The Wilmington morning star., 1946-06-04
MORE ABOUT
WHEELER
FROM PAGE ONE

FROM PAGE ONE
Silver Star and Distinguished
Service medal in the Aisne-Marne,
st. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Of
fensives. He was later with the
Army of Occupation in Germany
and in Italy with the American
commission to negotiate peace.
Returning to the U. S. in 1919, he
served various engineer assign
ments and was graduated in June,
1887, from the general staff school
at Fort Leavenworth. His next
assignment was in the Panama
Canal zone as Assistant Engineer
of maintenance. Following his
tour of duty in Wilmington he
served at Rock Island, ILL.,, and
1887 he was graduated from the
War College in Washington and
became resident member Of the
Board of Engineers for Rivers
and Harbors in the capital. Later
he was again sent to the Canal
Zone and returned to Washington
in September, 1941, as Acting AS
sistant Chief of Staff, Supply divi-
sion, CA specializing in trans
p~ortation, construction and supply
for the Army.
Persian Gulf Command
After November 1y41, General
Wheeler, headed the Persian Cult
command where he started work
on the principal Lend-Lease sup
ply route to Russia. He then
moved to India. The first ship
ment of supplies from the U. S.
arrived 10 days after he took COM
mand and three years later, in
March, 1945, more than $50, 900
long tons of supplies from the U.
S. were routed through India to
combat forces in China.
General Wheeler's World War II
Distinguished Service Medal rib
bon now bears two Oak Leaf clus-
tiers. The first is for his work as
commanding general SOS in the
China-Burma-India theater to No
vember 1943; the second for serv-
ice as deputy supreme Allied COM
mander of the South East Asia
command from November 1914 te
May 1945 and as principal admins
trative officer of the South East
Asia command from November
1913 to May 1915.
At Jap Surrender
On June 8, 1945, he succeeded
Lieut.. Gen. Daniel Sultan as COM
manding general of U. S. forces in
the India-Burma theater. The fol
lowing September, he represented
the United States at Japanese SUIT
render ceremonies at Singapore.
He returned to the states Septem-
Der 80, 1945, after 46 months for
{ eign service, to take up his new
four-year assignment as chief Of
engineers.
When Wheeler, then holding the
rank of major, was Wilmington
= District Army engineer, one of the
! largest projects under his admins
tration was completion of the 80
y foot channel in the Cape Fear
- river, from Wilmington to the sea,
: The North Carolina link of the in.
land waterway was completed dur
= ing his tour OF duty and he started
! work on the project to provide ar
) elght-foot depth in the Cape Fear
I from Wilmington to Fayetteville.
Register Friday Morning
Opening with registration at the
Ocean Terrace hotel at 10 a. M,
Friday, the conference of the state
society will continue with a meet
4 ing of the board of directors to be
followed with adjournment fol
: lunch at 1890 o'clock.
The afternoon session will begir
at 2:15 o'clock with the forma
5 opening of the convention by Presi
s dent Hewitt. Welcome will be ex
tended by Mayor j. Russell Wood
of Wrightsville Beach. The report.
of the president; l.. M. Keever
of Raleigh, secretary-treasurer
and of standing and special com
mittees will be presented at thi
e time. Following the business pro
gram, ]. S. Webb, signal engineer
Of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
company, will discuss "Railwa,
Signaling and DR.. C. B. Bren
necke, of N. C. State college, will
discuss 'Nuclear Reactions"
The banquet will be in the mai,
dining room OF the hotel and will
open with invocation by the Rev
Edgar Halleck, OF Wilmington. TIL
address of welcome will b
by D. B. Packard, Jr., presiden
OF the Wilmington Engineers club
u sponsor of the session. w. D. Car
michael, comptroller and bushes
manager of the University o
North Carolina, will be toast
= master, and General Wheeler will
- speak.
a The Saturday morning session
: opening at $50 o'clock, will be fea
. tured by addresses by B. F. Sny
q der, Of the Libbey Owens : Fore
Glass company of Toledo, Ohio, O,
Daylight Engineering and tn
Solar House" and by H. v. Craw
ford, sewage ard water pumpin,
specialist OF the General Electri
on ssH1..- Wv, :, ~