Utah war hero dies at age 84

One of George E. Wahlen's favorite stories to tell was about his wife.

After Wahlen — who died Friday, June 5, 2009, at the age of 84 — returned from battle at Iwo Jima at the end of World War II, the Navy corpsman spent nine months at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Oceanside, Calif. Every night, hospital staff found him in fits, waking from violent nightmares.

"They thought he was cracking up," his wife, Melba Wahlen, recalled. Hospital personnel went as far as to isolate him in a lone room.

But when he returned to Utah, he met then 16-year-old Melba Holley.

"I just knew he was a good man," she said. "I knew he was kind. I knew he had lots of compassion. I knew he would take care of me."

When they married one year later, his nightmares stopped because, as one of his daughters said Friday, he finally had his dream.

Wahlen passed away after a long and difficult battle with cancer, leaving behind his wife, five children, 27 grandchildren and 42 great-grandchildren.

Wahlen, a native of Ogden, is most noted for his valor in battle at Iwo Jima, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman in 1945.

Serving as a medic, Wahlen refused evacuation after an explosion shot shrapnel into his eye, blinding him temporarily. He continued to carry out his duties amid heavy fire, hauling a Marine on his back and tending to 14 casualties.

One month later, Wahlen refused evacuation again after a serious back wound. He moved out with his company across open terrain, covering 600 yards in heavy Japanese fire.

Wahlen was shot in the leg and crawled 50 yards to give first aid to a wounded soldier.

Most people who met Wahlen never knew any of this, including his own children when they were young. It was not until they were older that Wahlen divulged openly his time in Japan. Even then, "it was never about him," his son George Blake Wahlen said.

"He told us about Iwo Jima to teach us the importance of doing what you say you are going to do. He always said he was just doing his job."

George E. Wahlen later re-enlisted in the U.S. Army and served during the Korean and Vietnam wars. While Capt. Wahlen was serving as a medic in the 1960s, Pfc. Robert Graham visited him for a minor injury. After he was treated, Graham turned to leave without giving a proper salute.

Another soldier later told Graham that Wahlen was a recipient of the Medal of Honor. Forty-seven years later, Graham, a doctor in Florida, wrote Wahlen a note.

"On Memorial Day eve, 2009," Graham wrote, "I want to finally apologize to you and thank you for your service to your comrades and our country." Wahlen's wife received the letter last Sunday.