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SALT LAKE CITY — A new bill co-sponsored by a Utah congressman would create the county's first monument in the nation's capital dedicated to recipients of the highest military honor that can be awarded.
Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, and Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, introduced the National Medal of Honor Monument Act in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday. It would create a new monument in the District of Columbia for all of the people who have received the Medal of Honor.
The representatives said their bill follows the introduction of a similar bipartisan act introduced in the Senate last year.
"The giants of our republic are immortalized in Washington, D.C., and the unparalleled courage demonstrated by Medal of Honor recipients deserves permanent recognition so future generations continue to understand the sacrifices that have given us our freedoms," Moore said in a statement Tuesday.
While Gen. George Washington created a formal system to honor military members as early as 1782, the Medal of Honor was approved by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861, according to the U.S. Army Center of Military History.
The legislation at the time stated that the award "shall be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen and marines as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action and other seamanlike qualities during the present war (the Civil War)."
Since its creation, the Medal of Honor has been awarded to a little over 3,500 military members, including a little more than 600 people posthumously.
Five Utahns have received it over that span, according to the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs:
Mervyn Sharp Bennion
Mervyn Sharp Bennion was the first Utahn to receive the Medal of Honor, which was bestowed upon him posthumously. He was the captain of the USS West Virginia stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by Japanese forces on Dec. 7, 1941. Per UDVMA, Bennion continued to direct operations at his post and saved "the lives of numerous sailors" even while dying from injuries suffered in a bomb explosion on the USS Tennessee.
William Edward Hall
William Edward Hall received the Medal of Honor following a counterattack during the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II, UDVMA says. As a pilot, he took down three enemy planes before he being seriously wounded. Even so, he was able to bring his damaged plane back to a U.S. ship.
Brian Miles Thacker
Brian Miles Thacker, originally from Ohio but a graduate of Weber State University, received the Medal of Honor in 1973 after a base he was stationed at in Vietnam was attacked, according to UDVMA.
"He played a crucial role in the defense of the base, sitting in a dangerously exposed observation position while directing friendly airstrikes and artillery fire against the assaulting enemy forces," the agency's website says. "When evacuation became necessary, he stayed behind to cover the retreat and became trapped behind enemy lines."
Thacker was injured but evaded capture. He was then rescued a little more than a week after the attack.
Jose F. Valdez
Jose F. Valdez was originally from New Mexico but joined the military after moving to Spanish Fork. He received the Medal of Honor for his service during World War II. UDVMA says Valdez was on patrol in France in 1945 when he and five other soldiers were attacked by enemy troops. During the attack, Valdez killed three enemy soldiers and was able to force an enemy tank to withdraw.
When German troops sent two companies of infantry directly after the battle, Valdez volunteered to stay in the area while other U.S. troops returned back to safety. He was severely wounded in the attack and died three weeks later. He also received the award posthumously, according to UDVMA.
George Edward Wahlen
George Edward Wahlen received the Medal of Honor after an incident that happened in late 1945. He was a pharmacist's mate, second class, in the Navy at the time the U.S. began its attack on Iwo Jima during World War II.
"While onshore, Wahlen was wounded three times in 13 days. Despite his injuries, he continued to tirelessly treat others who were wounded and provide assistance to his combat group," the UDVMA website says. "On March 3, 1945, a shell went off near Wahlen, killing several Marines outright and breaking Wahlen's leg. He crawled 50 yards administer first aid to still another fallen fighter."
It took nine months for the Ogden native to recover from the injuries he suffered during the attack. He was discharged but then reenlisted in the Army, where he served as an officer in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
No. 6: Gerry H. Kisters
The National Medal of Honor Museum also listed Gerry H. Kisters also a recipient of the award from Utah. Records show he was born in Utah before his family moved to Indiana, which is where he enlisted in the military to fight in World War II.
Should the bill that Moore and Veasey introduced pass in Congress, it would create a monument that would "pay homage to the values the Medal of Honor represents — courage, patriotism, citizenship, integrity, commitment, and sacrifice — and the brave individuals who earned it in service to the country."
It would add to the monuments currently in Washington, D.C., dedicated to military service.
Said Veasey: "A monument to the Medal of Honor is a cause everyone can rally around and it's past due that we recognize the service and sacrifice of the bravest individuals to serve our country in our capital, for Americans to learn from."
