V.A. Hospital May Get Name Change

V.A. Hospital May Get Name Change


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Sam Penrod ReportingIt looks like Salt Lake's V.A. Hospital is about to get a name change. Utah's Senators say they're asking the federal government to rename the hospital in honor of a Utah veteran.

Senators Bennett and Hatch want the hospital to bear the name of George Wahlen, who is the only living recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor in Utah. George Wahlen was a medical corpsman, who worked to treat the injuries of fellow marines during the battle of Iwo Jima.

He was seriously wounded three separate times in just 26 days. Still he hid his injuries from superiors so he could stay and take care of other injured marines. His bravery earned him one of the highest military honors, which was presented to him by President Harry Truman himself. Wahlen still doesn't want credit for what he did, saying others fighting with him paid the ultimate price for freedom.

A year ago on Veterans Day, a monument was unveiled in honor of Wahlen and all other recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. The legislation to rename the hospital will now have to go through Congress and the White House before it will become official.

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