FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: MAJ George E Wahlen ~ 10 July 2023

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

MAJ George E. Wahlen
All info and photos from this website.

           

George E. Wahlen (August 8, 1924 - June 5, 2009) was a retired United States Army Major who previously served with the United States Navy and was awarded the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. 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. As federal buildings cannot bear the name of a living person, Congress approved special legislation allowing for an exemption in the case of Wahlen.

At age 17, Wahlen was trained as an aircraft mechanic, and he worked 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 United States 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. He was awarded the Medal Of Honor by President Harry S. Truman on October 5, 1945.

Wahlen spent nine months recovering from his wounds, before being discharged in December 1945. He later re-enlisted in the United States Army, where he served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He retired with the rank of Major after being awarded a Purple Heart and serving in all four branches of the United States Military. As a civilian he worked for over a decade with the Veteran's Administration, where he retired at the age of 59.

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.

"If you were to ask my dad today, if he were here, he would say this is not about him. It's about the veterans who served everywhere, specifically those who did not return, that paid the ultimate sacrifice," said son Blake Wahlen.


He passed on at the age of 84.  His burial was 12 June 2009.   On 18 June 2009 there was a large memorial held and attended by veterans of all ages. The main entrance to the George E Wahlen Medical Center as of 22 June 2009 was still draped in black banners to show mourning for such a wonderful yet humble person.

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, March 3, 1945.

Entered service at: Utah. Born: August 8, 1924, Ogden, Utah.

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.
 

Links of interest

Click here for a YouTube video of MAJ Wahlen talking about his experiences!

Obituary from the LA Times.





Thank you, sir, for your service and sacrifice for our country!

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

 

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

(((HUGS)))

[PROCON]

Hi Kathy, thanks for honoring tonight’s Hero!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...hope and your knee are resting and ready to start the healing process over again. No more steps off of stages without double checking the distance.

I had been fighting code gremlins for 15 minutes trying to get the thread posted correctly...FINALLY!

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

THANK YOU
for your service!

[left that other site]

I’m taking it easy, and taking anti-inflamatories. Hopefully I can head this one off at the pass.

(((HUGS)))

[Kathy in Alaska]

~ Hall of Heroes: MAJ George E Wahlen ~

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Pro...he sure made the rounds of the different services...quite the hero!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu...have you had any breaks in the rain today?

Can you see the grass growing?

The sun seems like it might want to be making an appearance in the last half hour. Might have to go out for a quick round of sitting in it. LOL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

Pleeeeeease tell me you took advantage of the beautiful day and took a little time to relax in the sunshine. That’s the prettiest day I’ve seen up there in a while.

It’s been cloudy all day here, which kept the temp down, and is now finally raining. And when it started raining hard, internet disappeared. *sigh* So I’ll sit and wait to post this.

[luvie]

George E. Wahlen
August 8, 1924 - June 5, 2009
Retired United States Army Major
Previously served with the United States Navy
Medal of Honor Recipent
for actions during the
Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
In 2004
What a brave hero!

[radu]

We didn’t get rain until a short time ago. It took its jolly good time moving across the state but that was good. I had errands to run this afternoon and got them done in the dry.
But when it started raining hard, I lost internet until just now.

You just got sunshine on your side of town? It’s been sunny pretty much all day over at the airports. At least the sun’s out now so head out and get a good dose of that natural Vitamin D. LOL I read that the temp broke 60 so it should feel nice out there on the deck.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Utah Valley Memorial Veterans Cemetery...

[luvie]

Hey there, radu!

Hope you had a chance to finish that mowing job today! Did y’all get more rain? It was blistering hot here...104...and will be at least that hot for the next 10 days or maybe more. *groan*

[radu]

Howdy, PRO.

How’s your weekend gone? Were you lucky enough, like I was, to get a little break in the heat so it wasn’t unbearable outside? We’ve had a couple of days of 80s with one more in store, then it’s back in the oven again.

[radu]

Howdy, luvie.

No mowing today. The grass was still too damp from last night’s rain. Now we have rain again but it’ll be outta here before sunrise. Low humidity and sunshine will hopefully dry the grass enough to mow late tomorrow afternoon.

UGH on your blistering-hot weather the next week and a half. We’ll be in the 90s again starting Tuesday with rain chances back late in the week. That just makes it a sauna and our heat index will be triple digits.

[luvie]

Hope it’s not too humid to mow. It’ll make it a miserable job, for sure.

Between our heat and your humidity, we’re both going to be very uncomfortable for the next couple of weeks. Or months. Ugh!

[radu]

There’s dry air behind the front coming through tonight. By 5:00 or so, it should be comfortable enough to get out there to mow for a bit. Knock out the front yard tomorrow and the back yard Tuesday. After that, it’s going to be too hot, period. I wish I could have mowed today since it was only 80 but the clouds and humidity didn’t let the grass dry enough.

We’ve had hotter summers so I shouldn’t complain.

The soybeans sure are lovin’ this weather. They were just planted not quite two weeks ago and I was surprised to see how tall they are already when I mowed along the edge of the front fields yesterday.

[PROCON]

Hi radu!

Good weekend and it's still July HOT, high 90's but I still went to visit son and Robin and the cute pups.

Your area gets high humidity which sucks but our heat is dry so it's not as unbearable.

Just kickin' back now and relaxin'.

Any museum time this weekend? Kittehs behaving?