Wheelous, Dexter Eugene
Male
Verified SFC Dexter Eugene Wheelous, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, was a U.S. Army soldier killed in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 25, 2006.
Their Story
Dexter Eugene Wheelous was a 37-year-old Sergeant First Class from Atlanta, Georgia. He served in the U.S. Army, assigned to the 842nd Military Transition Team (MiTT), which was tactically controlled by the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, and was task-organized to the 1st Cavalry Division during his deployment to Iraq.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Wheelous died on December 25, 2006, in Baghdad. He was killed by enemy small-arms fire while on a dismounted patrol in the Iraqi capital. The incident was part of a surge in violence during the holiday period that year.
Wheelous was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom, a conflict that began with a U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. The war's stated justifications included the elimination of suspected weapons of mass destruction and the removal of Saddam Hussein's government. The subsequent years saw intense counterinsurgency operations and sectarian violence.
His death was reported by several news outlets, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which noted his Georgia roots. The Army posthumously awarded him the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. He was survived by his wife and children.
Wheelous is memorialized on the Iraq War Veterans Memorial and at Fort Benning, Georgia. His unit, the 842nd MiTT, was part of a broader effort to train and advise Iraqi security forces, a central component of U.S. strategy at that stage of the war.
Explore Further
SFC Dexter Wheelous was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2010). The conflict concluded in August 2010. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Kennedy, Brian Matthew, Beaupre, Ryan Anthony, Gutierrez, Jose, Waters-bey, Kendall Damon.
