Private First Class Wildes was a member of the 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on January 4, 1951 and died of those wounds later that day. Private First Class Wildes was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.