Posted on 05/19/2016 8:44:49 AM PDT by Oldpuppymax
Fully sixteen years after the State of Texas began honoring its military heroes with the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor, the most decorated combat soldier of World War II was finally recognized by Governor Rick Perry and the Texas legislature.
Born in the Lone Star State in 1924, the 5'6", 130lb Audie Leon Murphy was told he was too small to make it in the Navy or the US Marines. So the baby-faced, underaged Texan enlisted in the Army and in early 1942 was shipped to North Africa as part of the Third Infantry Division.
And in 3 years of war, Audie Murphy performed feats of bravery unequalled by any American soldier.
On January 26th, 1945, then Lieutenant Murphy was one of just 19 soldiers remaining from a company of 128 men. He had been ordered to hold the important Colmar Pocket area near the village of Holtzwihr in France.
Faced with an approaching enemy force of 3 infantry support companies and 6 heavy Tiger tanks, Murphy ordered his men well back into a defensive position while he climbed behind a 50 cal machine gun mounted on a burning M-10 Tank Destroyer.
Though the M-10 threatened to explode at any moment, for a full hour he called down a withering artillery barrage on the German position using his OWN map coordinates to provide firing intructions. When one of the artillery crew asked how close the enemy were to his position, Murphy is said to have responded, "Hang on the line and I'll let you talk to one of the bastards."
After 60 minutes, so many German soldiers had been killed by American artillery and Murphy's 50 caliber gun that the Tigers were forced to withdraw...
(Excerpt) Read more at thecoachsteam.com ...
5’18”???
I think maybe that was a typo...That comes out to 6’6”...
Many great heroes hail from Texas.
Let that be a warning to those who would “Mess with Texas”
In an effort to draw attention to the problems of returning Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, Murphy spoke out candidly about his own problems with post traumatic stress disorder.[97] It was known during Murphy’s lifetime as “battle fatigue” and “shell shock”, terminology that dated back to World War I. He called on the government to give increased consideration and study to the emotional impact of combat experiences, and to extend health care benefits to war veterans.[98][99]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy
It’s called small man syndrome,at 6’4” I had to deal with it some too.Funny though,after getting out of school nobody ever bothered me.
As well as the film about his own life, “To Hell and Back”, Audie Murphy did also star in a film version of “The Red Badge of Courage” which was based on a Civil War story by Stephen Crane.
? The story is about a young man who confronted his fear and overcame it.
He had a long film career working with Huston twice, Joe Manckowitz (sic!), Don Segal and many westerns, A list as well as B. Long career. Brought out to Hollywood by James Cagney.
I heard a story that during Audie’s funeral at Arlington, anti-war protestors were making a scene at the gate.
A military officer approached a protestor and said — ‘’Please. Show some respect. We are burying Audie Murphy today.’’
The protestor replied - ‘’Who the Hell is Audrey Murphy?’’
God Bless Audie Murphy.
THIS man is a true and real TEXAS son...
Beautiful young Audie.
Thank you for posting this awesome portrait, Liberty.
That's only when he's excited ;-)
Not to mention, Gov. Perry’s been out of office for how long???
There's a museum near Greenville TX.
LOL....
Audie Murphy was one of the greatest American heroes and deadliest men of all time. Every elementary age child should be told his story. Audie was born into a large and very poor sharecropper’s family. Deserted by his father, he had to quit school to help take care of his family and learned hunting skills as a child to put food on his family’s table. These hunting skills served him well in killing an estimated 240 German and Italian soldiers in WWII.
Let me share with you some of this man’s fine qualities: Audie was modest, smart, humble, sincere, generous, funny, honest, had quiet authority, a hunter who learned to think like the enemy, took the hard & long way to avoid getting shot & killing his enemy, was aggressive in returning fire & taking & holding ground, a calculated risk taker, clear thinker & level headed in midst of chaos, let his training take over & work mechanically, would get mad & disgusted & work harder to win the war, a self-starter who controlled his fears, an outdoorsman, hard worker, very energetic, patriotic, brave, courageous, a fighter, warrior, leader, servant, teacher, audacity, lifelong learner, greatness, a lover of children - dogs - horses, protector, provider, responsible, quick, selfless, with the ability to cut quickly through the bull, a straight talker, a straight shooter, forgiving, loving, loyal, a friend, family oriented, complementary, and very stubborn when he was right.
He also had his faults and suffered for years with PTSD. I was a US Army Combat Infantryman for years fighting America’s enemies overseas and I thought often about Audie and how he would act and perform in a situation. He was and is a great example for myself and many others.
Audie Murphy was truly a great American hero who deserves to be honored, remembered, and his story told to a new generation of Americans.
As a kid growing up in the 60s, one of our two t.v. stations had “The Early Show” every weekday at 4:30. Included in the Saturday newspaper was a t.v. guide, which my parents required me to go through and circle what shows I wanted to watch the next week. (They made the final decision.) I was “totally in love” with Audie Murphy and was always permitted to watch any movie he was in. One day, my parents informed me that he was older than they. I was so disappointed! (There is more to my “love affair” with Audie Murphy as I grew up in the next county over from where his plane crashed...)
I, too, have visited his grave in Arlington.
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