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John Wheeler, Former Aide To Both Bush And Reagan Presidencies, Found Murdered In Delaware

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Tragic news out of Delaware as a body discovered in a Delaware landfill on New Years Eve has been confirmed as John P. Wheeler III, a decorated veteran who worked with three different Presidential administrations. His death has been ruled a homicide.

Wheeler served in the Vietnam War, served as an aide to both Bush administrations as well as the Reagan administration, and was the chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund with whom he was instrumental in getting the Vietnam Memorial built. Recently, he had been working to get the ROTC brought back to Ivy League campuses. He was last seen on an Amtrak train last Tuesday.

Below is the Fox News report on his death. Here you can read a quick remembrance by The Atlantic’s James Fallows, who helped him with his book Touched with Fire.

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  • tatboy

    Bush’s fault…

  • timzank

    tatboy said:
    Bush’s fault…

    Heh, could the couple that did Vince Foster did this one too?

  • writer

    Brisket’s thighs must be involved somehow.

  • Atticus Draco


    “he had been working to get the ROTC brought back to Ivy League campuses”

    the “Skull and Bones” put a hit out on him?

  • CallmeBC

    Good — the Myspacing of increasingly scammy Facebook has apparently finally begun. Let’s hope that the next-gen social networking site gets up and running in time to make the transition easier the next time (the Myspace -> Facebook changeover caught a lot of musicians in a tough place where they either had to stick with the fading and self-destructive Myspace, which most had depended on for years as their primary music site, switch over to Facebook, which was/is poor as a musician site, use a hard to maintain domain site, or use a combination of other sites like bandcamp and last.fm.)

    By the way, people who post “Bush’s fault” for stuff like this might as well have a large button that goes, “I’m a clueless dope – ask me how”

  • Atticus Draco

    CallmeBC said:
    By the way, people who post “Bush’s fault” for stuff like this might as well have a large button that goes, “I’m a clueless dope – ask me how”

    zoom zoom zoom

  • CallmeBC

    What the hell — I was commenting on the Facebook – Goldman story and there was some Internet fart and suddenly my post ended up on the Wheeling story. WTF….

  • Nacho

    He was hunting with Dick Cheney, I guess Halliburton is slipping on their body disposals.

  • Atticus Draco

    CallmeBC said:
    What the hell — I was commenting on the Facebook – Goldman story and there was some Internet fart and suddenly my post ended up on the Wheeling story. WTF….

    You’re a clueless dope

    Hey clueless,, you copy aand pasted,, derr!
    when you enact the “Quote” button,,
    it pastes what you have in your ClipBoard
    PAY ATTENTION CLUELESS!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Lars-Svensen/100001028197161 Lars Svensen

    Did Fallows say Wheeler had “changeable passions”? What’s that supposed to mean?

  • Conspiracy2Riot

    Well this is the 1st thing being put in a landfill that makes sense.

  • BatBoy

    I just saw Hillary in a Photo with Hugo….just saying!

  • tiredofbs

    CallmeBC said:
    By the way, people who post “Bush’s fault” for stuff like this might as well have a large button that goes, “I’m a clueless dope – ask me how”

    Atticus Draco said:
    You’re a clueless dope

    Hey clueless,, you copy aand pasted,, derr!
    when you e

    priceless

  • tiredofbs

    Conspiracy2Riot said:
    Well this is the 1st thing being put in a landfill that makes sense.

    typical ambassador of the Left;classless uncouth POS
    too bad it wasn’t your lover,sister,mother, daughter instead(?)
    get it?
    snarky pithy is one thing, devoid of humanity towards another human being
    is telling of deeper issues..freakazoid

  • The Enola Gay

    Just got on this site to find bunch of really awful people making fun of the death of a Vietnam veteran. Is this what it has come down to? Laughing at someone’s death? What kind of site is this?

  • Pablo

    Hmmmmm….. Glenn Beck didn’t come in to work today. Coincidence? Or maybe Wheeler had the BOMBSHELL!

    Get me GlennBeckReview, stat!

  • notsofast

    Man, no one is safe.

  • LibertySister

    Conspiracy2Riot said:
    Well this is the 1st thing being put in a landfill that makes sense.

    Your an idoit…this was a persons life! I dont care how liberial you are try to reach deep inside to find some humanity.
    Like ” tiredofbs” said above, what if he was your father, brother or son? someone lost someone close to them.

  • CallmeBC

    Atticus Draco said:
    You’re a clueless dope

    Hey clueless,, you copy aand pasted,, derr!
    when you enact the “Quote” button,,
    it pastes what you have in your ClipBoard
    PAY ATTENTION CLUELESS!!!

    Put your “I’m a clueless dope – ask me how” button on — I was commenting on the Facebook – Goldman article when I was abruptly popped out. I backpaged into a comment space of what I thought was the same article, retyped what I had written, saw the always dopey “Bush’s fault” post above it (maybe you should visit the National Archive website and check out some of the declassified memos by Bush’s people), added a comment about that, and then clicked on submit. I was then when I scrolled up that I discovered I was mysteriously transported to a different article, and apparently Medialite doesn’t have a way to remove or edit a post.

    Maybe you should go find those missing WMD’s, Sherlock.

  • The Enola Gay

    LibertySister said:
    Your an idoit…this was a persons life! I dont care how liberial you are try to reach deep inside to find some humanity.Like ” tiredofbs” said above, what if he was your father, brother or son? someone lost someone close to them.

    I don’t think this has anything to do with the “left” or the “right.” It is just a bunch of pathetic creatures (tatboy, timzank, writer, atticus draco, nacho, lars swenson, batboy, notsofast, etc.) who sit in front of a computer all day, and laugh at others’ misfortunes. Politics does not have to play a role when juvenile phonies decide to shoot off their mouths.

  • dhg

    The responses in this thread about a man being mudered make me wonder how many human beings actually come to this site.come on folks,a man died in a horrible way.Can’t you act like decent human beings,even if you aren;t actually one?

  • The Enola Gay

    dhg said:
    The responses in this thread about a man being mudered make me wonder how many human beings actually come to this site.come on folks,a man died in a horrible way.Can’t you act like decent human beings,even if you aren;t actually one?

    Amen to that. From what little I have seen from the comments on this site, there are not many adults on here. A lot of trash, though.

  • Atticus Draco

    The Enola Gay said:
    atticus draco

    why are including me,, i didnt laff at his demise?!

  • The Enola Gay

    Atticus Draco said:
    the “Skull and Bones” put a hit out on him?

    This was your comment from above….

  • Atticus Draco

    CallmeBC said:
    Atticus Draco said:
    You’re a clueless dope

    Hey clueless,, you copy aand pasted,, derr!
    when you enact the “Quote” button,,
    it pastes what you have in your ClipBoard
    PAY ATTENTION CLUELESS!!!

    CallmeBC said:
    Put your “I’m a clueless dope – ask me how” button on — I was commenting on the Facebook – Goldman article when I was abruptly popped out. I backpaged into a comment space of what I thought was the same article, retyped what I had written, saw the always dopey “Bush’s fault” post above it (maybe you should visit the National Archive website and check out some of the declassified memos by Bush’s people), added a comment about that, and then clicked on submit. I was then when I scrolled up that I discovered I was mysteriously transported to a different article, and apparently Medialite doesn’t have a way to remove or edit a post.

    Maybe you should go find those missing WMD’s, Sherlock.

    i didnt read all that,, but ,, could you answer me this,,,
    are you a chick?
    ‘coz you got some strong feminine qualities about ya that are fairly transparent

  • Atticus Draco

    The Enola Gay said:
    This was your comment from above….

    and you misinterpreted that i was crackin’ a joke,, making lite of the situation?

    i didnt laff when i wrote it,, did you laff when you read it?

  • tiredofbs

    The Enola Gay said:
    I don’t think this has anything to do with the “left” or the “right.” It is just a bunch of pathetic creatures (tatboy, timzank, writer, atticus draco, nacho, lars swenson, batboy, notsofast, etc.) who sit in front of a computer all day, and laugh at others’ misfortunes. Politics does not have to play a role when juvenile phonies decide to shoot off their mouths.

    Hey,,, daily back & forth, repartee,, is interesting often very entertaining…(not for the faint at heart)
    We cannot compare that with the classless inhuman comments on the death of a total stranger,
    a good man who served his country,,, just because his Political standing may not have been as our own…

    The two are totally different

  • tiredofbs

    tatboy said:
    Bush’s fault…

    timzank said:
    Heh, could the couple that did Vince Foster did this one too?

    writer said:
    Brisket’s thighs must be involved somehow.

    Atticus Draco said:
    the “Skull and Bones” put a hit out on him?

    ev1 o f these were witty & funny!
    There’s a very fin e line & only some know how to dangle on the edge without going over
    into obnoxious & disgusting like:
    “Conspiracy2Riot said:
    Well this is the 1st thing being put in a landfill that makes sense.”

  • CallmeBC

    Atticus Draco said:
    i didnt read all that,, but ,, could you answer me this,,,
    are you a chick?
    ‘coz you got some strong feminine qualities about ya that are fairly transparent

    Maybe you just can’t tell the difference between what’s a butt crack and what’s not a butt crack, butt crack.

    Actually all this way off base weirdness is making me feel a little guilty about the main point of this article. I can’t remember knowing about Wheeler, and while his politics apparently don’t quite match up with mine, he seems to have had a pretty eventful life, and Fallows is a good judge of character, so my thoughts go out to his family and friends.

  • Atticus Draco

    CallmeBC said:
    Maybe you just can’t tell the difference between what’s a butt crack and what’s not a butt crack, butt crack.

    Actually all this way off base weirdness is making me feel a little guilty about the main point of this article. I can’t remember knowing about Wheeler, and while his politics apparently don’t quite match up with mine, he seems to have had a pretty eventful life, and Fallows is a good judge of character, so my thoughts go out to his family and friends.

    is that a yes or no?!?
    JESUS CHRIST YOU ARE A CHICK!
    YAP YAP YAP YAP

  • Davo

    The Enola Gay said:
    Just got on this site to find bunch of really awful people making fun of the death of a Vietnam veteran. Is this what it has come down to? Laughing at someone’s death? What kind of site is this?

    . The left has always worked to silence their opposition rather than debate us in the arena of ideas. This “silencing” has gone too far. I have no doubt that if a violent revolution begins in America, it will be started by Liberals, just as it did in Greece and Ireland.

    Judging by the above fact and the cavalier attitude expressed on this thread by Liberals, chances are good that Wheeler was murdered by a leftist ideologue.

  • Atticus Draco

    Davo said:
    . The left has always worked to silence their opposition rather than debate us in the arena of ideas. This “silencing” has gone too far. I have no doubt that if a violent revolution begins in America, it will be started by Liberals, just as it did in Greece and Ireland.

    Judging by the above fact and the cavalier attitude expressed on this thread by Liberals, chances are good that Wheeler was murdered by a leftist ideologue.

    LMAO!!
    Now that made me laugh CallmeBC
    he didnt beat around the gdam bush about it!’
    lol

  • Atticus Draco

    Davo said:
    chances are good that Wheeler was murdered by a leftist ideologue

    it’s fifty – fifty,,
    if it aint a leftist ideologue,, it’s gotta be a scorned gay lover
    yeah,, my money is on the gay lover
    a libertarian gay lover
    40% chance the gay lover is republican

  • Just4thefax

    Fact: A staff officer in Vietnam, Wheeler was a graduate of West Point, as well as Harvard Business School and Yale Law School.

    Wheeler’s attorney, Bayard Marin, told CNN that his client had been involved in a lengthy legal fight with a couple building a new home across the street in a historic district of New Castle. Wheeler had adamantly opposed the new construction.

    The dispute may have become contentious, but “I can’t recall a confrontation,” Marin said. “Everything seemed to be kept within normal bounds.”

    Veterans advocates offered statements of praise for the former official, who served in Vietnam.

    “It is only fitting that we pause now and remember Jack Wheeler, who served his country honorably, then dedicated himself to ensuring that our nation’s service members are always given the respect they deserve,” said Jan Scruggs, president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

    What Wheeler “cared about was civic values and civic virtue,” wrote James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic.

    “He was a complicated man of very intense (and sometimes changeable) friendships, passions, and causes. … I feel terrible for his family and hope they will eventually find comfort in knowing how many important things he achieved.”

  • Just4thefax

    Fact:John P. Wheeler III, 66, of New Castle, was a U.S. Army veteran who led efforts to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington.

    The defense consultant, who worked in Washington, had a long career as a public official in the past three Republican administrations.

    Vietnam veteran Paul Stancliff helped decorate a Christmas tree placed at the apex of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial last month. John P. Wheeler lll, a former Pentagon official who was a crucial force in getting the controversial design built, was found murdered Friday in a Delaware landfill.This is just not the kind of guy who gets murdered,” said Bayard Marin, a Wilmington attorney who represented Wheeler in a dispute with a neighbor. “This is not the kind of guy you find in a landfill.”

    Wheeler was last traced riding an Amtrak train from
    Washington to Wilmington on Tuesday, said Newark police Lt. Mark Farrall. His body was found on New Year’s Eve

  • http://www.libertarianism.com/ Jack Burns

    The Enola Gay said:
    Just got on this site to find bunch of really awful people making fun of the death of a Vietnam veteran. Is this what it has come down to? Laughing at someone’s death? What kind of site is this?

    Since I have been on this site I have come to the conclusion that Mediaite hires high school kids to comment in order to make it appear their story’s get a lot of “hits” You’ll notice you can give an up or down to the comment of your choice and since they very seldom go over maybe 15 to 20 a day if that. It pretty much shows you the kind of traffic they get. I like the site myself but a lot of these commenter’s need to go.. Never seen so much hate filed people needing attention. On both sides of the aisle…

  • timcajun

    LibertySister says:

    Your an idoit…this was a persons life! I dont care how liberial you are try to reach deep inside to find some humanity.

    Humanity, humanity, it’s a little hard to believe any tea would talk about humanity! I know they corner the market, they let this show every single day!

  • The Enola Gay

    Atticus Draco said:
    it’s fifty – fifty,,if it aint a leftist ideologue,, it’s gotta be a scorned gay loveryeah,, my money is on the gay lovera libertarian gay lover40% chance the gay lover is republican

    Really, really sick, and anti-American!

  • The Enola Gay

    Davo said:
    . The left has always worked to silence their opposition rather than debate us in the arena of ideas. This “silencing” has gone too far. I have no doubt that if a violent revolution begins in America, it will be started by Liberals, just as it did in Greece and Ireland. Judging by the above fact and the cavalier attitude expressed on this thread by Liberals, chances are good that Wheeler was murdered by a leftist ideologue.

    I believe if you go back and look at the sick comments, you will notice that they come from both sides of the aisle. Are you so blinded by your own ideology that you cannot see? Your comments posted here are rediculous and one-sided. And again, you have no concern or compassion for the individual who was murdered. What is the matter with you?

  • http://none pyrope

    Conspiracy2Riot said:
    Well this is the 1st thing being put in a landfill that makes sense.

    And you’re the first to whine when someone makes an off-handed remark about a liberal. You’re a really classy person–NOT.

  • http://none pyrope

    The Enola Gay said:
    I believe if you go back and look at the sick comments, you will notice that they come from both sides of the aisle.

    Although I pointed out only one instance, you’re correct, but while the comments from the right were more along the lines of sarcasm, the comments from the left were downright cruel. Neither are justified.

  • http://none pyrope

    I shall always remember Mr. Wheeler’s contribution in getting the Vietnam Memorial built. Some of those names on that wall were my friends.

  • http://none pyrope

    timcajun said:
    LibertySister says: Your an idoit…this was a persons life! I dont care how liberial you are try to reach deep inside to find some humanity. Humanity, humanity, it’s a little hard to believe any tea would talk about humanity! I know they corner the market, they let this show every single day!

    Damn right tim, and I don’t agree with you often…DAMN RIGHT!

  • http://none pyrope

    Jack Burns said:
    On both sides of the aisle…

    Agreed Mr. Burns.

  • The Enola Gay

    pyrope said:
    I shall always remember Mr. Wheeler’s contribution in getting the Vietnam Memorial built. Some of those names on that wall were my friends.

    And some of those names were guys who stood near me.

  • The Enola Gay

    pyrope said:
    Although I pointed out only one instance, you’re correct, but while the comments from the right were more along the lines of sarcasm, the comments from the left were downright cruel. Neither are justified.

    Check out Mr. Timzank’s comment above. Sarcasm, by the way, has no place in these comments, nor do cruel comments. I just cannot understand the majority of the commenters to this article. What is the matter with them? Are all the articles commented upon like this?

  • http://none pyrope

    The Enola Gay said:
    Are all the articles commented upon like this?

    No, but unfortunately, there are entirely too many of such low brow comments. If you hang around a while, you will discover of whom I speak. Fortunately, there are also some decent people from the left and right on this site.

  • http://none pyrope

    timcajun said:
    it’s a little hard to believe any tea would talk about humanity!

    I TAKE BACK MY AGREEMENT WITH YOU–YOU’RE JUST AS MUCH A PART OF THE PROBLEM AS EVERYONE ELSE. FOR A MOMENT, I THOUGHT YOU HAD REDEEMED YOURSELF BUT THAT WAS ANOTHER’S COMMENTS. WE STILL HAVE NO BASIS FOR A REASONABLE DISCUSSION.

  • Atticus Draco

    The Enola Gay said:
    Atticus Draco said:
    it’s fifty – fifty,,if it aint a leftist ideologue,, it’s gotta be a scorned gay loveryeah,, my money is on the gay lovera libertarian gay lover40% chance the gay lover is republican

    The Enola Gay said:
    Really, really sick, and anti-American!

    lol,, anti-American?!?
    How the hell am i anti-American?!

    Listen here,, i have NO emotional attachment to this dead guy
    the way it reads,, he looks like he was a good guy,, a good American,,
    and i am truly gonna miss his republican vote,,
    but as good as he was,, it looks like he got caught up in some $hit.

    The news later reported that this may be a business deal gone sour,,
    it could be,, i dont think so
    I think it was more personal than that!

    Now,, imo,, a chick aint gonna dump his a$$ in the city dump
    imo,, that’s guy sorta thing to do!

    So it was either a bad business deal,, or scorned lover,,
    and it is my estimation,, no matter the motive,,
    IT WAS A DUDE THAT KILLED AND THEN DUMPED HIS A$$ IN THE LANDFILL

    NOW HOW IN THE HELL IS THAT NOT AMERICAN OF ME TO SPECULATE ON HIS TROUBLED & DEAD A$$?!?!?

  • http://twitter.com/TheBeerNerd Commish of hangin’

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