Saluting American legend Audie Murphy, one of the most admired and loved soldiers in US history.

 Saluting American legend Audie Murphy, one of the most admired and loved soldiers in US history.

Born on June 20, 1925, in Kingston, Texas, Audie L. Murphy, one of twelve in a family of sharecroppers, dropped out of school, began picking cotton to help support his siblings (his father had deserted the family), and at the age of 16 watched his mother die from a heart condition and pneumonia.

Enlisting in the Army in 1942, the 5 foot 2, 120-pound teenager quickly proved that despite his boyish looks, he was a man of intense loyalty and courage.

Sent overseas with the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, the young Texan soon became a one-man killing machine. During his time fighting against Hitler’s army in Europe, Murphy killed an estimated 200 German soldiers and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, three Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts.

His most heralded act of courage, however, came on January 26, 1945, when the seemingly fearless 2nd Lieutenant (he had received a battlefield commission three months earlier) single-handedly took on an entire company of German infantry.

Under a hail of enemy fire near Holtzwihr, France, Murphy climbed on top of a burning American tank destroyer, began firing its .50-caliber machine gun, and proceeded to mow down wave after wave of attacking Germans. 

At one point in the harrowing battle, when asked over a field phone how close the Germans were to his position, he yelled into the receiver, “Just hold the phone and I’ll let you talk to one of the bastards.”

With the Germans desperately trying to take out the lone American pounding their unit, Murphy, shot in the leg and outnumbered, continued to fire into the attacking enemy soldiers who sometimes came within 10 yards of his burning vehicle.

“I expected to see the whole damn tank destroyer blow up under him at any minute," said Anthony Abramski, a fellow soldier who witnessed the attack. “It was the greatest display of guts and courage I have ever seen.”

Throughout the hour-long engagement, Murphy killed or seriously wounded an estimated 50 German soldiers. "For an hour he held off the enemy force single-handed, fighting against impossible odds,” Abramski remembered.

For his "indomitable courage and refusal to give an inch of ground,” Lt. Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor. When later asked why he had taken on an entire company of German infantrymen, he simply said, "They were killing my friends.”

Postscript:

After the war, Murphy became an actor, songwriter, and rancher and wrote a best-selling autobiography, “To Hell and Back,” which was made into a 1955 Hollywood blockbuster with Murphy starring as himself. 

Throughout his life, Murphy - who slept with a loaded pistol under his pillow and frequently experienced nightmares - openly talked about his struggle with “battle fatigue,” or PTSD as it's called today, and encouraged others suffering from the disorder to seek professional help.

Audie Murphy died on May 28, 1971, at the age of 45, when a small plane he was traveling in crashed in bad weather. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and his grave is now the second most visited in the cemetery.   

Today we pay tribute to Audie Murphy, his family, and all those who served, sacrificed, and died during World War II. We will never forget you!