II 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1815

To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt 

Lake City, Utah. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 4, 2003

Mr. BENNETT (for himself and Mr. HATCH) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL

To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 

Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

4 AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER, SALT LAKE CITY, 

5 UTAH. 

6 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find7 ings: 

8 (1) On October 5, 1945, President Harry Tru9 man presented George E. Wahlen with the Medal of 
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•S 1815 IS 

1 Honor for his efforts as a medical corpsman on be2 half of his comrades at the battle of Iwo Jima. 

3 (2) In a 26-day period, George E. Wahlen was 

4 seriously wounded 3 times. However, he continued to 

5 risk his life to provide aid to wounded members of 

6 his company. 

7 (3) The official citation presented by President 

8 Truman reads: ‘‘For conspicuous gallantry and in9 trepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the 

10 call of duty while serving with the 2d Battalion, 

11 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division, during action 

12 against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima in the 

13 Volcano group on 3 March 1945. Painfully wounded 

14 in the bitter action on 26 February, Wahlen re15 mained on the battlefield, advancing well forward of 

16 the frontlines to aid a wounded marine and carrying 

17 him back to safety despite a terrific concentration of 

18 fire. Tireless in his ministrations, he consistently 

19 disregarded all danger to attend his fighting com20 rades as they fell under the devastating rain of 

21 shrapnel and bullets, and rendered prompt assist22 ance to various elements of his combat group as re23 quired. When an adjacent platoon suffered heavy 

24 casualties, he defied the continuous pounding of 

25 heavy mortars and deadly fire of enemy rifles to care 
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1 for the wounded, working rapidly in an area swept 

2 by constant fire and treating 14 casualties before re3 turning to his own platoon. Wounded again on 2 

4 March, he gallantly refused evacuation, moving out 

5 with his company the following day in a furious as6 sault across 600 yards of open terrain and repeat7 edly rendering medical aid while exposed to the 

8 blasting fury of powerful Japanese guns. Stout9 hearted and indomitable, he persevered in his deter10 mined efforts as his unit waged fierce battle and, 

11 unable to walk after sustaining a third agonizing 

12 wound, resolutely crawled 50 yards to administer 

13 first aid to still another fallen fighter. By his daunt14 less fortitude and valor, Wahlen served as a constant 

15 inspiration and contributed vitally to the high mo16 rale of his company during critical phases of this 

17 strategically important engagement. His heroic spirit 

18 of self-sacrifice in the face of overwhelming enemy 

19 fire upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval 

20 Service.’’

21 (4) George E. Wahlen is currently the only liv22 ing recipient of the Medal of Honor in Utah. Born 

23 on August 8, 1924, in Ogden, Utah, George E. 

24 Wahlen served his country in three wars. He con-
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1 tinues to serve as a voice on behalf of the veterans 

2 of Utah. 

3 (b) DESIGNATION OF MEDICAL CENTER.—The De4 partment of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake 

5 City, Utah, shall after the date of the enactment of this 

6 Act be known and designated as the ‘‘George E. Wahlen 

7 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center’’. Any ref8 erence to such facility in any law, regulation, map, docu9 ment, record, or other paper of the United States shall 

10 be considered to be a reference to the George E. Wahlen 

11 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Æ