When the United States entered the war the U.S. Marine Corps was still small. On April 6, 1917, a significant number of Marines were stationed in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Nervous to decrease forces in these countries, which had experienced rebellion in previous years, the Marines relied on a vigorous recruiting campaign. Neil Wheeler registered for the draft on June 5, 1917 and volunteered for service in the U.S. Marine Corps on July 25, 1917, at age 25.

On August 3, 1917, Wheeler was five feet eight inches tall and weighed 141 pounds when he reported for boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. Before leaving basic training he received marksman qualifications for firing small arms. When the brown-haired, blue-eyed private completed training in January 1918, he went on to Quantico, Virginia.

At Quantico he trained as a member of the 119^th Company, 1^st Replacement Battalion. Before leaving for Europe, Private Wheeler received a 4.3 out of 5.0 on his evaluation on his conduct and professionalism. During this time Marines were evaluated on military efficiency, obedience, and sobriety. For his service in the United States, Wheeler earned $1.00 a day.

American Expeditionary Force

On February 5, 1918, Wheeler and his fellow Marines boarded the 23,500 ton, German-built Von Steuben in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The ship reached Brest, France on June 25. Marines aboard the ship disembarked the following afternoon.

In France, Wheeler became part of the 2^nd Division, 5^th Regiment, 47^th Company, 3^rd Platoon under the Second Division of the U.S. Army. In a combat theater, his pay increased to $1.25 a day. Three months later, his unit fought in one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history at Belleau Wood.

Germany fought the war on two fronts. They faced the Allied Forces to the west and the Russians in the east. After the Bolshevik Revolution in late 1917, Russia withdrew from the war, allowing Germany to focus its efforts on the Western Front. In March 1918, it launched a major offensive with 50 divisions hoping to overwhelm the Allied forces in France. By late May 1918, the German offensive advanced the line within 50 miles of Paris, France.

On May 31, after receiving rations, Wheeler’s unit moved out towards Belleau Woods. As the Marines advanced, they encountered exhausted French soldiers. The French soldiers urged the U.S. Marines to withdraw. It was here that Captain Lloyd W. Williams made his legendary retort, “Retreat, hell! We just got here!”

By June 2, the Marines held the line along the edge of Belleau Wood. Over the next four days, the men held off several German attacks. The early success that the inexperienced Marines achieved was attributed to hours of target practice. After making their stand, the men shifted from defense to offense. Unfortunately, the terrain favored the enemy: open fields in the shadow of overgrown woods, with German machine gun nest on every ravine and hallock.

Battle of Belleau Wood

June 6, 1918 marked the beginning of the Battle of Belleau Wood. The U.S. Marines crossed a wheat field into oncoming German machine gun fire. When the day was over the Marines would see 1,000 men killed or wounded. On that day, Wheeler was wounded; the extent of his injuries is unknown.

The records regarding Wheeler’s death are conflicting and confusing. Originally, the U.S. Marine Corps listed Wheeler’s death on June 13, 1918. However, Wheeler’s remains were identified as those of Private Sayles Shanafelt. In subsequent documents, Wheeler’s date of death was changed from June 13 to June 17, 1918, but his remains were still unidentified.

Identifying Wheeler’s Remains

From August 1918 to July 1919, Frank and Sarah Wheeler sent ten letters to the U.S. Marine Corps in an effort to receive official notification of their son’s death and the location of his body. In a letter to the Marine Corps, Mrs. Wheeler mentions that other families in Oswego were informed when something happened to their service member. To her, it seemed that “Neil did not matter.” The Marine Corps’ responses to the Wheeler family did not always explain why the flow of information to them was delayed.

In a February 11, 1919 response to the family, Captain C. A. Ketcham reported to the family that the location of Neil’s body, when he was in the field hospital, was not reported to his commanding officer. Ketcham noted that it was impossible for officers, especially during an engagement with the enemy, to keep themselves informed as to the disposition made of all their men who are wounded in action. It is often weeks before complete reports are received.

When Wheeler was injured on June 6, 1918, his name was not mentioned on a casualty cablegram. In a letter to Mrs. Wheeler, it was explained that his injury may have been minor. This information conflicted with that received from the American Red Cross. In May 1919, Sarah received a letter from the American Red Cross saying that their New York office had a record of Sergeant Wheeler’s chest injury. The severity of his wound(s) is unclear, as is a possible advance in rank.

There is no explanation as to how Wheeler advanced four pay grades in a short period of time. Promotions such as this are usually granted to Marines for demonstrating exemplary performance. The explanation given for the promotion to Mrs. Wheeler came in a letter dated July 22, 1919. The Marine Corps wrote that they had no record of her son’s promotion to the rank of sergeant. In all probability it was issued in France and the paperwork for it was never received. In that same year the Wheeler family received word that the Marine Corps was beginning an investigation as to the location of their son’s remains.