John Wheeler Murder: Delaware Police Investigating Death Of Ex-Reagan, Bush Aide

DOVER, Del. — Police in Delaware searched for clues Monday in the death of John Wheeler III, a former Army officer who served in Republican administrations and helped lead efforts to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington.

The body of Wheeler, 66, was discovered on New Year's Eve as a garbage truck emptied its contents at the Cherry Island landfill. His death has been ruled a homicide.

Wheeler retired from the military in 1971 and lived in New Castle. He reportedly was last seen Dec. 28, traveling on an Amtrak train from Washington to Wilmington.

Police have determined that all the stops made Friday by the garbage truck before it arrived at the landfill involved large commercial disposal bins in Newark, several miles from Wheeler's home.

"He was just not the sort of person who would wind up in a landfill," said Bayard Marin, an attorney who was representing Wheeler in a dispute over a couple's plans to build a new home in the historic district of Old New Castle where Wheeler lived.

Wheeler, the son of a decorated Army officer, was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and a veteran of the Vietnam war. He was the first chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and led the multimillion-dollar fundraising effort to create the memorial on Washington's National Mall.

Fund founder and president Jan Scruggs said Wheeler dedicated himself to ensuring that service members were given the respect they deserve.

"I know how passionate he was about honoring all who serve their nation, and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice," Scruggs said in a statement released Monday.

Wheeler served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

In addition to chairing the memorial fund, Wheeler served as a special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force. He also was the first chief executive of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Wheeler's military career included serving in the office of the secretary of defense and writing a manual on the effectiveness of biological and chemical weapons, which recommended that the United States not use biological weapons.

"He was a very humble kind of guy, actually," Marin said. "He was never the kind of person who would talk about all the wonderful things he did in his life."

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Comments

[CamdenNJReader]

03:10 PM on 01/09/2011

Delaware is a tightly knit fuedal state controlled by politicians and millionaries. People there are on the record as being scared to speak of this thing. If they who killed Wheeler with impunity are exposed they will certainly kill anyone who comes forward.

[gift economy]

04:41 PM on 01/08/2011

To the direct reason for Wheeler’s murder was this past week’s transport of Iraqi Phosgene poisonous gas aboard a US Air Force KC-767 tanker aircraft from Little Rock Air Force Base enroute to Afghanistan that shortly after takeoff had a ‘critical malfunction’ of its aerial spraying computer directed command and control system over central Arkansas causing the deaths of thousands of red-wing blackbirds.


Even more chilling than this incident is this GRU report stating that it was the second “accidental” release of Phosgene poisonous gas in as many days, as the day before, this same US Air Force KC-767 tanker aircraft also had a “critical malfunction” causing a release over the Arkansas River that killed over 100,000 fish.

[gift economy]

04:36 PM on 01/08/2011

Wheeler’s military career included writing one of the most important manuals on the effectiveness of biological and chemical weapons which led to his being hired in 2009 as a consultant to the Mitre Corporation, whose aviation system development department, the GRU reports, is at the forefront of creating the computer command and control systems used by the US Air Force in their fleet of aerial spraying planes.

[CompassionFirst]

09:34 PM on 01/06/2011

didn't wheeler belong to the high command in the air force, that stopped an illegal weapons theft from minot airforce base few years back?

[ebanks84]

06:25 PM on 01/05/2011

That poor man seemed so disoriented. I can't imagine what he thought he was doing. This is very strange.

[roger landry]

10:08 AM on 01/05/2011

Check this out.. http://inteltrends.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/top-u-s-official-murdered-after-arkansas-weapons-test-causes-mass-death/

[psyclonic]

08:25 AM on 01/05/2011

John Wheeler was a chemical and biological weapons expert who was ready to connect Phosgene gas to the hundreds of dead animals in Arkansas. Now he's dead.

Maybe Bob Woodward can track this one down and tell us it was a disgruntled neighbor who did the Wheeler job.

[Olampean]

11:39 PM on 01/04/2011

For an interesting take on the news of late, check this out:

http://www.eutimes.net/2011/01/top-us-official-murdered-after-arkansas-weapons-test-causes-mass-death/

[harrybailey]

09:38 PM on 01/04/2011

Dwight was right. Where's Gibbs?

[ie]

11:42 AM on 01/04/2011

Alarming and sad. Condolences to his family and friends. Hope they find clues and track down the perpetrator.

I wonder how long before World Net Daily blames it on the Clintons?

[wikwox]

07:54 AM on 01/04/2011

Little Delaware in the news again! And you thought all we did was nice beach's and Christine O'Donnell! This ones got the states attention though, never heard of the guy but I expect we're going to know a lot more in short order.

[FaaLaveLave]

08:26 PM on 01/05/2011

You really think so? Wonder what percentage will be doublespeak?

[Elizabeth Thorp]

12:23 AM on 01/04/2011

Jack Wheeler was a kind, smart, intense and yet also humble. Jack hired me to run the National Campaign for Hearing Health in 2000. He was passionate and tireless. More often than not, I received emails with suggestions and feedback at all hours of the night. He was a good person, a family man. Jack went out of his way to help my husband when he was changing careers and getting his MBA, despite all his other commitments to different causes and his family. This is a horrible, heartbreaking, unspeakable tragedy. To Jack and the Wheeler Family: “My peace is gone, my heart is heavy.” -- Goethe

[georgecarlin1776]

01:30 AM on 01/04/2011

He was CEO of MADD and cared about people. Lets hope they nail his killers...there are too many of the good ones like him mysteriously dying and his story needs to come out one way or another.

[ver1tas]

01:34 PM on 01/06/2011

Jack? I thought his name was John? John P Wheeler III.

[Elizabeth Thorp]

04:43 PM on 01/08/2011

His name was John but friends and colleagues called him "Jack." Still totally unbelievable.

[Olderandwiser55]

10:06 PM on 01/03/2011

Wheeler retired from the military in 1971. He was a special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force under President George W. Bush. He recently worked as a consultant for The Mitre Corporation, a nonprofit based in Bedford, Mass., and McLean, Va., that operates federally funded research and development centers.

AP

[pollie-graff]

07:41 PM on 01/03/2011

By all accounts he sounded like a very good man. I hope they find who did this to him.

[sokolof]

07:19 PM on 01/03/2011

RIP, he looks like a kind man.