Kevin Arthur "Dasher" Wheatley, VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Wheatley was one of four Australians to receive the award for actions during the Vietnam War.
Early years
Wheatley was born in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills on 13 March 1937, the third child of Raymond and Ivy Wheatley, both natives of Sydney. He was educated at Maroubra JunctionJunior Technical School. Upon completing his schooling, Wheatley worked as a labourer in Sydney. On 20 July 1954, aged 17, he married Edna Davis; together they would have four children. He was a keen rugby player, and he earned the nickname of "Dasher" on the field.
Military service
On 12 June 1956, at the age of 19, Wheatley enlisted in the Australian Regular Army and after completing basic training he was allocated to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and posted to the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. Early the following year, he was posted to the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and he subsequently served a tour of Malaya between late 1957 and early 1959, during the Malayan Emergency. After his return to Australia, Wheatley served a posting with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in 1959–61 and then the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment from 1961 to 1965. He was promoted twice in 1964, firstly to sergeant and then warrant officer. In early 1965, he was posted to the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam and deployed to South Vietnam. Early in his tour he was involved in an action with Army of the Republic of Vietnam regular troops in Quảng Trị Province. During the fighting, a child ran across the battlefield. Seeing the danger, Wheatley ran after the girl through the cross fire and brought her back to safety, using his own body to shield her. Later, in August 1965, during an attack on a Communist held village Wheatley was recommended for an award by a US infantry advisor after he single-handedly exploited the position, carrying the attack up a steep slope as the Communist forces withdrew. The recommendation was not acted upon, however, and in September Wheatley was transferred to another team, known as the "A Team", who were part of the 5th Special Forces Group. Under the command of Captain Felix Fazekas, the team operated around the village of Tra Bong. Tra Bong was very isolated, with only a single road providing access. On 13 November, after this road had been captured by the Viet Cong, a group of Australian advisors, including Wheatley accompanied a company from the Civil Irregular Defence Group on a "search and destroy mission". Wheatley was assigned to one of the platoons with a fellow warrant officer, Ron Swanton. As the platoon advanced through rice paddies in the vicinity of Binh Hoa, they came under heavy fire from a larger Viet Cong force. In the ensuing fighting, Swanton was mortally wounded. As the situation grew more intense, Wheatley requested support from Fazekas and a medical evacuation for Swanton. When his platoon began to scatter, Wheatley carried the wounded Swanton to a safer area as Fazekas moved his troops to support. As the Viet Cong closed around his position, Wheatley insisted on staying with Swanton even though he was urged to leave by medical personnel. Wheatley was subsequently killed while defending his comrade.
