Utah honors its soldiers who received the National Medal of Honor

SALT LAKE CITY — The national anthem filled the rotunda at the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday as the Utah Military Academy choir ushered in Utah's first-ever Medal of Honor Day ceremony.

The Medal of Honor is the United States armed forces' highest military decoration and is awarded by the president of the United States. Only 3,536 people have so far been awarded, for distinguishing themself "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of ... life above and beyond the call of duty" while in combat with an enemy of the United States.

This year, Utah's Department of Veterans of Foreign Wars honored Utah's five Medal of Honor holders: Mervyn Bennion (World War II), William Hall (World War II), Jose Valdez (World War II), George Wahlen (World War II) and Brian Thacker (Vietnam).

Family and friends of the five servicemen, including fellow veterans, contributed to a small but lively crowd in the rotunda.

"One of the common things they would say is they never went forth wanting to receive the Medal of Honor ... but when it was their time, they had to make a choice of what they were doing; they completely protected those they were serving and gave of themselves," said Gary Harter, who heads Utah's Department of Veterans and Military Affairs.

Representatives from Utah's Heritage Arts Foundation also attended the event and set forth plans to create statues of each of the five Medal of Honor holders, to be placed in the communities of the recipients over the next decade.

"My friends, we stand on the shoulders of giants," said Bob Hanson, who attended on behalf of the foundation. Giant American flags stood at the sides of the podium while he spoke.

Utah's Medal of Honor holders

Navy Capt. Mervyn Bennion was born in Vernon, Utah Territory, in 1887. He served in World War I and commanded the battleship USS West Virginia when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941.

"After being mortally wounded, Capt. Bennion evidenced apparent concern only in fighting and saving ship, and strongly protested being carried from the bridge," read Bennion's great-grandson from his Medal of Honor citation.

Bennion was mortally wounded by a shrapnel shard from a ship neighboring his. Though sailors tried to take him to a first-aid station, he refused to leave his post and instead commanded his men while holding his wounds closed with one arm. He eventually perished from blood loss.

Bennion was posthumously awarded his medal and buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

William Hall was a lieutenant and navy pilot awarded for his actions during the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942.

Kraig Thorne, an officer in the Veteran of Foreign Wars Department, read off a citation for "extreme courage and conspicuous heroism" for Hall's efforts in diving his ship at a Japanese aircraft carrier and "contributing materially to the destruction of that vessel." Hall also destroyed three Japanese planes in combat, and though he himself was severely injured during his flight, safely landed his own plane.

"He displayed extraordinary skill as an airman and the aggressive spirit of a fighter," said Thorne.

Hall was awarded a Medal of Honor by military Vice Adm. Ephraim Holmes in 1942.

Jose Valdez, Utah Valley's only Medal of Honor recipient and Utah's only Hispanic Medal of Honor recipient, grew up in Pleasant Grove before going on to serve in World War II in France.

Valdez served as part of Company B, 7th Infantry Division, fighting with other soldiers "out front of friendly lines ... when they were assaulted by a superior force," reported Harter. "(He) fiercely fought the enemy, killing several, and as the engagement continued, the leader ... ordered everyone to withdraw, but Jose stayed behind, risking death to provide cover for others."

Though Valdez was wounded several times, he stayed to fight, refusing to leave until his fellow Americans had made it back to cover. He called in artillery fire close to his position to secure their safety and managed to drag himself back to base after the skirmish concluded. He perished from his injuries three weeks later.

His Medal of Honor was presented posthumously to his mother in 1946.

George Wahlen, "who did more for the veterans of Utah than anyone else," per Kraig Thorne, was awarded a Medal of Honor. Born in 1924 in Ogden, Wahlen served in the Asiatic theater of World War II as a Marine and fought with Fox Company when it assaulted Iwo Jima, Japan.

As a medical corpsman, Wahlen retrieved and evacuated many wounded Marines throughout the battle, even after suffering three injuries himself, including a broken leg. Wahlen went on to spend 10 months in recovery, after which President Harry Truman awarded him the Medal of Honor.

Personal friends and fellow veterans spoke in Wahlen's honor, detailing his "subsequent years of dedicated service" to raising awareness for veterans' needs, including his efforts working as a veterans benefits counselor and lobbying for the Veterans Cemetery at Camp Williams in Bluffdale.

A VFW spokesman called Thacker "one of Vietnam's biggest heroes. What he did was utterly amazing, and we're lucky ... to have him as our only living medal of honor recipient."

Thacker, a Salt Lake City resident at the time he joined the Army, did not attend the event. He received his Medal of Honor for his actions as a team leader in 1971 in the Kontum Province of Vietnam.

When his base came under attack by North Vietnamese forces, he facilitated a retreat for his men, but remained behind for four hours, occupying a "highly-exposed position" with "complete disregard for his personal safety" to provide covering fire and direct friendly airstrikes, including even on his own position, in an effort to protect his men.

After the immediate fighting, Thacker survived for eight days in unfriendly territory before reuniting with the Americans.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon awarded Thacker a Medal of Honor.

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