Earle Gilmore Wheeler was born in Washington, DC on January 13,1908 to Dock Stone and Ida Gilmore.
18 Facts About Earle Wheeler
2.
Earle Wheeler was promoted to sergeant in 1926, then, in 1928, was honorably discharged in order to enroll at the United States Military Academy.
3.
Earle Wheeler graduated from the Academy in 1932 and was commissioned into the infantry.
4.
Earle Wheeler served in the 29th Infantry Regiment from 1932 to 1936, then attended Infantry School in 1937.
5.
Earle Wheeler served with the 15th Infantry Regiment, from 1937 to 1940, stationed in China from 1937 to 1938.
6.
From 1940 to 1941, Earle Wheeler was a mathematics instructor at West Point.
7.
Earle Wheeler served in senior staff positions in a variety of specialties, including supply, intelligence, planning, and armor.
8.
In late 1945, Earle Wheeler returned to the US as an artillery instructor at Fort Sill, then returned to Germany from 1947 to 1949 as a staff officer of the United States Constabulary, occupying Germany.
9.
Earle Wheeler then returned to Europe as a staff officer in NATO, in a series of roles.
10.
In 1955, Earle Wheeler joined the General Staff at The Pentagon.
11.
Earle Wheeler became Director of the Joint Staff in 1960.
12.
Earle Wheeler oversaw and supported the expanding US military role in the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s, consistently backing the field commander's requests for additional troops and operating authority.
13.
Earle Wheeler often urged President Johnson to strike harder at North Vietnam and to expand aerial bombing campaigns.
14.
Earle Wheeler was concerned with minimizing costs to US ground troops.
15.
However, Earle Wheeler was concerned that the American buildup in Vietnam depleted US military capabilities in other parts of the world.
16.
Earle Wheeler called for 205,000 additional ground troops, to be gained by mobilizing reserves, but intended these remain in the US as an active reserve.
17.
Earle Wheeler was the longest-serving Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to date, serving six years.
18.
Earle Wheeler died in Frederick, Maryland after a heart attack on 18 December 1975.