Marine Honors for Daddy

E-mail from John Wheatley, III
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 22:43:22 -0600

Daddy was a hero to all of us throughout his 82 years and we're all very proud of him. During those 82 years, he spent 2 years serving in the United States Marines as a "machine gunner", which was a very critical and valuable assignment during the many combat missions that he participated in.

Daddy served in 1944-45 and was involved in lots of fighting at Okinawa, where the Japanese military made a very fierce and determined "last stand" near the end of World War II. The fighting was easily the bloodiest and deadliest of the war and it lasted for months, but our troops were victorious and we were very fortunate that Daddy was one of the few in his group to survive and return home to become our father and hero for the rest of his life. He also served in Tsing Tao, China guarding Chang Khi Chek supply depots during the Japanese surrender process at the end of the war before finally coming home to Tennessee.

Although his service as a Marine involved only two of his 82 years, it is appropriate to honor him for that service and sacrifice as we mourn his death and celebrate his life. You may not be aware of the internet website that has long served the soldiers and their families of the 6th Marine Division, but I've been visiting and benefitting from that site for years now and utilized that resource to research and learn more about Daddy's military service. The site also helped me to locate Marine videotapes from the time when Daddy was fighting in Okinawa and a "yearbook" type of book that's all about the Sixth Marine Division in which he served. We gave him these items and lots of Marine hats, clothes, etc. in recent years, and I'm proud that he enjoyed and took pride in those items.

Since this website is pretty much the home now of the surviving soldiers and their families from those days, I have posted an appropriate entry on their forum to honor Daddy and his fellow Marines on behalf of our family and I encourage you to check it out if you like. I think Daddy would approve of this matter and would take pride in knowing that he is memorialized to his fellow Marines today in the best way I know to reach them at this point in history.

Please take time at your convenience to explore this web site and it's many links to learn and appreciate more about the great sacrifices that Daddy and his fellow Marines made in order that we might enjoy freedom as Americans.

To see my posting about Daddy, go to: http://www.sixthmarinedivision.com/

and click on Forum in the top right corner of the home page....the posting should be near the top.

See me for lots of other websites that tell in great detail about the battles that Daddy helped to win in Okinawa.

I love all of you and I look forward to seeing you very soon.

Love / John

In Remembrance ~ John Fox Wheatley, Jr.

John Fox Wheatley, Jr., 82, of Birmingham went home to be with his Lord on December 29,
2008. Funeral Service will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 3 at Canterbury Methodist
Church in Birmingham. John was born in Winter Garden, FL, raised in Shelbyville, TN, and
lived 8 years in Huntsville before moving to Birmingham where he lived most of his life. He was
a member of Canterbury Methodist Church. John fought the courageous battle of congestive
heart failure.

He was a Sergeant in the US Marines during World War II, serving in Okinawa and Tsing Tao,
China. He returned and attended Middle Tennessee College (Murfreesboro, TN). He was a
manager for Marks-Fitzgerald Furniture Co. for many years and later he worked in the grocery
business. His hard works, strong determination, as well as his love for the Lord, have always
been an inspiration for his family and those who knew him. John was always a loving person and
always doing for others unselfishly. He loved and played football in high school and in the
Marine Corps. He watched nearly all of the college games and knew all of the players and teams.
He loved fishing, hunting, and spending time with his family. He will be missed by all.
He is preceded in death by parents, John Fox, Sr. and Jane Marks Wheatley; sister, Martha Jane
Brinkley; grandson, James Randall Price, Jr.; and nephew Daniel Fox Brinkley. He is survived
by his wife of 62 years, Martha Ann Overall Wheatley; five children, John Fox Wheatley III
(Linda), Jane Grace (Larry), David Wheatley (Debbie), Sylvia Koch, and Maria Price; thirteen
grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Grandchildren are the Wheatley's: John, Mike (Angel),
Tommy (Rochelle), Emory, Shannon (Mary), Audra. Also, Tim Grace (Beth), Angela Price,
Julie Koch Zurr (Matt), Gary, Melissa, and Mary Catherine Koch. John loved his sister's children
as much as his own. Surviving nieces/nephews of Huntsville are the Brinkley's: Lewis (Glenna),
Allen (Melissa), Jim, and Jane McElroy (Jimmy).

Funeral arrangements are made through Usrey Funeral Home in Pell City, AL (1.205.338.0303).

Published in The Birmingham News on 1/1/2009