History of george e. Wahlen va medical center | veterans affairs

Wahlen was born in Ogden, Utah in 1924 and had an interest in aircraft mechanics. In 1943, only 19 and hoping to volunteer as a mechanic, he enlisted in the U. S. Naval Reserve. However,

with World War II in full swing, aircraft mechanics were in low demand. Instead, there was a great need for hospital corpsmen, so a surprised Wahlen reported to San Diego for medical

training. Wahlen excelled in his studies and, by 1944, was a pharmacist’s mate second class. In February 1945, he deployed to the Battle of Iwo Jima as a corpsman, but being a reservist, he

did not expect to see combat. The fighting was brutal, and casualties were high, though. It was there that he earned the Medal of Honor. Though wounded twice by grenades, Wahlen continued to

treat his injured comrades. At one point, an enemy soldier lobbing grenades from a foxhole prevented Wahlen and a Marine he was assisting from escaping their position. Wahlen maneuvered up

a hill, dodging grenades, and neutralized the enemy. Wahlen was injured a third and final time when an artillery mortar hit his leg, mangling it. He bandaged his leg, gave himself morphine

for the pain and then crawled 50 yards to help the next Marine. Wahlen was one of four pharmacist’s mates awarded the Medal of Honor for their heroics during the 36-day battle at Iwo Jima.

It took months to heal from his injuries and he was honorably discharged in December 1945. However, his service was far from over. Missing the military community, Wahlen joined the U.S. Army

as a medical technician in 1948.  In 1969, Major Wahlen retired, having served in Korea and Vietnam. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he earned a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. 

After the military, Wahlen served at VA until 1983, in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). He died in 2009 at age 84, and his legacy lives on throughout the Salt Lake City and Ogden

communities.  Today, the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center is a major part of VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System, which includes 10 community-based outreach clinics and serves 70,000

Veterans in Utah, Idaho and Nevada. -------------------------