Wheeler, John Parsons, Jr., COL

Colonel Wheeler, who graduated from USMA in 1943 and was a tank company commander of the 19^th Battalion of the 9th Armored Division, went ashore at Normandy on D-Day and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. His unit also participated in the liberation of the Nordhausen death camp. He served with European occupation forces and in the demilitarized zone in Korea.

"During the Vietnam War, he ran the secret war against the Ho Chi Minh trail from Laos and also served as an adviser," said the son, who grad from West Point in 1966.

An authority in armor operations and training, Colonel Wheeler was director of materiel testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground and retired in 1971. His medals included the Legion of Merit with Oak leaf Cluster for outstanding service in Southeast Asia, the Belgian Croix de Guerre with Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, Purple Heart and Air Medal.

For the past 20 years, he was a consultant with Cypress International of Virginia on the development of military weapons. He had made contributions to the development of the M-1 Abrams tank, which was used during Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf war.

John Parsons Wheeler, Jr.
           No. 13434  •  23 April 1918 – 29 September 1995
           Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia