George Edward Wahlen

Pharmacist's Mate Second Class, U.S. Navy
Major, U.S. Army

Medal of Honor Recipient

World War II

Pharmacist's Mate Second Class George Edward Wahlen (8 August 1924 - 5 June 2009) was a U.S. Navy sailor who was awarded the U.S. military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. He ended his military career as a Major in the U.S. Army.

George Edward Wahlen was born on 8 August 1924 in Ogden, UT. At age 17, Wahlen trained as an aircraft mechanic and served at Hill Field in Utah, leading five other mechanics as crew chief for the United States Army Air Corps. He volunteered for the draft, hoping to work on aircraft, but became a Navy Corpsman. He volunteered for combat duty with the U.S. Marine Corps and was attached to Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division, and participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945. For his heroism during that battle, he received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman on 5 October 1945.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Pharmacist's Mate Second Class, U.S. Navy, serving with 2d Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division.

Place and date: Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands group, 3 March 1945.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 2d Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima in the Volcano group on 3 March 1945. Painfully wounded in the bitter action on 26 February, Wahlen remained on the battlefield, advancing well forward of the frontlines to aid a wounded marine and carrying him back to safety despite a terrific concentration of fire. Tireless in his ministrations, he consistently disregarded all danger to attend his fighting comrades as they fell under the devastating rain of shrapnel and bullets, and rendered prompt assistance to various elements of his combat group as required. When an adjacent platoon suffered heavy casualties, he defied the continuous pounding of heavy mortars and deadly fire of enemy rifles to care for the wounded, working rapidly in an area swept by constant fire and treating 14 casualties before returning to his own platoon. Wounded again on 2 March, he gallantly refused evacuation, moving out with his company the following day in a furious assault across 600 yards of open terrain and repeatedly rendering medical aid while exposed to the blasting fury of powerful Japanese guns. Stouthearted and indomitable, he persevered in his determined efforts as his unit waged fierce battle and, unable to walk after sustaining a third agonizing wound, resolutely crawled 50 yards to administer first aid to still another fallen fighter. By his dauntless fortitude and valor, Wahlen served as a constant inspiration and contributed vitally to the high morale of his company during critical phases of this strategically important engagement. His heroic spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of overwhelming enemy fire upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

Wahlen spent nine months recovering from his wounds before being discharged in December 1945. He later re-enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He retired in 1968 with the rank of Major after being awarded a Purple Heart.

Post-Military Life

As a civilian, Wahlen worked with the Veteran's Administration for over a decade and then retired at the age of 59. Before his death, he was Utah's last living Medal of Honor recipient.

He is the subject of the book The Quiet Hero: The Untold Medal of Honor Story of George E. Wahlen at the Battle for Iwo Jima by Gary W. Toyn.

Medals and Awards

Medal of Honor
Purple Heart

Honors

In 2004, President George W. Bush signed legislation authorizing the naming of the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City. Since federal buildings cannot bear the name of a living person, Congress approved special legislation allowing for an exemption in the case of Wahlen.

A veterans' nursing home in Ogden, UT, which opened in January 2010, was named in his honor.

Death and Burial

Major George Edward Wahlen died on 5 June 2009 at age 84. He died of cancer in the Medical Center that bears his name. He was buried on 12 June 2009 at Lindquist's Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch in Ogden, UT, in Section Good Sheppard Family Estate, Lot 115, Space 1.

A large memorial service was held on 18 June 2009 and attended by veterans of all ranges. The main entrance to the George E. Wahlen Medical Center was draped in black banners in his memory.