Posted on 11/19/2015 5:03:28 AM PST by kristinn
The elite Delta Force soldier who became the first American service member killed in action in the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State militant group was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday in a quiet ceremony.
The burial of Army Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, 39, was disclosed by the office of Sen. Jim Inhofe (R.-Okla.) as it began, but was kept off the online daily funeral schedule that the cemetery maintains. That is in keeping with Delta's reputation for being quiet professionals, and follows intense scrutiny of the Oct. 22 operation in which Wheeler was killed.
"Today at 11AM Eastern, an American hero and Oklahoman will be laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery. Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler of Roland, Okla., gave his life in Iraq helping to release 70 individuals that were being held hostage by ISIS," said Inhofe's message on Facebook, using one of the acronyms for the militant group.
The message included a link to a video of Inhofe and fellow Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, a Republican, sharing stories on the Senate floor about Wheeler on Monday.
Army officials did not disclose the timing of the ceremony ahead of time, and cautioned journalists who asked about it that it would likely be closed to the public.
RIP.
Condolences to family and friends of Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler. Thank you, sir. R.I.P.
love
May thousands turn up at Sgt. Wheeler’s Arlington service, casting the light of day upon the lies of Barack Hussein Obama and his restrictive ROEs that resulted in this soldiers death.
Let the Islamofascists of ISIS continue to eat American lead.
RIP Sgt. Wheeler.
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