Book relates story of WWII hero

ROY — When you meet retired Army Maj. George E. Wahlen for the first time, you may only notice his slow shuffle as he walks across his living room floor. And you would never imagine he once moved so swiftly and selflessly to save "countless" lives during World War II.

Wahlen, 82, saw and experienced much while helping wounded Marines during fierce fighting on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. For him, the "painful" memories of that time are still better kept locked up inside a soft-spoken exterior.

The title of a new book, "The Quiet Hero," aptly describes its main character, Wahlen, who on Wednesday will be recognized for his military service during a ceremony in Quantico, Va.

In fact, for a long time Wahlen didn't tell his wife of 60 years about receiving a Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman in 1945.

"I just had no occasion to do that," Wahlen said during a recent interview in his home.

Three of Wahlen's injuries — there were more — earned as many Purple Heart awards for the man who gave his rifle to another soldier so he could have two hands free to help the wounded.

In one act of heroism that helped cinch the Medal of Honor, Wahlen, a Navy corpsman attached to a Marine company on Iwo Jima, ducked enemy fire to help 14 injured Marines.

The book's author, Gary W. Toyn, said getting a "modest" Wahlen to talk about himself while researching the book since 2003 was like "pulling teeth." But Toyn said Wahlen's story is one that needs to be told.

"It really belongs to the nation," Toyn said. "I think people ought to know about it. He's a hero."

For Toyn, there was a sense of urgency compelling him to get Wahlen's story down.

Most of the 16 million U.S. veterans who served during World War II have passed away, and the estimate is that about 1,000 veterans from that war are dying every day. According to Toyn, just over 100 out of the 844 who have been awarded the Medal of Honor since World War II are still living.

In the book — and in a comfortable chair in his home on a rainy Friday — Wahlen recalled trying to reach a wounded Marine while being shot at. Wahlen crawled in close to the source of gunfire, fixed his malfunctioning grenade, pulled the pin, waited two seconds and tossed it into a large hole.

"He was through," Wahlen said.