ROLAND (KFSM) -- Master Sergeant Josh Wheeler is not only the recipient of a Purple Heart, he has also received 11 Bronze Stars. Four of the 11 Bronze Stars are with Valor.
Wheeler was a highly decorated soldier and had been deployed 17 times with most being in support of combat operations.
Wheeler was a master parachutist, and began his Army career immediately following his graduation from Muldrow High School in 1994.
In a statement, the Army said that Wheeler was assigned to headquarters, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Wheeler was the first American service member killed in action while fighting Islamic State militants, according to an Army Times article.
The Army said that Wheeler, who joined the military as an infantryman in 1995, was assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command in 2004, and deployed 11 times in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.