John P. Wheeler III
Jack Wheeler | |
---|---|
Born | John Parsons Wheeler III December 14, 1944 Laredo, Texas, U.S. |
Died | c. December 30, 2010 (aged 66) Delaware, U.S. |
Cause of death | Homicide[1] |
Body discovered | Cherry Island Landfill, Wilmington, Delaware |
Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
Alma mater | United States Military Academy Harvard Business School Yale Law School |
Employer | Mitre Corp. |
Spouse(s) | Elisa Wheeler (divorced) Katherine Klyce |
Children | 2 |
John Parsons Wheeler III (December 14, 1944 – c. December 30, 2010), known as Jack Wheeler, was an American businessman and former
Early life
Wheeler was descended from a family of military professionals which included
Military career
Wheeler was a member of the United States Military Academy class of 1966 which lost 30 of its members in the Vietnam War.[4]
After graduation from West Point, he was a fire control platoon leader at a
Wheeler's West Point and later years are featured prominently in Rick Atkinson's book, The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966.
Law career
After leaving the military he was a senior planner for
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
From 1979 to 1989, Wheeler was chairman of
In 1983,
In the 1988 television film To Heal a Nation about the construction of the Vietnam Memorial, Wheeler was played by Marshall Colt, four years his junior and the former co-star with James Arness in the crime drama McClain's Law. Eric Roberts portrayed Jan Scruggs; Glynnis O'Connor, Becky Scruggs', Jan's wife. On November 11, 1988, Wheeler introduced President Reagan at the Memorial before the latter observed his final Veterans' Day there.[6]
Other service
In 1988–1989, Wheeler worked with President George H. W. Bush to establish the Earth Conservation Corps. From 1997 to 2001, he was president and CEO, Deafness Research Foundation. He was consultant to acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics from 2001 to 2005, special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force from 2005 to 2008. From 2008 to 2009, he was special assistant to the acting assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Logistics and Energy. From 1983 to 1987, he was chairman and CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and from 1993 until his death, he was the founding CEO of the Vietnam Children's Fund.[2]
Family
Wheeler was twice married. He had two children from his first marriage, twins John Parsons Wheeler, IV, and Katherine Marie Wheeler. He also has two stepdaughters from his marriage to Katherine Klyce, Byrd Schas Chaskes and Meriwether Klyce Schas. His younger brother Robert predeceased him.[5][7]
Death
Wheeler was seen on CCTV on December 28, 2010, exiting an Amtrak train,[8] and later, on the afternoon of December 30, 2010, at 10th and Orange streets in Wilmington, Delaware.[9] On December 31, his body was seen by a landfill worker as it fell onto a trash heap in the Cherry Island Landfill.[10] Police ruled his death a homicide and claimed that "all the stops made Friday (December 31) by the garbage truck before it arrived at the landfill involved large commercial disposal bins in Newark (Delaware), several miles from Wheeler's home."[8]
Wheeler's neighbor of seven months, Ron Roark, said that he had met Wheeler only once and rarely saw him. Roark claimed that, in the days prior to Wheeler's death, he (Roark) and his family heard, from outside the Wheeler residence, a loud television within the home that was constantly on, though no one appeared to be home.[11]
According to The Washington Post, Wheeler was sighted on December 29 at the New Castle County courthouse parking garage, disoriented and wearing only one shoe, as the other was ripped.[12] While he attempted to gain access to the parking garage on foot, Wheeler claimed that he wanted to warm up before paying a parking fee (police later determined that his car was actually in a different parking garage at the train station). Wheeler explained to the parking garage attendant that his briefcase had been stolen and assured her he was not intoxicated. It is also claimed that, on December 29, Wheeler asked a pharmacist in New Castle for a ride to Wilmington and "looked upset." The pharmacist offered to call a cab for Wheeler, at which point Wheeler left the store.[13]
On December 30, Wheeler was sighted wandering about various office buildings, including Mitre and DuPont locations, where he refused offers of assistance from several individuals.
Wheeler's remains were interred at
Legacy
The
See also
- List of unsolved murders
Bibliography
- Wheeler, John (January 1982). "Theological Reflections upon the Vietnam War" (PDF). Anglican Theological Review. 64 (1): 1–14.
- Wheeler, John (1984). Touched with Fire: The Future of the Vietnam Generation. New York: Watts. OCLC 10207966.
- Wheeler, John (1998). "Editorial" (PDF). American Journal of Otology. 19 (1): 1–3.
References
- ^ a b "Officials say defense consultant died from assault". Fox News. January 28, 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Biography of John Wheeler" (PDF).
- ^ Chase, Randall (January 3, 2011). "Body of US military expert found in Del. landfill". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2011-01-12. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 9781429979047. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ a b "John P. Wheeler III". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqIUyzfUcWE&t=12s (Wheeler is shown ending his remarks by presenting President & Mrs Reagan with a replica of The Three Soldiers.)
- ^ "Remarks at the 2015 SEC Memorial Day Tribute and Presentation of the John P. Wheeler III, Veterans Charity Award". US Securities and Exchange Commission. SEC.gov. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Ex-Bush, Reagan Official's Body Found Dumped in Landfill". Raw Story. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
- ^ "Witnesses: Wheeler Appeared Disoriented, Disheveled Prior to Death". Fox News. January 5, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
- ^ "Prominent Veteran Found in Landfill". UPI. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
- ^ Goodin, Dan (January 5, 2011). "Body of murdered cyberwar expert found in landfill". The Register. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
- ^ a b "Police: ex-Pentagon official confused before death". The Washington Times.
- ^ Gaudiano, Nicole (April 29, 2011). "Ex-Pentagon official Wheeler buried at Arlington". USA Today. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
External links
- Wheeler interview and editorials in the "Death of deafness" series, Hearing Health magazine, 2000
- Unsolved Mysteries Season 2 Episode 1 -Netflix 2020 IMDb