In Memory: ROY M WHEAT

While a Navy Journalist in Meridian, MS, I was tasked with identifying a candidate to name the new enlisted dining hall in memory of: from Mississippi, medal recipient and enlisted.

Roy's story is so moving and I pay tribute to his memory each Memorial Day weekend. This is the closest "hero" for me to meet. I met his father and was honored to be apart of this event.

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Roy Mitchell Wheat (July 24, 1947 – August 11, 1967) was a United States Marine who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War.

Wheat was born on July 24, 1947, in Moselle, Mississippi. He attended public schools in Ellisville, Mississippi, but dropped out in 1965 after two years of high school.

In September 1966, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at Jackson, Mississippi. Wheat then reported to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon completion of infantry training, he was promoted to private first class in February 1967.

Wheat arrived in Vietnam in March 1967, and was assigned duty as a rifleman with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. His unit participated in numerous combat operations, including Operation DeSoto in the Duc Pho District, Quang Ngai Province, and Operations Webster, Arizona, Butler and Gem in Quang Nam Province. He was promoted to lance corporal in June 1967.

On August 11, 1967, Wheat and two other Marines were assigned to provide security for a Navy construction battalion crane and crew operating along Liberty Road in Dien Ban District, Quang Nam Province. After setting up in the tree line adjacent to the work site, Wheat searched the surrounding area for guerrilla fighters. He had returned to within 10 feet (3.0 m) of the security post when he triggered a well-concealed bounding mine. Hearing the distinctive hiss of the mine's fuse, Wheat shouted a warning to his two fellow Marines and then threw himself on the device, smothering its blast with his body. He was killed in the ensuing explosion. For this act, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Wheat was buried at Eastabuchie Cemetery in Eastabuchie, Mississippi. His name can be found on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Panel 24E, Row 101.

In 2003, the U.S. Navy named its newest prepositioning ship the USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat (T-AK 3016). The enlisted dining facility at Naval Air Station Meridian in Mississippi was named after him in 1985, and Interstate 59 in Mississippi was named the "Roy Wheat Memorial Highway".

Wheat's military decorations include the Medal of Honor, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Purple Heart with one gold award star, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze service stars, the Vietnamese Military Merit Medal, the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with palm, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.