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.
As with Graham, friends and family say Wahlen was never comfortable wearing the clothes of a hero or a legend. He was always more concerned with everyone else.
After retiring from the Army with the rank of major, Wahlen joined the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City, where he worked as an advocate for other veterans.
"One of my fondest memories is of George, shuffling through the halls of the Legislature, pleading with elected officials to support (a nursing home for veterans)," said Terry Schow, executive director of the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs. Schow said that as recently as this past Monday, when he went to visit Wahlen at his home, the ailing hero was still asking about the residents of the nursing home, not wanting the attention focused on him.
"George was embarrassed by attention," Schow said. In 2004, when the Veterans Hospital was renamed in Wahlen's honor, Wahlen remarked that other veterans had done so much more.
"We all know the truth here," Schow said Friday, speaking alongside members of Wahlen's family and staff members from the VA Hospital. "A mighty oak has fallen."
"George Wahlen was a true hero in World War II, but his real contribution came from a lifetime of dedication to those in the military and his fellow veterans … I was struck by his ability to establish immediate rapport with every one of them. He was an inspiration to us all."
Sen. Bob Bennett
R-Utah
"George Wahlen was a true-blue hero in Utah. He could have easily acted like the celebrity he was, but he didn't, instead showing a kindness and humility that were exemplary."
Rep. Rob Bishop
R-Utah
"Our state has lost our humble hero. As our only remaining Medal of Honor recipient, he touched countless lives … No one has been a more dedicated advocate for the recognition of veterans than George."
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.
E-MAIL: mgonda@desnews.com