Lt. Audie L. Murphy
June 20, 1924 - May 28, 1971
Most Decorated World War II Combat Soldier
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"Men who have offered their lives
for their country know that patriotism is not fear of something; |
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Murphy, Audie L. Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 1 5th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945. Entered service at: Dallas, Tex. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Tex. G.O. No.. 65, 9 August 1945. Citation 2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machinegun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.
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Major
General John "Iron Mike O'Daniel
presents 1st Lt. Audie L. Murphy
On March 5, 1945, 1st Lieutenant Audie Murphy was called
to Nancy, France by order of the 3rd Infantry Division Commander, Major
General John "Iron-Mike" O' Daniel. On this day, General O' Daniel presented
to 1st Lieutenant Murphy the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star.
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General Orders No. 65 WAR DEPARTMENT Washington 25, D. C., 9 August 1945 Section 1 MEDAL OF HONOR – Award ............................................ * * * * * * I.. MEDAL OF HONOR. - By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved 9 July 1918 (WD Bul. 43, 1918), a Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty was awarded by the War Department in the name of Congress to the following-named officer: Second Lieutenant Audie L. Murphy, 01692509, 15th Infantry, Army of the United States, on 26 January 1945, near Holtzwihr, France, commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. Lieutenant Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to a prepared position in a woods while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him to his right one of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. Lieutenant Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, Lieutenant Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer which was in danger of blowing up any instant and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate Lieutenant Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards only to be mowed down by his fire. Be received a leg wound but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he personally killed or wounded about 50. Lieutenant Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective. * * * * * * BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR: OFFICIAL:
EDWARD F. WITSELL G. C. MARSHALL FILE: Beard/src/SAD-SA |
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| Lieutenant Audie Murphy of B Company, 15th Regiment,
Third Division. Murphy received the Medal of Honor and the Legion of Merit
on June 2, 1945 in front of his entire division in Salzburg, Austria.
Murphy became known as the most decorated soldier in the U.S. Army and
went on to be a major American film star until his death in 1971. Courtesy of Stan Smith |
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| On June 2, 1945 The entire Third Division assembled
to witness the Medal of Honor ceremony for 15th Regiment Lieutenant Audie
Murphy in Salzburg, Austria. Murphy rebuffed a grave threat to his company
atop a crippled tank destroyer in the Colmar Pocket near Holtzwihr.
Seventh Army Commander Alexander Patch presented the honors. Photo courtesy of Denis Toomey www.dogfacesoldiers.org |
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| Liaison Officer for the 15th Regiment Lt. John J.
Tominac congratulates Lieutenant Audie Murphy after the June 2, 1945 Medal
of Honor ceremony in Salzburg. Murphy became a movie star after the war
making 44 films and wrote an autobiography "To Hell and Back." Photo courtesy of Denis Toomey www.dogfacesoldiers.org |
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Only Photo of Hero Getting
HOLLYWOOD, June 2, 1955 (AP) - Ten
years ago Thursday on an Austrian airstrip, a general pinned the Medal of
Honor on a Texas boy so young that he couldn't even grow a mustache. Thanks to Stan Smith for this photo and story. |
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March 9, 2001: The 3rd Infantry Division Mechanized dedicated a facility, The Audie Murphy Inn, at Eagle Base, Tuzla, in Bosnia-Herzegovina to the memory and accomplishments of Audie Murphy. This is a two story, 4,700 square foot, 27 room, guest house for visitors to stay while they visit the hard working soldiers of the Multinational Division (North). |
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July 11, 2007- Soldiers at Fort Stewart are
honoring one of their own. 2nd Lt. Audie Murphy was the Army's most
decorated war hero and a member of the Third Infantry Division. Now,
the Third ID is making sure his names lives on at a center designed
to help soldiers. |
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| Würzburg, Germany, June 17, 1960: If Sp4 Kenneth Coward, left, seemed a little nervous as he talked about his M1 rifle with a visitor to the base, it was understandable. The civilian was America's most-decorated soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy, who was making a documentary film about missiles used by the Army. Murphy was in Germany for the first time since the war, when his exploits earned him the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, three Purple Hearts and many other awards. |
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Audie Murphy's second monument grows
stone by stone |
Monday was Memorial Day, as you know, but you may have missed the significance of last Sunday. World War II hero Audie Murphy died in a plane crash May 28, 1971, at the top of Brush Mountain. The out-of-the-way location of his death makes visiting the site a bit of an undertaking. It's a goodly drive from Blacksburg out Mount Tabor Road to a bumpy forest service road that takes you to a littered parking area. From there it's a 0.7-mile walk to the monument. But this location has actually led to a moving tribute from an unlikely source. The site is just off the Appalachian Trail, where it may get more visits from hikers than from anyone else. The monument is topped by little piles of stones. Many more stones are piled on the ground next to it. Two through-hikers I saw there recently -- Rush Hour and Firefly were their trail names -- understood what to do, and each added their own stone. It's simple, but certainly one of the most sincere ways of honoring a veteran that I've ever seen. The many small tokens of appreciation added up to a second monument of sorts. The original monument itself is quite nice and explains that Murphy was the most-decorated American soldier of all the men who fought in World War II. But what's missing is a photo of Murphy. The two hikers I saw seemed genuinely interested and spent longer looking at the monument than I would have expected. But I imagine that seeing his photo would have helped them realize that the man behind the many medals was a fellow about their age when he earned those decorations. Bottom line: Through a strange fluke of geography, Audie Murphy's monument is visited by young folks who might not normally visit a military monument. I can't help but think that Murphy would be mighty pleased. Suggested viewing: "To Hell and Back," starring Audie Murphy as Audie Murphy in the true story of his World War II heroics. Directions: The monument is right on the border between Craig and Roanoke counties, but is easily found when driving from Blacksburg. Take North Main Street to Mount Tabor Road, which will twist and turn and offer at least one unexpected stop sign. After crossing into Roanoke County, look for a sign pointing to a forest service road. Take this to the top of the mountain and turn right. Follow this road to a parking area. Another sign here guides you to the trail that soon meets up with the Appalachian Trail. When the path splits, take the left fork up to the monument. |
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Audie Murphy's gravesite at the
Arlington National Cemetery in Washington. DC is the second most visited
gravesite behind the J. F. Kennedy section. The pebbles and coins on the top of the headstone, denote people visiting and leaving a stone or coin is an old Jewish tradition to show that the gravesite has been visited. |
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Washington Post Audie Murphy Buried With Military Rites at Arlington
By Ken Ringle Audie Murphy was buried yesterday beneath a white oak tree in Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony that briefly brought together Murphy's disparate worlds as most decorated soldier and undistinguished cowboy actor. A horse-drawn caisson, trailing the muffled drums and soft hymns of the Army band, bore the walnut casket of the baby-faced World War II hero through a crowd of 400. The mourners ranged from Gen. William Westmoreland - in full uniform - to Marty Benson - a goateed race horse handler and pallbearer dressed in an orange knit shirt. Tributes came through the media from President Nixon - who said Murphy "came to epitomize the gallantry . . . of America's fighting men" and in person from Murphy's old division mates, who told anyone who would listen that the sharecropper's son from Kingston, Texas, "was one good boy." The old soldiers drifted among the headstones of Arlington, following the caisson to the grave site beside Memorial amphitheater, just west of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There, while the band played "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" and "America the Beautiful," Murphy was laid to rest next to Allan David Gardner, a 31-year-old Special Forces captain killed last year in Vietnam. In addition to Westmoreland, the White House was represented by Lt. Col. Vernon Coffee, the President's military aide, and George Bush, ambassador at large to the United Nations. Shimmering in the warm morning sun at graveside was a presidential wreath of red, white and blue carnations and - from the 3rd Infantry Division Association - a square of blue and white carnations grouped in the diagonal stripes of the division shoulder patch. Murphy, who died May 28 in a plane crash near Roanoke, Va., at the age of 46, had served in the division from 1942 to 1945 in North Africa, Italy and France. Though originally turned down for enlistment because, as one officer recalled, at 17 "he looked like a little boy", Murphy won more medals for valor, including the Medal of Honor, than any man in World War II. In the postwar years he carved out a shaky career as a cowboy actor and producer in forgettable, low-budget westerns and ultimately went bankrupt. When he died, he was on a business trip, pursuing one of the investment interests that increasingly occupied his time. One of his pallbearers was another highly decorated soldier - 1st Lt. Joseph Hooper - who won the Medal of Honor in Vietnam and had been scheduled to meet Murphy on a television show in a few weeks. But the other eight pallbearers were mostly close personal friends chosen from outside the service.They included John Toole, 38, a 6 foot-7, 270 pound mustachioed former prize fighter who arrived in a tuxedo and black brogans. |
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From the Stars and
Stripes 1945 |
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First Lt. Audie L. Murphy, of Farmersville, Tex., shares with Capt. Maurice ("Footsie") Britt, also of the 3rd Inf. Div., the distinction as this war's most decorated soldier. His latest award was the Medal of Honor for beating off 250 Nazi infantrymen, supported by six tanks, during the Colmar campaign. During his 30 months' combat duty in the 3rd Div., he rose from private to company commander. company commander.
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Project Audie Murphy
I
continue my research and assist other researchers from my massive data
base. My main purpose is to help young people do book reports,
speeches and to give them the motivation to stay interested in Audie.
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Click Here to hear WWII version from the movie "To Hell and Back" |
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This is the
original version of the 3rd Infantry Division song,' The Dogface Soldier'. It is featured
in the movie, "To Hell and Back", the story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated
soldier of World War II. This translation from World War II is not politically correct,
however if this rendition is uncomfortable for you, go to the Ft.
Stewart website version with current lyrics: |
Official
Narrative CITATION: 2d Lt. Murphy
commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy
ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at
his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective. |
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Biographical
Sketch of |
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He was America's greatest World War II hero, at one
point single-handedly holding off 250 German soldiers and six tanks. But despite winning acclaim and
stardom, he could never escape the pain and trauma of the conflict that made him a hero. Audie Leon Murphy, son of poor Texas sharecroppers, rose to national fame as the most decorated U.S. combat soldier of World War II. Among his 33 awards and decorations was the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery that can be given to any individual in the United States of America, for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty." He also received every decoration for valor that his country had to offer, some of them more than once, including 5 decorations by France and Belgium. Credited with either killing over 240 of the enemy while wounding and capturing many others, he became a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division. Beginning his service as an
Army Private, Audie quickly rose to the enlisted rank of Staff Sergeant, was given a
"battle field" commission as 2nd Lieutenant, was wounded three times, fought in
9 major campaigns across the European Theater, and survived the war. |
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On 21 September, 1945, Audie was released from the Army as an active member and reassigned to inactive status. During this same time, actor James Cagney invited Murphy to Hollywood in September 1945, when he saw Murphy's photo on the cover of Life Magazine. The next couple of years in
California were hard times for Audie Murphy. Struggling and becoming disillusioned from
lack of work while sleeping in a local gymnasium, he finally received token acting parts
in his first two films.
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Despite his success in Hollywood, Audie never forgot his rural Texas roots. He returned frequently to the Dallas area where he owned a small ranch for a while. He also had ranches in Perris, California and near Tucson, Arizona. He was a successful Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racehorse owner and breeder, having interests in such great horses as "Depth Charge." His films earned him
close to 3 million dollars in 23 years as an actor. Audie loved to gamble, and he bet on
horses and different sporting events. He was also a great poker player. In his role as a
prodigious gambler, he won and lost fortunes.
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Audie Murphy wrote some poetry and was quite successful as a songwriter. He usually teamed up with talented artists and composers such as Guy Mitchell, Jimmy Bryant, Scott Turner, Coy Ziegler, or Terri Eddleman. Dozens of Audie Murphy's songs were recorded and released by such great performers as Dean Martin, Eddy Arnold, Charley Pride, Jimmy Bryant, Porter Waggoner, Jerry Wallace, Roy Clark, Harry Nilsson and many, many others. His two biggest hits were Shutters and Boards and When the Wind Blows in Chicago. Eddy Arnold recorded When the Wind Blows in Chicago for his 1993 album Last of the Love Song Singers which is currently in release by RCA. Audie suffered from what is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTS) and was plagued by insomnia and depression. During the mid-60's he became dependent for a time on doctor prescribed sleeping pills called Placidyl. When he recognized that he had become addicted to this prescription drug, he locked himself in a motel room, stopped taking the sleeping pills and went through withdrawal symptoms for a week. Always an advocate for the
needs of veterans, he broke the taboo about discussing war related mental problems after
this experience. In a effort to draw attention to the problems of returning Korean and
Vietnam War veterans, Audie Murphy spoke-out candidly about his personal problems with
PTS, then known as "Battle Fatigue". He publicly called for United States
government to give more consideration and study to the emotional impact war has on
veterans and to extend health care benefits to address PTS and other mental health
problems of returning war vets.
On June 7th, Audie Murphy was buried with full military honors in Arlington National
Cemetery. His gravesite, near the Amphitheater, is second most visited gravesite year
round. President Kennedy's grave is the most visited. |
Last update on May 04, 2008
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