A TRIBUTE
Biographical Sketch of

AUDIE LEON MURPHY
June 20, 1924 - May 28, 1971

 

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 38 awards and decorations was the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery that can be presented 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 five decorations from France and Belgium. Beginning his service as an Army Private, he quickly rose to the enlisted rank of Staff Sergeant, and in October 1944, was given a "battlefield" commission as a Second Lieutenant. The day before his actions that he received the Medal of Honor, he was appointed Commanding Officer of Company B, and was wounded a third time in both legs from an enemy artillery round tree-burst.


Audie Murphy was one of the best fighting combat soldiers of this or any other century. All who knew and served with him during WWII, admired and respected his ability, courage, and leadership. Many times Murphy went out on patrol alone so his men wouldn't get injured or killed. His single-handed ”duels” with enemy snipers during this period was legendary within the Third Infantry Division.
His courage, instinct, and marksmanship kept him alive, and his sound and strict decisions as a leader kept his men alive. Murphy spent 524 days in actual combat with the enemy. That calculates to 12,576 hours on the battlefield; where at any second your life could end suddenly. A phenomenal figure that really signifies, his courage,endurance, and most of all his skills as a combat leader.
Audie was credited with killing, wounding, and capturing over 240 of the enemy. Probably a higher figure is warranted, but one may only guess as to really how many. Audie never knew what the total was and did not think too much about it, and was humbled and embarrassed talking about it. Everyone in the Division heard of this “baby-faced kid” and his daring courage. During Murphy's 3 years of active service as a soldier in World War II, he was decorated with 11 combat valor awards and citations, was wounded three times, fought in nine major campaigns across North Africa and in the European Theater, and survived the war. At the end when Germany surrendered, Murphy and a supply sergeant were the only ones still left from his original unit, Company B,15th Infantry Regiment. The U.S. Army has always declared that there will never be another Audie Murphy.

 

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, when he saw Murphy's photo on the cover of Life Magazine. After a short stay of “rest and relaxation” at Cagney’s home, Audie returned to Texas and tried to figure out what to do with his life. Many senior officers recommended Audie apply for the West Point Military Academy, but later decided that his war wounds wouldn’t allow him to perform the physically-demanding courses.  A short while later James Cagney called and asked him to return to Hollywood, and Audie took his offer. 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.


His first starring role came in a 1949 released film by Allied Artists called, Bad Boy. In 1950 Murphy eventually received a contract with Universal-International (later called Universal) where he starred in 26 films, 23 of them westerns over the next 15 years. His 1949 autobiography To Hell And Back was a best seller. Six years later Murphy was asked to star as himself in a film biography released by Universal-International in 1955 with the same title. Audie being humble at the time suggested another actor like “Tony Curtis,” to play the role. Universal told Audie that only he himself could play himself.  Finally he decided to do it. The movie, To Hell and Back, was very successful. It made Audie a leading star, and a very rich man from the profits. The film held the record as Universal's highest grossing picture for twenty years when it was finally surpassed by the movie Jaws in 1975. In the mid-60s the studios switched from contract players to hiring actors on a picture-by-picture basis. Consequently, when his contract expired in 1965 Universal did not renew. This gave him the opportunity to work with other studios and independent film producers. In the 25 years that Audie spent in Hollywood, he made a total of 44 feature films, a majority of them “Westerns.”

 

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 that is currently in release by RCA.


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 try his luck at chance, and he bet on horses and different sporting events frequently. He was also a great card player. In his role as a prodigious gambler, he won and lost fortunes. For Audie, it was hard to find anything that could excite him, or keep his interest. The war years and combat left the remainder of his life boring. Acting was a way to make some money, and taking chances created an adrenaline high and an uncertain outcome.  War was like that also, and he was once quoted as saying, ”It made me grow up too fast. You live so much on nervous excitement that when its over you fall apart.”

 

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 an 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 the United States government to give more consideration and study to the emotional impact that war has on veterans.  He asked them to extend health care benefits and to address the issue of “PTS” and other mental health problems of returning war vets.

 

On Friday May 28, 1971,(Memorial Day Weekend) while on a private business trip from Atlanta to Martinsville, Virginia he was killed at the age of 46. A small passenger plane flying in fog and rain crashed into the side of a mountain near Roanoke, Virginia. Five others including the pilot were also killed. Although Audie owned and flew his own plane earlier in his career at Hollywood, he was among the passengers that tragic day.  The pilot, unqualified to fly on instruments, and not filing a flight plan, delayed the discovery of the accident until the 31st. Our country mourned the loss of “the most decorated soldier” of WWII, and felt the sorrow and pain from his family and friends who missed and remembered him in his short period of life.


On June 7th, Audie Murphy was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Once while on a trip to Washington with a friend, Audie asked to visit Arlington Cemetery. His friend asked him why? Audie said,"I'd like to make a reservation." His gravesite, is located behind the Amphitheater, under a large black oak tree. It is the second-most visited gravesite year round. President Kennedy's grave is the most visited. In 1996 the Texas Legislature officially designated his birthday, June 20th, as Audie Murphy Day.  In 1999, Governor George W. Bush proclaimed every June 20th, as “Audie Murphy Day.”

 

Official Narrative
 For Medal of Honor Recipient
MURPHY, AUDIE L.


Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B, 15th 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 wood’s, 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 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 that 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 counter attack, 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 wood’s which had been the enemy's objective.

 

Reprinted from Committee On Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, and Medal of Honor Recipients: 1963-1973 (Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 1973, reprinted 1979).


I would like to gratefully acknowledge the effort and help of
Richard Wade Shafferfor helping prepare this biographical sketch of Audie Murphy.


Audie Murphy's Medals are displayed at this location
Click HERE

Subscribe to a free educational newsletter on Audie Murphy.
Click on Audie Murphy Research Foundation.


Editor's Note: For those Audie Murphy fans who want to change his birthdate to 20 June 1925, from 20 June 1924; I have some information to pass along. Audie's younger brother Richard was listed as being born on 20 February 1926. So if you do your math right, you'll notice that if Audie was born on 20 June 1925, he can't have a younger brother born in February. For that to happen, Audie's mother would have to concieve Richard in May 1925, a full month before Audie was due to be born! So where is the proof that Richard was born in February, 1926? Here it is. Social Secuity Death Index on Audie Murphy and family members.
Click on Audie Murphy's SSD Index.

A photo of Audie taken with his older sister June in 1928, also includes Audie's two younger brothers, Eugene, a couple months old, Richard, two years old and Audie is four years old.
Click on Three boy's photo.

(Photo courtesy of AUDIE MURPHY-American Soldier, by Colonel Harold B. Simpson.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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