Major George E. Wahlen: Legacies of a Humble Hero

Early life in Utah

George Wahlen was born Aug. 8, 1924, on his family’s land, to Albert George Wahlen (1901-1962) and Doris Hannah Lythgoe (1904-1985) in Fairmount, Utah. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to nearby Ogden behind Albert’s mother on Grant Avenue. In 1927, twin brothers, Jack and Gene, were born, completing the Wahlen family.

Postcard of downtown Ogden from the mid-1920s.

Wahlen started school in 1930 at Pingree Elementary. The family was still living on Grant Avenue and struggling to make ends meet. The Great Depression (1929-1939) decimated employment opportunities, but the Wahlen family was fortunate to have a paycheck. Times were still tough, though. Wahlen helped the family by digging up and selling nightcrawlers (earthworms) to anglers.

By 1936, the family had saved enough money for a downpayment on a $1,200 house (approximately $28,000 in 2025 U.S. Dollars) and ten acres outside Ogden, Utah.

World War II shapes the future

Wahlen was in high school when World War II (1939-1945) broke out. In November 1941, he quit high school to attend a trade school. With his father’s approval, he enrolled in aircraft mechanic school, a decision Albert hoped would keep his son from going to war.

George Wahlen, Weber High School, 1941-1942. Ancestry.com

The day before Wahlen’s classes started, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, entering the U.S. into World War II. 

Not long after classes began, a U.S. Army recruiter approached 17-year-old Wahlen, promising to enlist him as a sergeant. However, Albert refused to sign his son’s enlistment paperwork. Disappointed, Wahlen thought of other ways to serve.

After finishing aircraft mechanic school in 1942, Wahlen found work at Hill Field (now Hill Air Force Base) near Ogden as part of a flight test section assessing aircraft for airworthiness. Eight months later, he was promoted to crew chief, supervising five other mechanics.

Training, training and more training

In June 1943, 18-year-old Wahlen drove to Fort Douglas, outside Salt Lake City, to sign up for the draft. If he were drafted, maybe his dad wouldn’t be angry with him for going to war. However, because this wasn’t an enlistment, Wahlen couldn’t choose a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS).

Considering his experience, Wahlen figured he’d automatically be placed with the Army Air Corps’ mechanics. However, that’s not how things ended up. 

Instead, he was enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a corpsman. 

George E. Wahlen, 1943

When he inquired about working with planes, Wahlen was told the Navy had planes, too. If he did well in his medical training, they’d consider his reassignment. 

On June 18, Wahlen left for boot camp at the Naval Training Center in San Diego, California. After six weeks, he was sent to corpsman school.

Naval Training Center main gate, San Diego, California National Archives and Records Administration, 295588

He studied hard, hoping to do well enough to switch jobs and become a mechanic. However, once his training ended, he was told that the war needed corpsmen, dashing his hopes of reassignment. 

After medical training, he began his first military assignment on the “stomach ward” (gastrointestinal unit) at the Naval Hospital in San Diego. The job was far from ideal, as it required cleaning floors, emptying bedpans and taking orders from nurses. It wasn’t long before he started asking about promotion and a better job. 

He knew promotion likely meant being attached to the U.S. Marine Corps or sent to sea, both of which were considered a suicide mission by many. After a fallout with the head nurse, Wahlen was so eager to leave his job that he volunteered for assignment with the Marines. 

Wahlen left for training at Camp Elliott near San Diego the next day. By Dec. 1, he was at the newly founded Camp Pendleton in California, where his training intensified. 

Camp Pendleton main gate. U.S. Marine Corps photo

The Marines don’t have dedicated medical personnel; they rely on Navy corpsmen. While training with the Marines, he learned weapons handling and treating injuries like head wounds, amputations and ruptured abdomens.

Marines training at Camp Pendleton, January 1943. DVIDS, 3127762

Additionally, as a pharmacist’s mate third-class, Wahlen was the ranking corpsman, which meant being at the front of the column on marches. It also meant running to the back of the column for communications with the corpsmen in the rear. It was exhausting, but Wahlen proved to himself and his brothers-in-arms that he was just as capable as anyone there.

Marines marching in columns at Camp Pendleton, September 1942. DVIDS, 3127789

After training 10 months together, Wahlen and his Marines were a cohesive unit and ready for battle.

6th Marines hold practice landing at 14 Area Camp Pendleton. National Archives and Records Administration, 74841851

Training wrapped up at Camp Pendleton in July 1944, and his company readied for deployment. By the end of the month, they were at Hilo, Hawaii, to complete more training at Camp Tarawa on the big island. Their training aimed to help them understand the battlefield’s terrain, but they still had no idea where they were headed.

Iwo Jima

Just days before Christmas 1944, the troops at Camp Tarawa mobilized. Wahlen was assigned to a hammock in the lower levels of the USS Hocking (APA121). The smells of body odor, food and vomit prompted Wahlen to find an excuse to be topside as much as possible. Citing that a corpsman should always be near his Marines, Wahlen was granted permission to always accompany his men, even while on a ship.

USS Hocking (APA-121), Haskell-Class attack transport, 1945. Naval History and Heritage Command, NH 73270

Over the next two months, 880 U.S. ships transporting 70,000 troops and their support sailed toward their target in the Pacific. By Feb. 5, they reached the Eniwetok Atoll near the Marshall Islands. The following week, they reached Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. The week after, they arrived at their target destination: Iwo Jima, Japan. 

U.S. troops and their support arrive at Iwo Jima. Graphic by Rebecca Brown, VA. NARA IDs 80-G-307178, 74241754, 80-G-307206, 80-G-310951; Navy History and Heritage Command NH 104202

The small island was a strategically important target; capturing it was difficult. The volcanic ash sand and the Japanese-constructed network of caves and tunnels meant the U.S. was entering a treacherous and unfamiliar arena. 

The Pacific, in general, was dangerous for corpsmen. They wore no insignia on their uniform identifying them as medical aid. The enemy viewed medical personnel in a similar light to NCOs and officers, so it was best to blend in. Wahlen knew he would be a target whenever he helped a fallen Marine.

February 19, 1945: D-Day at Iwo Jima

26th Marine Division aboard USS Hocking loading on to Higgins boats at Iwo Jima, Feb. 19, 1945. The unidentified young man smiling at the camera is possibly George Wahlen. National Archives and Records Administration, 505632752

Hundreds of yards offshore, U.S. troops arrived at Iwo Jima. The first troops deployed to the beaches that morning. George watched the invasion from the deck of his ship, listening to the play-by-play over the loudspeaker. The severity of the carnage was underplayed, as Wahlen soon found out.

Marines aboard their ship watch events unfold on Iwo Jima, Feb. 20, 1945. National Archives and Records Administration, 204982564

By 1130, Wahlen and F Company were on a Higgins boat, a flat-bottomed landing craft used in World War II to transport troops and equipment from ships to shore, but spent hours circling, awaiting permission to land. As they neared Red Beach 2, a designated landing zone, the wreckage came into view and the reality of war sunk in. 

Marines load into Higgins boats and head toward the beaches of Iwo Jima. Graphic by Rebecca Brown, VA. NARA IDs 326077005, 505632749, 32607014

He watched as a mortar shell hit a Higgins boat, sending helmets, weapons and bodies flying into the air. By the time they reached the beach, Wahlen was in survival mode. He was aghast by the scenery, forcing himself to ignore the dead he had to crawl past.

Wreckage along the beaches of Iwo Jima. Graphic by Rebecca Brown, VA. NARA IDs 205585232,148727708, 32607020, 32607188, 74250905, 74250878

While dodging enemy fire and alone, Wahlen dug his defensive fighting position in the deep volcanic sand. With no one to help keep watch, he surprisingly caught some sleep that first night but was awakened by an alarming noise in his foxhole. While shielding himself as best he could, Wahlen felt around in the dark for what was making the sound. He found a fist-sized piece of shrapnel that narrowly missed him. The hot metal sizzled in the cool, wet sand.

By the third day, Wahlen had witnessed friends die horrifically, and enemies burned alive. He dressed head wounds, faces with missing parts, missing limbs, and open bellies. The first Marine Wahlen dressed later died, which profoundly affected him. For the next 10 days, he pushed fear out of his mind and focused on his job.

D+7

Wahlen had been on the island just over a week when he suffered his first wound. A grenade landed just in front of him as he crawled to aid a Marine. Ducking as best he could, the sand absorbed the brunt of the concussive blast, and the shrapnel exploded skyward. Still, he was stunned by the explosion and caught shrapnel around his face, narrowly missing his right eye. Temporarily blinded and with his face covered in blood, he lay on the hill for several minutes, collected his wits and hoped not to get hit again.

When he came to, Wahlen dressed his wounds, patched his eye and looked for a place to hide. 

Navy corpsmen aiding injured Marines at Iwo Jima. Graphic by Rebecca Brown, VA. NARA IDs 74254393, 520988, 32607266, 74254465, 74250795, 520734, 204982720 

As he crawled to help another Marine, he noticed a Japanese soldier lobbing grenades from a cave. Armed with only his pistol, Wahlen called downhill for a grenade. When making his way toward the enemy, he was injured again by a grenade that exploded behind him, embedding shrapnel in his buttocks and legs. Wahlen endured even more shrapnel on his way to the cave. 

Looking down into the cavern, Wahlen saw a two-by-six-foot opening. Guessing that the enemy would pop out, lob a grenade and then dart back in for safety, George calmly pulled out his grenade. The pin, however, was bent. Wahlen straightened the pin with this Ka-Bar, a fighting knife widely used by Marines during World War II, pulled it, counted to two and dropped the grenade in the cave. 

Japanese tunnel at Iwo Jima, 1945. Combined Arms Research Library, N10842

The enemy soldier stepped out just as it exploded, killing him instantly. Bloodied yet resolute, Wahlen then helped drag the Marine to safety and onto a stretcher.

Down the hill, Wahlen continued to aid his Marines. When a fellow corpsman refused to run back for medical supplies, an annoyed Wahlen ran back himself. 

Seeing how rough Wahlen appeared, his captain asked how things were going. 

“Why don’t you go see for yourself,” snapped Wahlen. He was then ordered to the aid station, but Wahlen refused and returned to his post with supplies.

D+11

As Wahlen pulled a badly injured Marine out of the line of fire, a mortar shell exploded behind them. The blast sent Wahlen flying, and he landed dazed and bloody. Unable to move for several minutes, Wahlen finally came to and realized his left arm and shoulder were paralyzed. 

Concerned about his ability to keep doing his job, Wahlen asked the Marine helping him about the severity of his injuries. 

“Oh Doc, you’re OK. You’ve just got a big chunk of flesh out of your back,” the Marine responded. 

Under Wahlen’s direction, the Marine cleaned and bandaged the wound. Thankfully, the feeling in his left shoulder and arm returned after about an hour.

D+12

Back on the battlefield, Wahlen tended to Marines. 

As he passed by a shell crater where troops took cover, a second mortar hit. Wahlen was thrown clear, and only two of the occupants in the hole survived.

When Wahlen tried to assist, he couldn’t walk. The blast had mangled his leg and foot. Then he heard someone yelling for a corpsman.

Undeterred, he wrapped his broken leg, injected morphine for the pain and crawled 50 yards to help a Marine with two broken legs. Wahlen gave the Marine morphine, and they both crawled to the safety of a shell hole to await evacuation.

While on the island, Wahlen is credited with aiding 60 casualties. Several of whom were not the Marines he was assigned to.

Map showing approximate path of George Wahlen and Fox Company on Iwo Jima from D-Day until D+12. Special Air and Gunnery Map of Iwo Jima (NARA ID: 55302586) with added graphics by Rececca Brown, VA.

End of World War II

After 13 days of enduring one of the highest-casualty battles in Marine Corps history, Wahlen found himself a patient on a Guam-bound hospital ship. Cleaned up and fed, he relaxed for the first time in months.

Hospital ship off the coast of Iwo Jima, 1945. National Archives and Records Administration, 205585238

However, his broken leg wasn’t healing correctly and needed further treatment. The Navy sent him to Pearl Harbor for medical care, but treatment was ineffective. He was then referred to a specialist at Camp Pendleton. 

It took several surgeries to correct the circulation in his leg, and while he was able to walk, he lived the rest of his life with chronic leg pain.

In July 1945, Wahlen returned to Utah for a 30-day convalescence with his parents. He was still at home in early August when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, prompting Japan’s surrender. 

Heroics honored

Wahlen was back at the Naval Hospital when the war’s end was announced on Sept. 2, 1945. 

A week later, in front of the hospital administration building, Wahlen was awarded the Navy Cross and a Gold Star (in lieu of a second Navy Cross) for his actions at Iwo Jima. That was only the beginning.

Wahlen received orders to the Naval Barracks in Washington, DC, in early October. He figured it was part of his assigned duties and that he might be working in a post-war fundraising position. 

Instead, he learned he was there to accept the Medal of Honor. 

George E. Wahlen’s Medal of Honor citation

George Wahlen at the White House Medal of Honor Ceremony after receiving his medal, Oct. 5, 1945. The Ogden Standard-Examiner, Utah Digital Newspapers

On Oct. 5, 1945, the still-recovering Navy corpsman was one of fourteen service members to receive the Medal of Honor for their efforts during the war. Franklin E. Sigler, an F Company Marine, also accepted the medal that day. 

Wahlen was the third World War II Veteran from Utah to receive the award, making him a hometown celebrity. His parents, who were overjoyed at their son’s success, attended the medal ceremony, unbeknownst to Wahlen. 

Wahlen was nervous, surrounded by top military brass, government officials and President Harry S. Truman. He was so nervous he stopped short of Truman while receiving the medal. The President tried to reach for Wahlen’s hand, but he just stood at attention.

Wahlen smiled and relaxed when Truman whispered in his ear, “It’s mighty good to see a pill pusher here in the middle of all these Marines.”

President Harry S. Truman greets George Wahlen at the Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House on Oct. 5, 1945. Colorized by VA. National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-701151

The photograph of this interaction was used throughout the country when discussing the event. It was so popular it made the New York Times Magazine cover Oct. 14, 1945.

After the ceremony, the award recipients climbed into convertibles and participated in the Nimitz Day military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. Then, it was on to a celebration at the U.S. Capitol Building, where Wahlen met high-ranking officials such as Admiral Chester Nimitz, who was being celebrated for victory in the Pacific.

George Wahlen rides in a convertible during the Nimitz Day Parade in Washington, DC, Oct. 5, 1945. Stills from NARA ID: 79921

Medal of Honor in hand, Wahlen returned to Oceanside, California, to continue his recovery. To pass the time, he took up smoking and often told people he could cut hair. He enjoyed working in the base barber shop during his last few weeks of care. 

Post-war life

By December 1945, Wahlen had healed, except for shrapnel he lived with the rest of his life, and headed to San Francisco for out-processing. He separated from the Navy on Dec. 19, 1945, and by Dec. 21, was home, ready to enjoy the holidays with his family.

Wahlen and his parents in Ogden after returning from the Medal of Honor ceremony, October 1945. The Ogden Standard-Examiner, Utah Digital Newspapers

Wahlen quickly found employment as a truck driver for California Packing Company in Ogden by January. A paycheck meant financial freedom, and he was excited to start dating. It didn’t take long for him to meet the love of his life. 

Wahlen met Melba Holley (1929-2023) on a blind date arranged by his uncle. After only a few months together, they decided to marry. 

George Wahlen and Melba Holley, 1946

In June 1946, Wahlen wanted to propose to Melba, but she was 17, and her dad, who disapproved of Wahlen’s smoking and drinking, said, “No.” So, they waited until she was 18. 

On Aug. 16, 1946, they married. The following year, they started a family with the birth of their first of five children. Wahlen, who had experienced nightmares since leaving Iwo Jima, said the nightmares stopped when he married Melba, and they never returned.

Army career

Enjoying this peaceful time, Wahlen focused on building a career and used the G.I. Bill to attend Weber State University. He graduated in 1948 with an associate’s degree and was hired as a mail handler for Railway Mail Service. He was only on that job a few months when he met an Army recruiter at a party. 

The recruiter was convincing and reminded Wahlen he could continue his education, enter a career field he enjoyed and make a decent wage with the Army. Wahlen was sold and enlisted as a master sergeant that November.

George Wahlen enlists in the U.S. Army, November 1948. Deseret News, Utah Digital Newspapers

George E. Wahlen, 1951. Utah Historical Society, 9182

In the summer of 1951, the Wahlen family, now with two daughters, was assigned to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The following year, Wahlen was ordered to Korea without his family. The Wahlen family and the Ogden community urged the Army to allow Wahlen to stay in the States since he was a Medal of Honor recipient, but to no avail. 

At the last minute, his orders changed, and he was sent to Tokyo where his family could join him.

George and Melba with their two daughters, 1952. The Ogden Standard-Examiner, Utah Digital Newspapers

After a few years in Japan, in 1954, Wahlen was ordered to Fort Ord, California, to be the personnel sergeant responsible for managing the hospital’s enlisted personnel. He also reenlisted in the Army to continue his career. 

By 1959, the Wahlen family had grown with the addition of a third daughter and a son. Wahlen was up for a promotion in rank to E-8 but was passed over. 

Instead, he was commissioned as a first lieutenant. He attended the 12-week medical service corps training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. He then transferred to Fort Carson in Colorado as the medical advisor of an artillery group. While stationed there, he and Melba bought their first home.

In Feb. 1963, Wahlen transferred to South Korea to be the adjunct and personnel officer for the 168th Medical Battalion. Melba and their children moved back to Ogden to await his return. 

The following year, Wahlen transferred to the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, as a medical administrative assistant. While there, his commanding officer learned that Wahlen didn’t have a 4-year degree and ordered him to take classes. 

Wahlen family in Hawaii, 1964.

In 1966, Wahlen graduated from Church College of Hawaii (now BYU-Hawaii) magna cum laude and began his job as a personnel officer at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. That November, he was promoted to major.

Melba was pregnant with their fifth and final child when they learned he had orders to Vietnam. Wahlen arrived at Long Bihn near Saigon just a few months before the Tet Offensive in January 1968. As assistant personnel officer to the surgeon’s office, Wahlen received a Bronze Star for meritorious service in ground operations against hostile forces in Vietnam.

During his stint in California, he became more interested in his wife’s religion and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His smoking, however, prevented him from being too involved due to the church’s prohibitions. Determined to quit, he gave up the habit while in Vietnam and enjoyed decades of service with the church.

George E. Wahlen’s U.S. Army portrait. Medal of Honor Society

Wahlen’s tour in Vietnam ended in May 1968. Melba and their children reunited with him in Hawaii, where Wahlen met his youngest son for the first time. Soon after this joyous reunion, Wahlen was stationed again at Fort Huachuca, where he spent the rest of his Army career. 

Post-military life

On Aug. 11, 1969, Major George Wahlen retired from the Army. He and his family returned to Utah and bought a house in Roy.

Figuring out his next career took some trial and error. First, he tried being a salesman for New York Life Insurance. He was also employed briefly by the Utah State Tax Commission.

1970 advertisement for George Wahlen’s services in The Hill Top Times by Hill Air Force Base, Utah. J. Willard Marriot Digital Library, University of Utah

In 1971, he found his calling as a contact representative at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). Wahlen helped Veterans utilize their GI Bill to further their education, especially at his alma mater, Weber State. 

In 1983, Wahlen retired from VBA and continued using his skills to help disabled Veterans find suitable housing.

Wanting to be more involved in local Veterans’ issues, he started using his Medal of Honor status to gain access to people of influence. In 1986, Wahlen launched a fundraising campaign for a state-run Veterans cemetery near Camp Williams. It took a few years, and after a successful campaign, the Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park opened in 1990.

Wahlen’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Utah recognized their only living Medal of Honor recipient with a unique license plate in 1986 and renamed a park in Roy as the George Wahlen North Park in 1989.

Wahlen continuously looked for ways to help Utah Veterans. It wasn’t long before he found his next cause; he wanted a nursing home. 

No Veterans nursing home existed in Utah at the time, but there were multiple in neighboring states. To rectify this, Wahlen proposed an 80-bed facility for Utah. In 1998, the George E. Wahlen Ogden Veterans Home opened and quickly reached capacity.

A family learns their Veteran’s history

 In 1995, Wahlen’s family fully learned of their patriarch’s experiences during World War II. 

On the 50th anniversary of Iwo Jima, Wahlen attended a reunion in Atlanta with survivors of the epic battle in Feb. 1995. That fall, Weber State University held a ceremony for alums who earned the school’s distinguished service award. 

At the Weber ceremony his family learned of his selflessness and heroism. In addition to his Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Gold Star and Bronze Star, he received three Purple Hearts for his injuries on Iwo Jima.

VA renames hospital in Salt Lake City

Typically, buildings are named in honor of deceased individuals. However, Wahlen was still very much alive when President George W. Bush signed into law that the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center be renamed after Utah’s only living Medal of Honor recipient. 

George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center, located where Fort Douglas used to stand, was rededicated Nov. 10, 2004, joining the list of legacies in Utah bearing his name. Today, the Wahlen VA Medical Center is the hub of Salt Lake City VA Health Care System, serving over 70,000 Veterans in Utah.

George Wahlen died June 5, 2009, in Salt Lake City. His humble heroism during World War II saved dozens of lives, and his advocacy and leadership as a civil servant and retiree transformed the lives of countless Veterans throughout the Salt Lake City region.

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