Audie Murphy: A Hero's Legacy

As the years pass, the deaths of veterans from World War Two leave a big gap in efforts to record and preserve a pivotal period of American history. Advancing age, illness and death has decimated the former ranks of World War Two veterans to the point that new generations will never again hear a first hand account of battles from the mouths of those who fought them.

With their passing goes tales of bravery and heroism; of compassion and loyalty, told by friends, comrades and commanding officers. One such man, America's most highly decorated soldier of World War Two, died tragically in 1971, but efforts to keep his memory alive have sustained his history and legacy for generations. Still, the passage of time and new concerns for societies have relegated the legacy of many such veterans to the dusty confines of books not read or museums not visited.

Many of us got our first glimpse of Audie Murphy on television, occasionally on Saturday morning Westerns. Television shows like Frontier Fury and Best of the West captured the handsome, almost boyish-looking man fighting for justice against bad guys, marauding Apaches, and sometimes, flirting with his heroines. Audie Murphy however, was also the most decorated soldier of World War Two.

Audie was born on June 20, 1924, in Hunt County Texas, one of thirteen children born to Texas sharecroppers. At the tender age of 18, he was inducted into the United States Army. Originally, Audie had intended to join the Marines but they declined him due to his being underweight and too short. In March 1943, he was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division.

Before he turned 21, and after almost three years overseas, Audie Murphy returned home with every decoration for valor America could bestow on him, in addition to a number of French and Belgian medals, including the French Croix de Guerre. He participated in nine battle campaigns, including participating in the assault landings at Sicily and Southern France. His fame earned him the title of "The most decorated combat soldier of World War II."

Among the 33 awards and decorations awarded to him by the United States was the Medal of Honor, our highest military award for bravery, for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty."

He won the Medal of Honor after he and his men came under attack by German tanks and infantry near Holtzwihr, France in January of 1945. After he ordered his men to withdraw, Audie remained forward to give firing directions to artillery support using a field telephone.

Nearby, the Germans destroyed an Allied tank destroyer. As it burst into flames, its crew retreated. While calling coordinates for the artillery fire, the Germans advanced on Audie's position, both in tanks and on foot. Realizing his precarious situation, Audie climbed onto the burning tank and turned its .50 caliber machine gun on the advancing enemy. Finally, after an hour, the Germans began a slow retreat. Several German soldiers had gotten within 10 feet of Audie, but, wounded in the leg, he fought them off until he ran out of ammo. Finally retreating from his position, he made his way back to his company, and refusing treatment for his wound, organized a counter-attack, which forced the Germans to completely withdraw.

In this action alone, Audie was credited to killing or wounding 50 of the enemy Germans and his courage saved his company from decimation and kept the woods, a primary objective of the German forces, within Allied hands.

Credited with killing over 240 of the enemy while wounding and capturing many others, Audie quickly became a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division. He rose within the ranks until he attained the rank of 2^nd Lieutenant and was wounded three times, and fought in 9 major campaigns across the European Theater.

His bravery and courage came with a price. After the war, Audie suffered from what we now know as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). He struggled with insomnia and depression and during the mid-60's took, and became dependent on Placidyl, sleeping pills prescribed by his doctor. After realizing he'd grown addicted to the drug, he locked himself in a motel room, stopped taking the sleeping pills and went through withdrawal symptoms for a week.

Audie Murphy was among the first to discuss war related mental problems, and in an effort to draw attention to the problems of returning Korean and Vietnam War veterans, he spoke candidly about his personal problems with PTS, then known as "Battle Fatigue".

Publicly, he requested that the United States government complete studies exploring the emotional impact war had on veterans and to extend health care benefits to address PTS and other mental health problems of returning war vets.

While flying in a small plane on a business trip on Memorial Day weekend on May 28, 1971, Audie's plane crashed into the side of a mountain near Roanoke, Virginia. At 46 years old, America's most decorated war hero was killed.

On June 7th, Audie Murphy was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. His gravesite at Arlington remains the second most visited gravesite there every year, second only to that of President John F. Kennedy's.

In writing a new foreword for a reprint of Audie's autobiographical book, 'To Hell and Back', journalist Tom Brokaw commented on a story about Audie that occurred shortly before his death.

'Not long before his untimely death in an airplane accident, I was working in California when Audie came back into the news. A woman friend of his had sent her dog to a trainer and she wasn't happy with the results. As I recall, she asked Audie to intervene. He visited the dog trainer who then complained to the police that Murphy had shot at him.

The local police brought Murphy in for questioning. By then, his acting career was in decline and unfortunately, his World War II heroism was pushed into the background by concerns over the widening war in Vietnam.

Nonetheless, when Murphy was released without charges, a large number of reporters were outside the police station. Murphy agreed to take a few questions. One of the reporters's asked, "Audie, did you shoot at that guy?"

Audie Murphy, the most decorated combat veteran of World War II, stared at his interrogator for a moment and then said in that familiar Texas voice, "If I had, do you think I would have missed?"

I loved that moment and all that Audie Murphy stood for as a citizen, a soldier, and a hero.'

'Oh, gather 'round me, comrades; and listen while I speak
Of a war, a war, a war where hell is six feet deep.
Along the shore, the cannons roar. Oh, how can a soldier sleep?
The going's slow on Anzio. And hell is six feet deep.

Praise be to God for this captured sod that rich with blood does seep.
With yours and mine, like butchered swine's; and hell is six feet deep.
That death awaits there's no debate; no triumph will we reap.
The crosses grow on Anzio, where hell is six feet deep.

Audie Murphy - 1948