World War II Honoree

Clarence S. Wheeler

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Warsaw, Kentucky

Honored By

Danny F. Wheeler

Relationship

Son

Assigned to various warships and areas such as North Africa, Northern Europe and the South Pacific for duty. In July 1944 he was assigned to the U.S. Naval Armed Guard serving aboard the SS Esso Harrisburg carrying crude oil from Cartagena, Colombia to New York when the ship was torpedoed by the German submarine U-516 and sank with the loss of 8 lives; 4 Navy sailors and 4 ship's crew including the Master. The survivors escaped to the lifeboats and were rescued without further incident.