Muldrow, Oklahoma, population 3,466. It is the town where Army Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler, 39, a twenty-year veteran of the service, graduated high school. He was born and raised in Roland, Oklahoma, another nearby small town. In high school he was known as the guy you couldn’t stay mad at, the guy that was friends with everyone. He was laid back and kept everybody laughing. He was the funny guy with the kind heart.

On Thursday, October 22, 2015, he was serving on his 11^th combat deployment to the Middle East, assisting the Kurdish Regional Government, who is doing its best to hold off ISIS. Master Sergeant Wheeler, along with other members of U.S. special forces, and Kurdish peshmerga, stormed a prison compound near Hawija, where ISIS was holding over 70 Iraqi prisoners. The raid was carried out when allied forces learned of mass graves being dug in preparation for a large-scale execution to happen the next morning.

The Kurds led the assault, but became pinned down. Seeing the dire situation, Master Sergeant Wheeler jumped into action and assisted in taking out dozens of ISIS militants. The prisoners were freed, and Master Sergeant Wheeler’s actions during the firefight were crucial to the success of the operation. Many ISIS militants were captured and intelligence was recovered. In the attack, Master Sergeant Wheeler was hit by small arms fire, and became the first American soldier to die in combat against the Islamic State. Here is a good overview of the operation:

Not only on this day was Master Sergeant Wheeler a hero with a big heart. He earned 11 Bronze Star medals and many other commendations during his time in service.

Wheeler’s awards and decorations for his service were numerous and include four Bronze Star Medals with Valor Device, seven Bronze Star Medals, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor Device, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, seven Army Commendation Medals, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, eight Army Achievement Medals, the Good Conduct Medal (6th award).

He also earned the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars, the Iraq Campaign Medal with six Bronze Service Stars, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (3rd Award), the Army Service Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Valorous Unit Award (2nd Award), the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, and three Overseas Service Bars.

He is leaving behind a widow and four sons – three stepsons and a new baby born in August, and a heart-broken home-town. On Thursday, Muldrow lowered the flag to half-mast, and students at Muldrow High School who never knew the Master Sergeant took a few minutes to get to know him. His family and old friends remembered him with love, and pride that someone from such a small town could make such an impact.

God speed Master Sergeant Wheeler. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice.