Wheeler, Earle G.
Wheeler, Earle G. (1908–1975), general, U.S. Army; chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), 1964–79.Gen. Earle Wheeler's tenure as the nation's top military officer spanned the height of America's involvement in the Vietnam War. President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Wheeler chairman of the JCS in July 1964 to succeed Gen. Maxwell Taylor. Wheeler oversaw and supported the expanding U.S. military role in the conflict in the mid‐1960s, consistently backing the field commander's requests for additional troops and operating authority. Concerned that the U.S. buildup in Vietnam depleted U.S. military capabilities in other parts of the world, he urged the president to mobilize American reserve forces. In February 1968, after the Tet Offensive, Wheeler extracted from Gen. William C....
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