Audie Murphy

Audie Murphy
Audie Murphy photographed in 1948 wearing the U.S. Army khaki "Class A" (tropical service) uniform with full-size medals.
Birth name	Audie Leon Murphy
Born	(1925-06-20)20 June 1925 Kingston, Texas, U.S.
Died	28 May 1971(1971-05-28) (aged 45) Brush Mountain, near Catawba, Virginia, U.S.
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army United States Army National Guard
Years of service	1942–45 (U.S. Army) 1950–66 (Texas Army National Guard) 1966–69 (U.S. Army Reserves)
Rank	First Lieutenant (U.S.) Major (Texas Army National Guard)
Unit	15th Infantry Regiment 3rd Infantry Division (US) 36th Infantry Division (Texas Army National Guard)
Battles/wars	World War II Tunisia Sicily Naples-Foggia Anzio Rome-Arno Southern France Ardennes-Alsace Rhineland Central Europe
Awards	Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit Bronze Star (2) (1 "V") Purple Heart (3) Good Conduct Presidential Unit Citation (2) American Campaign European-Africa-Middle Eastern Campaign (9 campaigns)(Arrowhead device) World War II Victory Army of Occupation w/Germany clasp French Legion of Honour French Croix de Guerre (3) Belgian Croix de Guerre Combat Infantryman Badge Marksman Badge with Rifle Component Bar Expert Badge with Bayonet Component Bar Outstanding Civilian Service Medal Texas Legislative Medal of Honor
Other work	Actor; songwriter
Signature
Website	Audie L. Murphy

Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II, receiving every military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor demonstrated at the age of 19 for single-handedly holding off an entire company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945, then leading a successful counterattack while wounded and out of ammunition.

Murphy was born into a large sharecropper family in Hunt County, Texas. His father abandoned them, and his mother died when he was a teenager. Murphy left school in fifth grade to pick cotton and find other work to help support his family; his skill with a hunting rifle was a necessity for putting food on the table.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Murphy's older sister helped him to falsify documentation about his birthdate to meet the minimum-age requirement for enlisting in the military. Turned down by the Navy and the Marine Corps, he enlisted in the Army. He first saw action in the Allied invasion of Sicily and the Battle of Anzio, and in 1944 participated in the liberation of Rome and invasion of southern France. Murphy fought at Montélimar, and led his men on a successful assault at the L'Omet quarry near Cleurie in northeastern France in October.

After the war, Murphy enjoyed a 21-year acting career. He played himself in the 1955 autobiographical film To Hell and Back, based on his 1949 memoirs of the same name, but most of his roles were in westerns. He made guest appearances on celebrity television shows and starred in the series Whispering Smith. Murphy was a fairly accomplished songwriter, and bred quarter horses in California and Arizona, becoming a regular participant in horse racing.