Mr. Robert Allen Wheeler of Wallace, NC, passed away Saturday, October 6, 2012 at Milford & Reba Quinn Hospice Center in Kenansville.  Funeral services will be held 11:00 am Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at Wallace Presbyterian Church conducted by Dr. Philip Gladden.  A visitation will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 pm Tuesday October 9, 2012 at Padgett Funeral Home, Wallace.  Burial will be in the Arlington National Cemetery, VA.

Mr. Wheeler is survived by his wife of 48 years, Shirley Clark Wheeler of the home, two daughters, Laura Elizabeth Field and husband Colin of Atlanta, GA and Linda Wheeler Smith of Stephen City, VA, four grandsons, Andrew Smith, Carter Field, Bryson Smith and William Smith, a granddaughter, Lexie Field and a sister, Mary Cornmesser.

Born January 31, 1937 in Waterloo, Iowa, Mr. Wheeler was the son of the late Charles Deforest and Elsie (Kaltenbach) Wheeler and was preceded in death by a brother, Charles Wheeler.  Robert was a member of the Wallace Presbyterian Church and enjoyed skiing, golfing, tennis and traveling.

Mr. Wheeler was a congressional appointee from Waterloo, Iowa where he graduated from high school in 1955.  In July of 1955, Robert took a train to West Point and so began his military life.  Little did he know that it would be the start of a 30 year military career followed by 15 years working for a defense contractor in the Washington area.  Assigned to company C-1, he joined an outstanding group of talented classmates in which he graduated June of 1959.  After graduating, he headed to Ft. Sill for the Artillery Basic Course followed by the Air Defense Base Course at Ft. Bliss.  After basic and Air Defense Base Course, Robert headed to Ft. Benning, GA for Ranger and Air Borne School.

In August of 1960, Mr. Wheeler reported to the 41 ^st Field Artillery Battalion (Honest John) in Kitzingen, Germany where he was a platoon leader and Battery Commander and this is where he met the love of his live, Shirley.  Later he was transferred to the MI Branch followed by language school, then an assignment to 8 ^th Special Forces Group.  He became jumpmaster qualified and participated in two Counter Insurgency Training Teams, one to Guatemala and the other to Bolivia.  In July of 1967, Robert was promoted to Major then come down with orders to Vietnam.  After language school, he started a tour as the Senior Advisor to the Vietnamese Armed Force Intelligence School in Cholon.  Later, Robert was selected for the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) and graduated in 1972.  Upon graduating CGSC, he was sent to Vietnam where he was assigned to a detachment of the 525 MI Group in MR III.  Once his tour was completed in Vietnam, Robert was reassigned to Ft. Lewis, 9 ^th Infantry Division.  He served as the Assistant G-2 until he received orders to Iran.  He departed Iran for DIA where he had a variety of interesting assignments.

Robert was sent back to Iran in January of 1979 where he witnessed the Shah fly out and the return of Ayatollah Khomeini. He was in the Embassy on 14 February of 1979 when it was attacked by armed rabble.  He held a tearful Founder's Day reunion as the Marines tossed gas grenades to keep the attackers out.  It did not work and he was captured and then immediately freed by the cavalry, an armed Mullah riding in a jeep who negotiated with the attackers and he was set free.  Mr. Wheeler was  promoted to Colonel in 1981.  In 1983, Robert was stationed in Munich Germany where he was the Director of Operations of the 66 ^th Military Intelligence Group.  After returning to the United States, he was assigned as the Director of Counterintelligence and Security DIA.  After serving for 30 years, he retired in July of 1989.  He worked for two contractors for 16 more years finally retiring from the Security Police Staff of the National Reconnaissance Office in August 2005.  Later he moved to a gated community in River Landing in Wallace, NC.  It had been a good life and had enjoyed the traveling, golfing and his grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Milford and Reba Quinn Hospice Care Center, C/O Carolina East Hospice, 744 South Kenansville Bypass, Kenansville, NC 28349 or to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, 330 E. Sunrise Drive, Tucson, AZ 85718.