Oral interview (1987) conducted by Radm Frank J. Allston with VADM Kenneth R. Wheeler.
Kenneth R. Wheeler was born in Huntsville, AR on June 3, 1918. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1939 and was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve through the ROTC program.
He began his service aboard the USS HULL (DD-350) and later trained at the Navy Finance and Supply Corps School in Philadelphia. He then reported for duty as Assistant Supply Officer at the Naval Shipyard in Cavite, Philippines, where he was stationed during the attack on 8 December 1941. After evacuating to Bataan, he served aboard the USS CANOPUS (AS-9) and as the Supply Officer for the Provisional Naval Infantry Battalion until he was ordered to Corregidor in April 1942. During the fall of Corregidor, he was captured and became a Prisoner of War for three and a half years, enduring severe hardships with courage.
While imprisoned at Corregidor, Cabanatuan, and Davao, Wheeler faced further adversity. In December 1944, as a Lieutenant (jg), he was aboard the transport ORYOKU MARU, headed for Japan, when it was torpedoed. Despite heavy enemy fire, he repeatedly swam back to the sinking ship to rescue fellow prisoners, earning him the Bronze Star Medal. He received a second Bronze Star for his actions in January 1945 following another attack on a prisoner ship. At Fukuoka Prison Camp, he bravely endured freezing temperatures to care for sick and wounded prisoners, contracting pneumonia, which nearly claimed his life. His heroic actions were credited with saving many of his comrades.
After his liberation in 1945, Admiral Wheeler had a distinguished post-war career. He held key positions, including assignments at the Aviation Supply Office and Naval Air Station in Jacksonville. In 1960, he became Director of Supply Corps Personnel, and in 1963, he took command of the Naval Ordnance Supply Office in Mechanicsburg.
Wheeler achieved Flag rank in June 1965 and served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics and Management on the staff of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He later assumed command of the Navy Accounting and Finance Center in Washington. In June 1970, he was named Commander of the Naval Supply Systems Command and Chief of the Supply Corps. His exemplary service in these roles earned him the rank of Vice Admiral in January 1973, when he was designated Vice Chief of Naval Material, serving as principal advisor to Admiral Isaac Kidd, Jr., and overseeing six deputy chiefs and six Systems Commanders.
Vice Admiral Wheeler retired in September 1974 after 35 years of service. In retirement, he remained deeply connected to the Navy and the Supply Corps community, particularly in Jacksonville, Florida. Later, he became a prominent civic leader in Statesville, North Carolina, alongside his wife Marilyn.
This collection includes the transcript of the oral interview of Kenneth R. Wheeler in his Statesville, NC home on August 1, 1987, about his life and experiences in the Navy.
Gift of RADM James E. Miller, USN (Ret)
Encoded by Apex Data Services
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