Joshua L. Wheeler
| Joshua Wheeler | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
22 November 1975 Roland, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | 22 October 2015 (aged 39) Kirkuk Province, Iraq |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1995–2015 |
| Rank |
 Master sergeant
|
| Unit |
 USA Special Operations CommandDelta Force 75th Ranger Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Silver Star Bronze Star (11, 4 of them for Valor) Purple Heart Medal of Patriotism |
Joshua L. Wheeler (22 November 1975 – 22 October 2015) was a United States Army Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (aka Delta Force) Master Sergeant who was killed in Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve. He was the first American service member killed in action as a result of enemy fire while fighting ISIS militants and at the time of his death was the first American to be killed in action in Iraq since November 2011. Wheeler was a highly decorated Delta Force soldier having earned 11 Bronze Star Medals including four with Valor Devices. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star.
Wheeler was born in Roland, Oklahoma. He graduated from Muldrow High School in Muldrow, Oklahoma in 1994. He was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Wheeler enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 1995 as an infantryman and completed basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was then stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington and assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment until 1997 when he was assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. Wheeler deployed three times in support of combat operations to Afghanistan and Iraq with the 75th Ranger Regiment. In 2004 Wheeler was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was assigned to the United States Army Special Operations Command's Delta Force in which he was a team leader deploying 11 times to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of combat operations.
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Wikipedia