wheeler . Newsweek, Jan. 15, 2011
  6. ↑ Vietnam Veterans honor memory of John Wheeler ( Memento of the original from April 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Delaware online March 30, 2011  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.delawareonline.com
  7. ^ Ex-Pentagon official Wheeler buried at Arlington . USA Today, April 29, 2011
personal data
SURNAME Wheeler, John P.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wheeler, John Parsons III.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American soldier; as a military advisor to several US presidents
DATE OF BIRTH December 14, 1944
DATE OF DEATH December 30, 2010 or December 31, 2010