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Congressional Gold Medal.com |
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Exclusive information on the congressional medal, medal histories, biographies, and more. Exclusive Congressional Medal Information
Awards Bestowed by the US Government
The Life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta
The History of the United States Mint
Jackie Robinson Posthumously Awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor
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Female Congressional Gold Medal Winners
Audie Murphy: Congressional Medal of Honor Winner Audie Murphy: Congressional Medal of Honor Winner World War II's Most Decorated Soldier Published February 15, 2006 by
Lindell Did you know?Audie Murphy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
TakeawaysMurphy was responsible for killing 240 enemy troops.He won the Medal of Honor with a wildly couragous display of valor.He became a movie star, songwriter and businessman after the war.Audie Murphy was a thin, shy, baby faced eighteen year old in 1942. He tried to join the Navy, Marines and Army paratroopers, but was turned down each time because of his height. Audie Murphy was only five feet, five inches tall, and when he finally was able to join the United States Army, they nicknamed him "baby" because of his boyish looks. But when Audie Murphy left the service, he was a giant that cast a shadow over any other soldier that this country has ever known. Audie Murphy was the most decorated soldier of World War II, including the prestigious Congressional Medal of Honor.Born on June 20th, 1924, near Kingston, Texas, he was the son of a pair of dirt poor sharecroppers. He was the sixth of twelve children, and only one of three that lived past eighteen. He dropped out of eighth grade to help raise his family and became an excellent shot out of necessity, putting food on the table with his rifle. His father abandoned the family when he was twelve; his mother died when he was sixteen, leaving him an orphan. In need of money to support the family, he attempted to join the military immediately after Pearl Harbor, but was rejected for being too young. As soon as he turned eighteen, he tried once more, but only the Army would take him. At basic training, his superiors tried to coax him into joining the cook's and baker's school, fearing that he was not cut out to be a fighting soldier. He stubbornly refused and after thirteen weeks of basic training in Texas, he was shipped to advanced infantry training in Maryland.Audie Murphy had to fight to be able to be sent overseas, such was the predisposition of those in charge that he was simply not going to make it as a soldier. His youthful appearance, which he never lost, worked against him, but he was finally sent to North Africa as a member of the US Third Infantry Division in 1942. This unit went directly to Sicily in short order, where Audie Murphy shot and killed two Italian soldiers trying to flee on horseback during one skirmish. When asked by his platoon leader why he did it, he matter-of-factly stated, "It was my job."He came down with malaria while in Sicily, knocking him out of commission for a while. When he returned to action, during the invasion of Italy, he fought his way out of an enemy ambush, earning a promotion to Sergeant. He garnered a Bronze Star for his heroics in Italy and then was off to southern France on August 15th, 1944, to aid in taking that country back from the Germans. His best friend, a Private Lattie Tipton, was killed by Germans who were pretending to be surrendering. He avenged his pal by taking a German machine gun and his own grenades to destroy several enemy positions as his battalion was being ambushed. For this, he was presented the Distinguished Service Cross. Soon after, he would add two Silver Stars to his growing medal count by not once, but twice, saving his men from ambushes. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and sent back to command the platoon he was serving in. Wounded by a sniper who shot him in the hip, he was three months recuperating before returning to the battlefield.On January 26th, 1945, Audie Murphy cemented his place in history with one of the bravest displays ever seen during a time of war. Somewhere near Holtzwihr, France, his Company B, with him in command, was attacked by six tanks backed up by plenty of infantry. He ordered his men to withdraw to the forest, while he remained behind to give artillery directions over the phone on where to fire at the approaching wave of enemies. In back of him to his right, a US tank destroyer suffered a direct hit. As its crew scrambled to safety, Murphy continued to direct artillery fire that killed many of the enemy. With the German tanks now bearing down on him, he climbed onto the burning destroyer, which could have blown up at any time. Using the vehicle's .50 caliber guns he began to mow down dozens of the adversary, despite being under fire from three sides. The tanks fell back; they were losing their infantry support due to Murphy's steadfastness. For a solid hour, the Germans tried to kill Audie Murphy with everything they had, but he held his ground atop the destroyer. When an entire squad of Germans tried to sneak up on him on his flank, he mowed them down. Soldiers got within ten yards of him, but were killed by his non-stop shooting. Ignoring a leg wound, he finally ran out of ammunition. He retreated back to his company and refused first aid. Instead, he organized a counterattack that routed the Germans and held the woods for the Allies. Audie Murphy was credited with killing a total of 240 of the enemy, either directly with his own fire or indirectly with his artillery orders.For his unflappable gallantry in WW II, Murphy received the Congressional Medal of Honor. He also won a Purple Heart and an Oak Leaf Cluster. In fact, he accumulated every single medal that the United States had to offer for valor, some more than once. France and Belgium added five medals themselves to this fighting hero, making him the most decorated soldier of World War II. Murphy served out the remaining months of the war as a liaison officer and left the Army to return to Texas, where he was honored with parades, banquets and speeches. James Cagney, the actor, saw him on the cover of Life magazine and promptly invited him to Hollywood. In September of 1945, Murphy went out to California to pursue a career as an actor. He struggled at first, sleeping in a local gymnasium and not finding much work. He finally obtained a pair of bit parts, and his big break came in 1949 as he was cast in a movie for Universal Studios called "Bad Boy", his first starring role.His autobiography, titled "To Hell And Back", came out in 1949. It was made into a movie with Murphy playing himself in 1955. Until the release of "Jaws" in 1975, it was Universal Studios all time money maker. Audie Murphy made a total of forty four films, many of them Westerns and war movies, in his career as an actor, even being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A bit of little known trivia is that he was the original choice to play the Scorpio killer in the first Dirty Harry movie.Audie even had success as a country music songwriter, teaming up with composers to write songs that such greats as Dean Martin, Roy Clark and Eddy Arnold sang. But his life was not without its problems after he made it in Hollywood. He suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder {PTSD}, at that time called Battle Fatique, and had frequent bouts of insomnia and depression. He would sleep with a gun under his pillow. In the mid 1960s he became hooked on sleeping pills; when he realized his addiction he locked himself in a motel room and went through withdrawal for a week, finally kicking the habit. He became a strong advocate for veterans needs, going public with unspoken of topics such as the mental effects of war. He asked that veterans receive extended health care for their PTSD and told the government to study how the horrors of war can weigh on soldiers after they are out of the service.Murphy married twice, once in 1949 to Wanda Hendrix and after their divorce, to Pamela Archer in 1951. He had two children with her. He became a successful rancher and businessman on top of his other post-war endeavors, owning ranches in Texas, Arizona, and California, where he raised thoroughbred race horses.Audie Murphy was killed on May 28th, 1971, along with six others, when the private plane he was a passenger in crashed in fog and rain into a mountain near Roanoke, Virginia. He was only forty six years old at the time of his death. Fittingly, he died on Memorial Day weekend.He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, near the Amphitheatre, with full military honors. His gravesite is the second most visited one in Arlington, behind only the resting place of John F. Kennedy. Congressional Medal of Honor winners traditionally have their tombstones decorated with gold leaf, but Murphy had requested that his should remain plain. The headstone reads as follows-Audie L. Murphy, Texas. Major Infantry, World War II, June 20,1924 to May 28, 1971, Medal of Honor, DSC - SS & OLC; LM - BSM & OLC; PH & two OLC. (DSC-Distinguished Service Cross; SS-Silver Star; LM-Legion of Merit; BSM-Bronze Star Medal; OLC-Oak Leaf Cluster; PH-Purple Heart).The baby faced youth from Texas, who became a national hero, should never be forgotten. His determination to become a soldier despite his five foot, five frame, and the heroism he displayed in the battle to end Nazi rule, lives as an example to all. Audie Murphy persevered despite the stigma of his small stature and grew into a national legend. In what can only be described as an incredibly ironic twist, former General Dwight David Eisenhower once told the press that he didn't care for Audie Murphy's war films. He claimed the fight scenes were unbelievable because Audie Murphy was too small! User-generated content powered by
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