PM2C George Edward Wahle
U.S. Navy (USN)

Background
George Edward Wahle was born August 8, 1924 in Ogden, Utah. In 1943 at age 17, he volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) and was trained as an aircraft mechanic at Hill Field in Utah. On June 11, 1943 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserves (USNR) at Salt Lake City, Utah as a seaman apprentice and a week later went on active duty at San Diego.

Awards
On October 5, 1945 in a ceremony outside the White House, U.S. President Harry S. Truman presented the Medal of Honor to Wahlen plus two other sailors and eleven U.S. Marines.

Medal of Honor "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."

Postwar
On December 19, 1945 after recovering from his wounds, he was honorably discharged. In 1948, he re-enlisted in the U.S. Army as a medical technician and became an officer serving in both the Korean War and Vietnam War and was wounded earning the Purple Heart. During 1968, he retired with the rank of Major. Afterwards, he worked for over a decade at the Veteran's Administration (VA) until he retired at age 59.

Memorials
Wahlen passed away on June 12, 2009 at age 84. He is buried at Lindquists Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch in South Ogden, UT at Section Good Sheppard Family Estate, Lot 115, Space 1. He is also memorialized at Memory Grove Memorial on a memorial that lists the names of all Medal of Honor recipients from Utah in Salt Lake City, UT

In 1990, a park park in Roy, Utah is named after George E. Wahlen and was rededicated in November 2018. In 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush signed legislation authorizing a new federal building to be named the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City and U.S. Congress approved special legislation allowing for an exemption in the case of Wahlen. In 2010, a veterans' nursing home in Ogden, Utah is named in his honor.

References
The Quiet Hero: The Untold Medal of Honor Story of George E. Wahlen at the Battle for Iwo Jima by Gary W. Toyn
FindAGrave - George Edward Wahlen (photos, grave photo)
FindAGrave - George Edward Wahlen (Medal of Honor recipients from Utah marker photo)

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