Of Grunts and Medics; RIP Major Wahlen
I had the distinct honor of sharing Guiness and bar room table with two of the paratroopers from the 173rd who had been wounded at Ranch House Outpost last year. During the course of the conversation, I mentioned that my son was an Air Force surgical technician. In unison, the two battle-hardened troopers yelled “Oh, we love medics!” That’s been the consensus among most infantrymen I’ve known.
It’s probably because of the heroic true life stories, like this one of the recently deceased George Wahlen (Washington Post link);
He was injured in the eye by mortar shell shrapnel, but he refused to be evacuated and remained to help the wounded. 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,” read his citation for the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award for valor.
Less than a month later, after shrapnel broke one of his legs, Maj. Wahlen continued to provide medical aid on the battlefield.
“I bandaged myself up, took a shot of morphine and crawled over and started helping a Marine that had both his legs blown off,” he later told the Salt Lake Tribune. He said of his decision to stay and help: “When you’ve been with these guys, they’re like family. You don’t want to let them down.”
You can read his Medal of Honor citation at this link. After World War II, and his discharge from the Navy, George Wahlen followed his “family” to the Korean War and the Vietnam War in the Army before he finally retired. Then he went to work for the Department of Veteran Affairs and continued to care for his “family”. After a lifetime of caring for the troops he loved so dearly, 84-year-old George Wahlen finally succumbed to cancer last week in the VA Medical Center that bears his name.
Yeah, grunts love them some medics, or corpsmen, and it’s largely because of the type people who go into the profession…people like George Wahlen.
Take it easy, now, Major Wahlen.
Category: Blue Skies, Support the troops
That guy=Total high speed.
Did you see anywhere what he did in the Army?
His Wikipedia entry says;
He retired with the rank of Major after being awarded a Purple Heart and serving in all four branches of the United States Military. As a civilian he worked for over a decade with the Veteran’s Administration, where he retired at the age of 59.
He is the subject of the book The Quiet Hero: The Untold Medal of Honor Story of George E. Wahlen at the Battle for Iwo Jima by Gary W. Toyn.
More great stories about him;
Utah loses ‘quiet hero,’ Medal of Honor recipient George Wahlen
MSNBC
A man’s man, plain and simple. It must have made it hard to do his job having to drag around nads the size of Texas.
A true hero. God bless him and his loved ones.
I think we all share the immeasurable respect and admiration of such men who go into harm’s way for the sake of their brtoehrs-in-arms.
One of my personal heroes was Chaplain Father Vincent Capodanno, who likewise put the needs of his men ahead of his own safety. Although not a Corpsman, he placed himself between a dying Marine and a North Vietnamese machine gunner, and was stitched up the back by gunfire.
I guess my only point is – the guys who go into a hot zone knowingly, and packing less firepower / armor / personal protection than a regular combatant… but go in anyway for the sake of fellow grunts… they get my very deepest bow of respect and honor.
Thanks for sharing this.
Can we get him a nomination for badass of the week? He earned it……
Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Melba Holley Wahlen of Roy; five children, Blake Wahlen and Pamela Riley, both of Layton, Utah, Brock Wahlen of Hooper, Utah, Jolene Rogers of Far West, Utah, and Christine Anderson of Murray, Utah; 27 grandchildren; and 42 great-grandchildren.
Harder than woodpecker lips….
I second Old Tankers motion for Major Wahlen to be badass of the week!
God Bless them all. “The Angels of our better nature”, as the saying goes.
respects,
I wish I could remember his name…..I was watching a show on the Military channel about 3 weeks ago that re-enacted an ambush by Al Qaeda against a joint American-Iraqi patrol. The medic in that battle was a serious badass too….saved alot of guys both American and Iraqi while taking fire. Sadly, he was killed later by an IED I believe. When I remember the name or episode I’ll submit it.