Lester Lewes Wheeler – Brigadier General, United States Army

From a contemporary press report

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Lester L. Wheeler, 88, a retired Army Brigadier General who was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, died of cancer May 5, 1999 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

General Wheeler, a Washington area resident since 1970, was born in Baltimore and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1935. He was an officer with the 24th Infantry Division in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack December 7, 1941.

His wife and daughter were with him at the time of the attack, but all were uninjured. He went on to command the 34th Infantry Regiment in combat in the Philippines. Then, during the Korean War, he commanded the 5th Regimental Combat Team.

His peacetime service included an assignment with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he participated as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Geneva.

General Wheeler also served as commanding general of the Yukon Command in Alaska and as chief of staff with the Third U.S. Army. His military honors included two Silver Stars, which he received for valor in combat operations, the Distinguished Service Medal, Combat Infantry Badge with star and the Legion of Merit.

Following his military retirement in 1965, he worked five years as a resident consultant for the Rand Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif. He came to Alexandria in 1970 and lived at The Fairfax retirement community in Fort Belvoir for the last two years.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years, the former Dorothy Helen Hutchin of The Fairfax in Fort Belvoir; three children, Helen Wheeler Buckley of Baltimore, Louis Lamborn Wheeler of Vienna and Thomas Hutchin Wheeler of Eugene, Ore.; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.


WHEELER, LESTER L., BG, USA (Ret.)

On May 5, 1999. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, the former Dorothy Helen Hutchin; his daughter, Helen Wheeler Buckley of Baltimore, MD; two sons, Louis Lamborn Wheeler of Vienna, VA and Thomas Hutchin Wheeler of Eugene, OR; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. A service will be held on Tuesday, May 18, at 1 p.m. in Fort Myer Chapel, followed by burial in Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions
may be made to the McDonogh School Scholarship Fund or the Superintendent’s Fund at West Point.


Wheeler, Lester L

Born November 26, 1910
Died May 5, 1999
US Army
Brigadier General
Residence: Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Section 30, Grave 1007-LH
Buried May 18, 1999

WHEELER, DOROTHY H

  • DATE OF BIRTH: 01/08/1918
  • DATE OF DEATH: 02/04/2003
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 02/14/2003
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 30  SITE 1007-LH
    ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
  • WIFE OF WHEELER, LESTER L BG US ARMY

llwheeler-gravesite-photo-may-2008-001

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