Earle Wheeler
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Earle Gilmore Wheeler (January 13, 1908 – December 18, 1975), nicknamed Bus, was a United States Army general who served as the chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1962 to 1964 and then as the sixth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1964–1970), holding the latter position during the Vietnam War.
Early life and education
Earle Gilmore Wheeler was born in
Career
From 1940 to 1941, Wheeler was a mathematics instructor at West Point. Rising from battalion commander to more senior roles, he trained the newly activated 36th and 99th Infantry Divisions from 1941 to 1944, then went to Europe in November 1944 as chief of staff of the newly formed 63rd Infantry Division.
Wheeler served in senior staff positions in a variety of specialties, including supply, intelligence, planning, and armor.
In late 1945, Wheeler returned to the U.S. as an artillery instructor at Fort Sill, then returned to Germany from 1947 to 1949 as a staff officer of the United States Constabulary (formerly VI Corps), occupying Germany. He attended the National War College in 1950. He then returned to Europe as a staff officer in NATO, in a series of roles. In 1951–52 he commanded the 351st Infantry Regiment, which controlled the Free Territory of Trieste, a front-line position of the Cold War.
In 1955, Wheeler joined the General Staff at
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
President
Wheeler's accession to the top job in the U.S. military, over the heads of officers with more combat experience, drew some criticism. Then Air Force Chief of Staff, General Curtis LeMay, called him "Polly Parrot" and said he was awarded a medal for "fighting the Battle of Fort Benning", an army post in Georgia where Wheeler served during much of World War II.
Wheeler oversaw and supported the expanding U.S. military role in the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s, consistently backing the field commander's requests for additional troops and operating authority. He often urged President Johnson to strike harder at North Vietnam and to expand aerial bombing campaigns. Wheeler was concerned with minimizing costs to U.S. ground troops. At the same time, he preferred what he saw as a realistic assessment of the capabilities of the South Vietnamese military. This earned him a reputation as a "hawk."
Wheeler, with General
After the election of President
Wheeler retired from the U.S. Army in July 1970. Wheeler was the longest-serving Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to date, serving six years. Upon his retirement, he was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and was the first recipient of that decoration.
Death
Wheeler died in Frederick, Maryland, after a heart attack on December 18, 1975.
Dates of rank
Insignia | Rank | Temporary | Permanent | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Component | Date | Component | Date | ||
Private | District of Columbia National Guard | 1924 | |||
Sergeant | District of Columbia National Guard | 1926 | |||
No insignia | Cadet | United States Military Academy | 1928 | ||
Second lieutenant | Regular Army | 10 Jun 1932 | |||
First lieutenant | Regular Army | 1 Aug 1935 | |||
Captain | Army of the United States | 9 Sep 1940 | Regular Army | 10 Jun 1942 | |
Major | Army of the United States | 1 Feb 1942 | |||
Lieutenant colonel | Army of the United States | 11 Nov 1942 | |||
Colonel | Army of the United States | 26 Jun 1943 | |||
Lieutenant colonel | Army of the United States | 1 Jul 1947* | Regular Army | 1 Jul 1948 | |
Colonel | Army of the United States | 7 Sep 1950 | Regular Army | 6 Oct 1953 | |
Brigadier general | Army of the United States | 8 Nov 1952 | Regular Army | 13 May 1960 | |
Major general | Army of the United States | 21 Dec 1955 | Regular Army | 30 Jun 1961 | |
Lieutenant general | Army of the United States | 21 Apr 1960 | |||
General | Army of the United States | 1 Mar 1962 | Regular Army, Retired List | 7 Jul 1970 |
* postwar reduction [1]
Decorations and medals
1st Row | Defense Distinguished Service Medal | Oak Leaf Cluster
| ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2nd Row | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
|
Legion of Merit | Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster |
Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster |
3rd Row | American Defense Service Medal | American Campaign Medal | campaign stars
|
World War II Victory Medal
|
4th Row | Army of Occupation Medal with "Germany" clasp |
National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster |
Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)
|
Croix de Guerre with Palm (France) |
References
- ISBN 978-1480200203.
External links
- ANC Explorer
- "Vita: General Earle Gilmore Wheeler (1908–1975) — Chief of Staff, U.S. Army — Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff" (PDF). Joint Force Quarterly. Autumn–Winter 1998. p. 135. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2008.