Behind the Names 

Part 1 

VA facilities all over the country bear the names of Americans who 

made significant contributions to their country. Who were they? 

In this feature series, we take a look at the historical figures for whom
 

some of VA’s national cemeteries are named. 

Many VA facilities are named for great Americans. Their stories reach back to the 

earliest periods in U.S. history and up through today, as Congress has recently 

enacted legislation honoring six contemporary Americans by dedicating VA 

facilities in their name. 

In this first installment of a feature series, VAnguard looks at the men who, 

between 1813 and 1842, built the forts on which VA national cemeteries were 

founded. 

Fort Mitchell National Cemetery 

Located just over the Georgia line in 

Seale, Ala., Fort Mitchell was designated a national cemetery in 1987, 

but its graves date back to World 

War I. The fort itself was built by the 

Georgia Militia in 1813, offering 

protection to European settlers 

heading west and serving as a 

staging area for military excursions Historic Fort Mitchell into Creek Indian Territory. 

It was named for Georgia Governor David Brydie Mitchell (b.1766), a Scottish 

immigrant who at age 17 came to Savannah to settle his late uncle’s estate, then 

chose to remain in America, becoming a citizen in 1789.
 

He studied law and over the years held many political and military positions, 

culminating in the governorship of Georgia, until 1813. America was then at war 

with Great Britain and Mitchell set about strengthening Georgia’s defenses, 

including the building of Fort Mitchell on land he donated. 

He was elected governor again in 1815, and supported legislation to outlaw 

dueling, having once killed an opponent, himself. He served only two years 

before resigning in 1817, when President Monroe appointed him as agent for the 

Creek Nation. 

Of the national cemeteries surveyed here, Fort Mitchell is the only one not built 

on land acquired by the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the bicentennial of which is 

celebrated this year. The six others, all built over a 40-year period following the 
Fort Smith National Cemetery 

in Arkansas 

purchase, are Fort Smith, Fort Snelling, Fort Gibson, Jefferson Barracks, Fort 

Leavenworth and Fort Scott. 

Fort Smith National Cemetery 

At the edge of the Arkansas- Oklahoma 

border lies Fort Smith, Arkansas’ 

second-largest city. Its beginnings lay in 

the founding of “Camp” Smith on 

Christmas Day, 1817. 

The camp’s original function was similar 

to Fort Mitchell’s—to protect westward 

migration, in this case by keeping 

Europeans, particularly those selling 

liquor to Indians, off tribal lands until 

treaties were concluded. 

It also served to keep peace between warring Osage and Cherokee tribes. The 

site was designated a national cemetery in 1867, but its earliest interments date 

back to 1819. 

As was the Army’s custom, Fort Smith was named to honor Brig. Gen. Thomas 

Adam Smith (b.1781), who commanded the western frontier forces that built and 

settled the post. Smith’s military career led him to practically every corner of the 

young country. He participated in one of America’s first clandestine military 

operations, the campaign to take eastern Florida away from European influence. 

When diplomatic negotiations to secure Florida for America failed in 1811, the 

U.S. military planned an invasion by Georgia “Patriots” who would then offer the 

territory to the U.S. In March 1812, 180 Georgians invaded a small section of 

northeast Florida and offered to cede this land to America. The offer was 

immediately accepted. 

Smith and his troops crossed into Florida and took command of the Georgians. 

Then began a campaign to wrest the remainder of the territory from Spain. 

Smith’s small force carried on for more than a year, battling Spanish 

reinforcements from Havana, British gunboats and Indians. By early 1814, the 

government secretly withdrew support for the Florida action and Smith was 

transferred to upstate New York to fight in the more urgent War of 1812. 

Fort Snelling National Cemetery 

At the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers in Minneapolis, Minn., 

lies Fort Snelling National Cemetery. It began as a stone fortress as early as 

1805, but construction of a proper fort began in 1819. 
Col. Henry Leavenworth began that 

construction, so the fort should have been 

named for him. But the harsh environment, 

which led to the deaths of almost one-third of 

his command within the first nine months, was 

too much for him. 

He asked for and received a transfer. 

Subsequent efforts would one day find another 

fort and city named for him. 

Col. Josiah Snelling completed construction of 

what was known as Fort St. Anthony in 1824. 

During an inspection of the fort, Gen. Winfield 

Scott, a friend of Snelling, was so impressed Col. Josiah Snelling

with its construction and the comforts it offered 

against the harsh Minnesota winters, he recommended the fort’s name be 

changed to Fort Snelling. 

Josiah Snelling was born in Boston in 1782. He joined the military to fight the 

great Indian warrior Tecumseh, and served with distinction through the War of 

1812. He was considered a tough but fairminded commander. Some reports 

criticize him for alcohol-induced rages that turned his men against him. Whether 

they’re true or not, he left the fort under a cloud of controversy in 1827 and died a 

year later. 

By Robert Turtil, VAnguard staff 

Note: This is the first in a series of features about the historical 

figures for whom some of VA’s national cemeteries are named. 

In the coming weeks, Part 2 will feature Fort Gibson, Jefferson 

Barracks, Leavenworth and Fort Scott National Cemeteries. 
Behind the Names 

Part 2 

VA facilities all over the country bear the names of Americans who 

made significant contributions to their country. Who were they? 

In this feature series, we take a look at the historical figures for whom
 

some of VA’s facilities are named. 

Many VA facilities are named for great Americans. In this second installment of 

“Behind the Names,” we look at four Americans for whom national cemeteries 

are named. 

Fort Gibson National Cemetery 

In 1824, increasing tensions between the 

Cherokee and Osage Nations led the Army to 

construct “Cantonment Gibson,” a wooden 

stockade that ultimately gave rise to the 

community of Fort Gibson, the oldest in 

Oklahoma. For many Native Americans, Fort 

Gibson was the last stop on the “Trail of 

Tears,” the route used to force tribes from the 

east to western reservations. 

George Gibson was born in Pennsylvania in 

1775, coming from a family of soldiers. He 

joined the Army in 1808 and rose to the rank 

of lieutenant colonel, serving through the War 

of 1812. President Monroe then appointed 

him Quartermaster General under Andrew 

George Gibson Jackson. 

Gibson was ordered to supply Gen. Jackson’s 1817-1818 campaign against 

Seminole Indians in West Florida. Instead of depending on private contractors 

for provisions, Gibson successfully purchased and transported all needed 

supplies, a job that earned him Jackson’s high praise and friendship, lasting far 

into Jackson’s term as U.S. President. 

In 1818, he was appointed to the new office of Commissary General of 

Subsistence, which he held for 43 years. He earned promotions to brigadier 

general and then to major general for meritorious conduct, particularly in 

performing his duties during the Mexican War. 
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery 

Jefferson Barracks, located north of St. 

Louis, was named to honor revered former 

president Thomas Jefferson, who died just 

six days before the fort’s establishment in 

1826. It was the nation’s first “Infantry 

School of Practice” and a gathering point for 

troops and supplies from the Mexican War 

through World War II. It became a national 

cemetery in 1866. 

Thomas Jefferson, born in 1743 in Virginia, 

was a fine writer, but no public speaker. 

Known as the “silent member” of Congress, 

he drafted the Declaration of Independence 

at age 33. As the nation became separated 

by political parties, Jefferson assumed 

leadership of the Republicans. Sympathizing with the revolutionary cause of 

France, he opposed strong centralized government and supported states’ 

rights. 

Jefferson assumed the presidency in 1800. He cut taxes, reduced the size of 

the military, the budget and the national debt. He projected American power 

into the Mediterranean by sending a naval squadron to fight the Barbary 

pirates who had been harassing American interests. Jefferson seized the 

opportunity to double the size of America by negotiating the Louisiana 

Purchase with France in 1803, even though he knew he didn’t have the 

constitutional powers to do so. 

Leavenworth National Cemetery 

Henry Leavenworth was born in Connecticut 

in 1783, the son of an officer who served 

under Washington in the Continental Army. 

Leavenworth fought in the War of 1812 and 

then served in the New York State 

Legislature. He rejoined the military in 1818 

as a lieutenant colonel and was detailed to 

Minnesota to build a post, but was 

transferred to Nebraska soon after 

construction began. 

In 1827, Leavenworth was directed to locate 

a site on the east side of the Missouri River 

for “Cantonment Leavenworth,” a permanent 

training and outfitting establishment near Henry Leavenworth present-day Kansas City. 

President Thomas Jefferson 
However, Leavenworth judged that the west side offered a more advantageous 

location and began construction even before he got final confirmation for the 

location change. 

Called Fort Leavenworth by 1832, it became the oldest continuously operating 

military establishment west of the Missouri River. The oldest city in Kansas is 

Leavenworth (est. 1854) and was the jumping-off point for two major migration 

trails west. 

The fort’s cemetery became a national cemetery in 1862. The oldest 

gravesites date to 1827, when disease killed many of the soldiers during the 

post’s first year of operation. 

In 1834, Leavenworth was given command of the entire southwest frontier. He 

led an expedition against the Pawnee and Comanche Indians with such tact 

and skill that no blood was shed and Leavenworth obtained a treaty that 

satisfied the desires of the government. Leavenworth died of a fever in 1834, 

never learning of his promotion to brigadier general for his success in 

concluding that treaty. 

Fort Scott National Cemetery 

Fort Scott, located on the eastern outskirts of 

the city of Fort Scott, Kansas, was established in 1842 to keep a three-way peace 

between Native American tribes who were 

forced off of their lands in the east, the 

area’s local tribes and white settlers. It was 

named for Gen. Winfield Scott (b.1786), one 

of the top military heroes of his time. 

Scott, a native of Virginia, was the son of a 

Revolutionary War veteran. He studied and 

practiced law and when the War of 1812 

broke out, he recruited a regiment and was 

promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. 

While fighting in Canada, Scott was captured 

and held for one year. After a prisoner exchange, he returned to fighting. His 

actions in battle left him severely wounded, but won him a promotion to major 

general. 

After the war, Scott traveled in Europe, studying military tactics. He returned in 

1832 and participated in a succession of conflicts, “calming” actions, and 

diplomatic efforts. 

He relocated Indian tribes and suppressed rebellions of those who had been 

Gen. Winfield Scott 
moved. His reputation was used to intimidate secessionist South Carolinians. 

He restrained unauthorized bands of Americans hoping to stir up revolution in 

Canada, and he helped negotiate a dispute between gangs of American and 

Canadian lumberjacks before an outright war could begin. 

In 1841, he was appointed General-in-Chief of the U.S. Army, and held that 

position until his retirement 20 years later. Scott was known as “Old Fuss and 

Feathers” because of his penchant for military procedures and finery. 

As a member of the opposition Whig party, he often clashed with President 

Polk, who considered him a political threat. He ran for U.S. President in 1852, 

but was defeated by Franklin Pierce. 

He spent the last years of his life writing his memoirs and traveling in Europe. 

He died in 1866 and was buried at the national cemetery at West Point. 

By Robert Turtil, VAnguard staff 

Note: This is the second in a series of features about the historical 

figures for whom some of VA’s facilities are named. In the coming weeks, 

Part 3 will feature two Medal of Honor recipients and the VA medical 

centers named for them. 
Behind the Names 

Part 3 

VA facilities all over the country bear the names of Americans who 

made significant contributions to their country. Who were they? 

In this feature series, we take a look at the historical figures for whom
 

some of VA’s facilities are named. 

VA facilities all over the country bear the names of great Americans. Who were 

they? In this third installment of our feature series, we look at the historical 

figures behind the names of two VA medical centers. 

Two American heroes, both Medal of Honor recipients, earned the honor and 

respect of their countrymen, and VA honored them by naming medical centers in 

their memories. 

Audie L. Murphy 

The Audie L. Murphy Veterans Hospital in San 

Antonio, Texas, honors the most decorated U.S. 

combat soldier of World War II. He earned every 

decoration for valor this country could offer, as 

well as similar honors from Belgium and France. 

His life began in a family of poor Texas 

sharecroppers, and after the war, his 

achievements and contributions touched 

millions. 

In January 1945, near Holtzwihr, France, 2nd Lt. 

Murphy’s company was attacked by six tanks 

and waves of infantry. He ordered his men to 

withdraw to protective woods, but remained at 

his forward post ordering close-in artillery 

strikes to support the withdrawal, a move that devastated the advancing 

Germans. 

A U.S. tank nearby had taken a hit and was burning, threatening to explode. With 

the enemy closing around him, Murphy climbed onto the burning vehicle and 

used its machine gun to kill dozens of Germans, ultimately stopping their 

advance. The Germans tried to eliminate Murphy, only to be destroyed as they 

approached his position. He was wounded, but continued to fight until he 

exhausted his ammunition. He withdrew to his squad and organized a 

counterattack, causing a full withdrawal of the Germans. These actions earned 

him the Medal of Honor. 

Murphy spent three years in active military service. He entered as a private, rose 

to the rank of staff sergeant, and was given a “battlefield” commission of second 

Audie L. Murphy 
lieutenant. He was wounded three times and survived nine major campaigns in 

Europe. 

He was released from active service in September 1945. Actor James Cagney 

invited him to Hollywood to try his hand at acting, but the succeeding years were 

tough, with the movie industry offering only small parts. 

Then in 1949, Murphy played himself in the Hollywood release of his 

autobiography “To Hell and Back.” The film was a big hit, holding the box office 

record until the 1975 release of “Jaws.” Murphy’s place in Hollywood was 

assured and he went on to star in 26 films, mostly westerns, over the next 15 

years. In 25 years of acting, he made a total of 44 films. 

Murphy owned ranches throughout the Southwest, where he bred and raced 

horses. He was a prodigious gambler, betting on horses, sporting events and 

cards. It’s reported that he won and lost fortunes. 

He is also known as a successful poet and songwriter. His compositions have 

been recorded by Dean Martin, Eddy Arnold, Charley Pride, Jimmy Bryant, 

Porter Waggoner, Jerry Wallace, Roy Clark, Harry Nilsson and many others. 

Murphy suffered bouts of depression, insomnia and substance abuse as a result 

of his war experiences. Recognizing his addiction to prescribed sleeping pills, he 

broke the habit by locking himself in a motel room for a week. 

Audie Murphy suffered from what is today known at PTSD. Until the 1960s, 

“battle fatigue” and other war-related mental illnesses weren’t discussed publicly. 

He was the first to do so, bringing national attention to veterans’ mental health 

issues and making a lasting contribution to their treatment. 

Audie Leon Murphy died in a Memorial Day weekend plane crash in 1971 while 

on a business trip. He was 46. 

Alvin C. York 

The Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn., is named in honor of “Sergeant York,” 

a reluctant World War I draftee whose inner 

struggle and strength led him from nearconscientious objector to American hero. 

He was born in the hills of Tennessee in 1887 and 

gained little more than a third-grade education. Up 

through his twenties, he was known as a backwoodsman with a deadly accurate shot, and a 

hellion who spent his time drinking, smoking and 

gambling. Alvin C. York 
In 1914, after a particularly hard night of drinking and fighting, his mother 

somehow convinced him to give up his way of life. Religious conversion soon 

followed. He joined the church and became an elder. 

As he followed America’s involvement in the war, he feared that “we were only 

fighting for a bunch of foreigners.” York later wrote that he received assurance 

from God himself that the fight was a righteous one and that he would come out 

unscratched. 

York was drafted at the age of 30. His church pastor prepared papers to exclude 

York from combat on religious grounds, but York refused to sign them. He was 

willing to serve, but refused to fight and kill. 

Basic training gave York his first glimpse of the world beyond the mountains of 

Tennessee. He trained with the masses of urban draftees, but stood out as an 

expert shot, though he objected to firing at human silhouette targets. 

After discussion and counsel with his superiors, York relinquished his pacifism. 

He was shipped to France in May 1918, and by the end of September, his unit 

had suffered many casualties to combat, artillery and gas attacks. 

In October 1918, while fighting in the Argonne Forest, York’s division was 

ordered to take a strategic hill and a nearby rail line. At zero hour, his unit went 

over the top of the trenches and, despite casualties, proceeded to take the hill. 

They moved on to their next objective, the railway, but many in his company fell 

to withering German machine-gun fire. His unit was pinned down, surrounded on 

three sides by enemy machine-gun nests. 

York and a few of his squad quietly moved around the German gun 

emplacements and ran into the headquarters of the enemy unit. They quickly 

took the entire command of largely unarmed Germans as prisoners. 

York and his men planned to take their prisoners right through the enemy front 

line. Soon enemy gunners pinned them down again, but York found himself at a 

vantage point where he could see the German emplacements, but they had 

difficulty locating him. 

As his men and their captives took cover, York began picking off the gunners one 

by one until he had killed more than 20 Germans. One of the German officers 

who had previously surrendered witnessed York’s one-man assault on the 

German machine- gun nests and told him he would order their total surrender if 

York would just stop killing his men. York agreed and soon had nearly 100 

prisoners marching back to friendly lines. 
York was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions, including killing 25 of the 

enemy, destroying 35 machine guns, capturing four officers and 128 men. 

Upon York’s return to New York City, he was singled out as America’s greatest 

fighting hero. His hometown tried to build a new home for him, but left him with a 

half-finished house and a huge mortgage. He was wooed by big business 

searching for his endorsement of their products. He declined, saying, “This 

uniform ain’t for sale.” 

York went on speaking tours to raise money for education, roads and job training 

in his native Appalachia. He considered running for public office, supporting 

Herbert Hoover in 1932 in opposition to FDR’s promise to repeal prohibition. 

Roosevelt’s New Deal policies brought him back into the democratic fold. 

Alvin C. York died in 1964 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. 

By Robert Turtil, VAnguard staff 

Note: This is the third in a series of features about the historical 

figures for whom some of VA’s facilities are named. In installment 4 of this 

series, we will feature two more individuals: One a world-class physician, 

medical school dean and influential chief medical director; the other, a 

popular U.S. Congressman and veterans’ advocate. 
Behind the Names 

Part 4 

VA facilities all over the country bear the names of Americans who 

made significant contributions to their country. Who were they? 

In this feature series, we take a look at the historical figures for whom
 

some of VA’s facilities are named. 

In this fourth installment of our feature series, we look at the historical figures 

behind the names of two VA medical centers, one a world-class physician, 

medical school dean and influential chief medical director; the other, 

a popular U.S. Congressman and veterans’ advocate. 

William S. Middleton 

William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans 

Hospital is physically connected to the University 

of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Wis. William 

Shainline Middleton, M.D.’s connection to both 

institutions goes back to at least 1955, when he 

left his post as dean of the university’s medical 

school to become VA’s chief medical director. 

Middleton was an accomplished educator, 

physician and scientist. His service to medicine, 

veterans and country spanned more than 60 

years, beginning in 1911 when he earned his 

medical degree from the Univ. of Pennsylvania. 

The following year, he began teaching at the 

Univ. of Wisconsin Medical School, becoming a 

full professor in 1933, followed by his 

appointment as dean of the medical school, a seat he held for the next 20 years. 

Middleton served with distinction in both world wars. As a captain with the British 

and American expeditionary forces in France during World War I, he was 

awarded the Victory Medal with seven battle clasps. 

Between wars, he returned to the University of Wisconsin, where he continued to 

teach, as well as consult for the U.S. Public Health Service and the Veterans 

Bureau, which became the Veterans Administration in 1930. 

In World War II, Col. Middleton was assigned to the Office of the Chief Surgeon 

for the European Theatre of Operations, serving as chief consultant in medicine. 

He taught medical officers at military field schools at various locations. For this 

service he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit 

with Oak Leaf Cluster, the order of the British Empire and the French Croix de 

Guerre with Palm. 

William S. Middleton 
After the Second World War, Middleton returned to his position as dean of the 

UW Medical School. He also acted as special advisor to the Surgeon General of 

the Army during the Korean Conflict. 

Public service called again in 1955. Middleton took a leave of absence from 

academia and was sworn in as chief medical director for the Veterans 

Administration. 

He was a member of the VA Special Medical Advisory Group, advising on the 

care and treatment of disabled veterans. He improved access to rehabilitation 

services, mental health and hypertension treatment. He also guided the 

development of VA research programs and he initiated the establishment of longterm patient care. He retired from VA in 1963. 

His career led to many professional positions, including presidencies of the 

American College of Physicians, the Central Society for Clinical Research and 

the American Association for the History of Medicine. Dr. William S. Middleton 

died in 1975. 

Clement J. Zablocki 

The Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs 

Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wis., 

honors the Democratic congressman who 

served his constituents for more than 40 

years in the Wisconsin state house and 

the U.S. House of Representatives. He 

represented the 4th U.S. Congressional 

District for a record 18 consecutive terms. 

“Clem,” as he preferred to be called, was Clement J. Zablocki (on left) 

born into an immigrant Polish-American 

family on Milwaukee’s south side. Catholic and public school-educated, with a 

degree in philosophy and advanced training from Marquette University, he 

became a high school teacher. He was also an accomplished organist and choir 

director. 

The dapper Zablocki was a short, squat man with a dark, Thomas Dewey-like 

mustache and a reserved demeanor. Remarkable for how unnoticeable he was, 

his style and physical stature endeared him all the more to the public. Above all, 

he was much loved in his community and a friend and advocate for veterans, 

though he wasn’t a veteran himself. 

Defeated in his first attempt at state politics in 1939, he was elected to serve two 

terms as state senator for Wisconsin’s 3rd district beginning in 1942. In 1948 he 

began his career in the U.S. Congress, and was reelected to each succeeding 
term for the remainder of his life, sometimes garnering as much as 80 percent of 

the vote. 

His political views mirrored those of his hard-working Eastern European 

immigrant constituency, embodying working-class patriotism, staunch anticommunism and religious conservatism. Yet he was held in high regard by 

liberals on economic and foreign policy matters. 

He was a frequent visitor to Milwaukee’s VA hospital. In Congress, he rose 

through the ranks of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and ultimately 

became chairman, one of Congress’s highest ranking posts, in 1977. 

His leadership style was one of reason and persuasion. Zablocki helped guide 

the passage of the War Powers Act of 1973 through Congress with enough 

support to override a presidential veto. This law, written in response to America’s 

Vietnam experience, requires that a President obtain the consent of Congress 

before sending American troops abroad for more than 60 days. 

Cong. Zablocki died in his Washington, D.C., office in 1983. The VA medical 

center in Milwaukee was rededicated in his honor in May 1985. 

By Robert Turtil, VAnguard staff 

Note: This is the fourth in a series of features about the historical 

figures for whom some of VA’s facilities are named. In Part 5, we will look 

at three veterans whose names have recently been affixed to VA facilities 

by an act of Congress. 
Behind the Names 

Part 5 

VA facilities all over the country bear the names of Americans who 

made significant contributions to their country. Who were they? 

In this feature series, we take a look at the historical figures for whom
 

some of VA’s facilities are named. 

The previous installments of this feature series, we profiled four people behind 

the names of national cemeteries and four who have had VA medical centers 

dedicated to them. These men fought for their country, for their community and 

for the health of veteran and citizen alike. 

In this fifth and final installment, we look at three veterans whose names have 

recently been affixed to VA facilities by an act of Congress -- two who served 

during World War II and went on to advocate for veterans, and one who is 

honored for how he lived, and how he died. They join the list of Americans whose 

leadership, patriotism, heroic acts, medical innovations and veteran advocacy 

efforts are commemorated by the dedication of a VA facility in their honor. 

John J. McGuirk 

On May 7, 2004, the VA outpatient clinic in New 

London, Conn., located on the grounds of the United 

States Coast Guard Academy, was re-dedicated as 

the John J. McGuirk Department of Veterans Affairs 

Outpatient Clinic. 

Born in Massachusetts, John J. McGuirk moved to 

New London with his family when he was a toddler. 

As a teenager, McGuirk’s first job was as a 

lighthouse keeper on Race Rock Lighthouse at the 

edge of Long Island Sound. After he’d witnessed a 

large ship run aground on the rocks and watched 

the salvage company work the wreck, he knew he 

had to be a diver. He soon began working for that 

company. 

McGuirk joined the Navy in 1943, continuing his civilian career as a hardhat 

salvage diver. After attending the Navy’s salvage school in New York City, he 

was shipped to the Pacific, serving on the USS Layson Island. For the next two 

years, he dove on war’s devastation, from the grim wreckage of Pearl Harbor 

through the South Pacific and finally to a 1945 operation to reclaim $75 million in 

silver coins sunk by the U.S. and Philippine governments to prevent capture by 

the advancing Japanese in 1942. 

At 6 feet, 4 inches, “Big John” was an awesome sight, equipped with a heavy, old 

style brass diving helmet and breastplate, full body canvas suit and weighted 

John J. McGuirk 
shoes. If the nickname “Big John” wasn’t enough, he earned the name of “Bull” in 

the boxing ring. 

After the war, McGuirk returned to New London, raised a family, worked in the 

salvage business and became an active member of the local American Legion. 

With particular concern for disabled and elderly veterans, he worked to promote 

improved care and to increase the number of VA health-care facilities in 

Connecticut. 

McGuirk was instrumental in establishing the VA clinic that would one day bear 

his name. He died of a heart attack on Nov. 17, 2000, at age 83. 

Victor J. Saracini 

To those who knew him, Victor J. Saracini served as 

a symbol of where hard work and determination can 

lead. Even though he dropped out of high school, he 

went on to earn a college degree, and then through 

service to his country, attained his dream of 

becoming a commercial pilot. 

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree 

in 1975, Saracini was accepted to the Navy’s 

Aviation Officer Candidate School. He was commissioned as an ensign in December 1975 and received 

his Naval Flight Officer wings the following year. 

Saracini served on S-3A anti-submarine warfare 

aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. 

He was an esteemed and decorated officer with the Navy, having received the 

National Defense Service Medal, Navy E Ribbon and Expert Marksmanship 

Ribbon. In 1980, he separated from active duty and served in the Naval Reserve 

at Naval Air Station Willow Grove, Pa., where he was a crewmember on a 

Lockheed P-3 Orion. He left the military in 1985 with the rank of lieutenant. 

After leaving the Navy, Saracini flew as a corporate and commercial pilot before 

joining United Airlines in 1985. In all, Saracini flew commercial aircraft for 16 

years. 

United Airlines Captain Victor J. Saracini died as the Boston to Los Angelesbound 767 jetliner he was piloting was hijacked and crashed into the south tower 

of the World Trade Center at 9:03 a.m., Sept. 11, 2001. He left behind a wife and 

two young daughters. 

Two weeks earlier, as Saracini celebrated his 51st birthday, his 13- year-old 

daughter Kirsten had given him a poem she wrote called “Years gone by.” She 

read it at the Sept. 18 memorial service attended by more than 1,500 people. 

Victor J. Saracini 
“And for all the years that come, I know one thing will never change, you will 

always be my daddy and I will always feel the same. I love you.” 

Staff at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center had been searching for a location for 

a new outpatient clinic north of the city. On the day of the tragedy, they finally 

found the future site. Eighteen miles from Philadelphia, the new clinic is adjacent 

to NAS Willow Grove, where Saracini once served, and not far from his Bucks 

County home. 

In November 2004 the outpatient clinic in Horsham, Pa., was renamed the Victor 

J. Saracini Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic. 

George E. Wahlen 

By Oct. 5, 1945, George E. Wahlen had spent 

seven months in military hospitals recuperating 

from wounds sustained during the battle for Iwo 

Jima. He would spend two-and- a-half more 

months and face three surgeries before finally 

going home. But on this day at the Marine hospital 

at Camp Pendleton, Calif., President Harry S. 

Truman presented him the Medal of Honor. 

On Feb. 19, 1945, 20-year-old Navy pharmacist’s 

mate Wahlen, a medic attached to the 2nd 

Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division, went 

ashore with the initial wave of Marines tasked to 

take strategic Iwo Jima. For the next 13 

murderous days, he treated the injuries of his 

comrades, dismissing the shrapnel he had taken to his right eye, shoulder and 

back. 

On the last day Wahlen was on the island, he suffered a third wound when an 

exploding shell shattered his right ankle. “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 recalled. Wahlen put tourniquets on the wounded Marine’s legs, 

then tried to attend to another wounded comrade, but his injuries overcame him. 

He was soon evacuated. 

Wahlen’s Medal of Honor citation chronicles this final day of self sacrifice on the 

island, along with his courageous actions throughout 12 previous days as he 

saved many from his unit and 14 more from an adjacent unit. 

After the war, Wahlen attended college and then joined the Army, serving in 

Korea and Vietnam. He retired from the military in 1969 with 23 years of 

combined Navy/Army service. Wahlen then spent 14 years employed at the Salt 

Lake City VA Regional Office. 

George E. Wahlen 
During that period he was instrumental in establishing a state veterans cemetery 

and a nursing home at the VA hospital in Salt Lake City that now bears his name: 

The George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Today, 

he continues to volunteer his time for veterans in Utah. 

By Robert Turtil, VAnguard staff