World War II Honoree

Raymond Albert Wheeler

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Peoria, Illinois

Honored By

Pearl Thomas

Graduate of US Military Academy. He was a lieutenant general in the US Army Corps of Engineers and an eminent engineer of international recognition. He fought in the South-East Asian Theater, where he personally accepted the Japanese surrender in Singapore. He was commanding general of the India-Burma Theater of Operations and directed construction of the Ledo Road. He helped supervise the construction of tens of thousands of miles of rail and highway through Iraq and Iran during the development of Allied supply lines from Europe to Russia during the war. Awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and Knight Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire.