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Biography: Life of Audie Murphy
Born 1924, Died 1971
Audie Leon Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War II, was born on a sharecropper’s farm on June 20, 1924 in Hunt County, Texas.
In 1942 Audie Murphy attempted to enlist in the Marine Corps, but was refused entrance because at 5’5” he did not meet the height requirement. The Paratroopers turned him down as well. Shortly after his eighteenth birthday, Audie Murphy enlisted in the United States Army.
After completion of his basic training, Murphy was assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division in North Africa. Audie Murphy first proved his ability as a soldier and marksman when his unit invaded Sicily and then Italy. During these campaigns Murphy advanced in rank and received his first citation for gallantry.
Murphy’s unit was withdrawn from Italy and assigned to the invasion of southern France. Audie Murphy became one of the most decorated men of his company during this campaign.
On January 26, 1945 near Holtzwihr, France, while under heavy enemy fire from three sides and with a single machine gun, Audie Murphy repelled the attacking German troops. Wounded in the attack, he single-handedly killed 50 of the German soldiers. His brave stand and his leadership in the counterattack drove the Germans from Holtzwihr. For his actions that day, Audie Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor.
By the time the war ended in May 1945, although he was not yet twenty-one years old, Audie Murphy had been wounded three times and had earned twenty-eight medals, including medals from France and Belgium.
Discharged from the Army on September 21, 1945, Audie Murphy received a hero’s welcome on his return to the United States. At the urging of James Cagney, Murphy went to Hollywood where he acted in forty-four films. In 1955 Audie Murphy starred as himself in the movie version of his wartime memoirs, To Hell and Back.
Throughout the years following the war, Audie Murphy suffered from nightmares, insomnia and depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as it is known today. Murphy spoke publicly about his problems and urged the government to extend health care benefits to war veterans suffering from PTSD.
On May 28, 1971 Audie Murphy was killed in the crash of a private plane near Roanoke, Virginia. Murphy is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His grave is visited each year by large numbers of people seeking to pay their respects to this heroic soldier.
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