Audie Murphy

Audie Murphy was the most decorated American Army soldier of World War II. The orphaned son of Texas sharecroppers, he enlisted at age 18 and went on to win two dozen military medals for valor, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. After the war Murphy parlayed his war time fame into a career as a movie actor, song writer, and business man. He wrote his war memoirs, To Hell and Back, and played himself in the 1955 movie of the same name. The 20th of June is officially Audie Murphy Day in Texas. Audie Murphy was born in Kingston, Hunt County, Texas. He died at Roanoke, Virginia and he was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.

Audie Murphy was born to Emmett Berry and Josie Bell Murphy who was of Irish …show more content…

While Audie was in Sicily, he contracted Malaria, which put him in the hospital many times during his military service. Despite Audie Murphy’s illness, and shortness, he went very, very far in the Army. Shortly after being promoted to corporal, he was promoted to sergeant. Then after many heroic actions, he was promoted to second lieutenant. Audie Murphy was awarded 33 US medals, plus 5 from France and 1 from Belgium. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, which is the most coveted. The official U.S. Army citation for Audie’s Medal of Honor reads: Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, January 26, 1945. Entered service at: Dallas, Texas. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Texas, G.O. No. 65, August 9, 1944. Citation: Second Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. 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. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire, which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy