lest we forget

WHELESS, JIMMY RAY

Rank / Branch:

  • CORPORAL, (POSTHUMOUS), U.S. ARMY

Date Of Birth:

  • 1948-07-17

Country Of Loss:

  • SOUTH VIETNAM

Status:

  • HOSTILE, SMALL ARMS

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:​

  • GROUND

Other:

  • NOT MARRIED

Unit:

  • AMERICAL DIVISION

Date Of Loss:

  • 1968-05-09

Loss Coordinates:

  • THUA THIEN

Catagory:

  • BODY RETURNED

Awards & Decorations:

  • SEE BIO

VETERAN HAGI0GRAPHY

  • WHELESS, JIMMY RAY, CORPORAL, U.S. ARMY, SAN ANGELO, TOM GREEN COUNTY, TEXAS

AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

  • COMBAT INFANTRYMANS BADGE, PURPLE HEART, NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM CROSS OF GALLANTRY WITH PALM, VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL

BIOGRAPHY

  • Jimmy was the 4th of nine children born to Elsie Dunn and Mitchell Tom Wheless. He was born in Ballinger, Texas and raised in San Angelo. His father had been a veteran of World War II and had been a POW for 18 months in the European Theatre. Jimmy attended San Angelo Schools; Fort Concho Grade School, Edison Junior High and he last attended San Angelo Central High School. He dropped out his junior year and worked for Martin Glover Grocery Distributors in San Angelo.
  • He enlisted in the Army in July 1967 after turning 19. He completed basic and AIT in infantry at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He began his tour in Vietnam on February 5, 1968. He was assigned to HHC, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, which was the operational control of the 23rd (Americal) Division. He was killed in hostile action on May 9, 1968. His sister indicates he was killed by mortar fire, according to the telegram that the family received.
  • He was buried with full military honors in the Fairmount Cemetery in San Angelo, Texas. He received a posthumous promotion to Corporal. His older brother, Don passed away July 15, 1973 and his parents are buried next to him. His father passed away November 22, 2000, and his mother passed away May 18, 2003. He also lost two brothers, Don in 1930 and Shirley in 2015.
  • FAIRMOUNT CEMETERY, SAN ANGELO, TEXAS