Audie Leon Murphy (June 20, 1924 – May 28, 1971)[2] was a fifth grade dropout from an extremely poor family who became the most decorated American soldier of World War II. After the war he became a celebrated movie star for over two decades, appearing in 44 films.[3] He also found some success as a country music composer.
Murphy became the most decorated United States soldier of the war during twenty-seven months in action in the European Theatre.[2][4] He received the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military's highest award for valor, along with 32 additional U.S. and foreign medals and citations,[2][4][5] including five from France and one from Belgium.[1][2][6]
Murphy's successful movie career included To Hell and Back (1955), based on his book of the same title (1949) .[4][7] He died in a plane crash in 1971 and was interred, with full military honors, inArlington National Cemetery.
Medal of Honor action
The next day, January 26 (the temperature was 14 °F (−10 °C) with 24 inches (61 cm) of snow on the ground), his unit participated in the battle at Holtzwihr, France.[1][6] After fighting for some time, Murphy's unit was reduced to an effective strength of 19 out of 128. Murphy sent all of the remaining men to the rear[6] while he shot at the Germans until he ran out of ammunition. He then climbed aboard an abandoned, burning tank destroyer and used its .50 caliber machine gun[1] to cut down the German infantry,[6]including one full squad of German infantry who crawled in a ditch to within 100 feet (30 m) of his position. He was able to call in artillery fire using a land-line telephone and, under heavy fire, was wounded in the leg.[1][6] He nonetheless continued his nearly single-handed battle for almost an hour.[1][6] He only stopped fighting when his telephone line to the artillery fire direction center was cut by enemy artillery. As his remaining men moved forward, he quickly organized them into a counter-attack[1][6] which ultimately drove the enemy from Holtzwihr.[6] For these actions, Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor.[1][6]
When asked after the war why he had seized the machine gun and taken on an entire company of German infantry, he replied simply, "They were killing my friends."[12][13]
Murphy was removed from the front lines and made a liaison officer. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant on February 22, 1945. On June 2, 1945, Lt. Gen. Alexander Patch, commander of the US Seventh Army, presented him with the Medal of Honor andLegion of Merit. The Legion of Merit was given him for meritorious service with the 3rd Infantry Division in France from January 22 to February 18, 1945. On June 10, Murphy left Paris by plane and arrived in San Antonio, Texas four days later.
Murphy was awarded 33 U.S. medals, five medals by France, and one from Belgium.[1][6] He received every U.S. medal available at the time.[13] He earned the Silver Star twice in three days, three Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Medal of Honor.[13]
List of Decorations
 | Medal of Honor |
 | Distinguished Service Cross |
  | Silver Star (with oak leaf cluster) |
 | Legion of Merit |
  | Bronze Star (with oak leaf cluster and Valor device) |
 | Purple Heart (with two oak leaf clusters) |
 | Department of the Army Outstanding Civilian Service Award |
 | U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal |
 | Presidential Unit Citation (with oak leaf cluster) |
 | American Campaign Medal |
    | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with one silver service star & four bronze service stars, representing nine campaigns, and one bronze arrowhead, representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) |
 | World War II Victory Medal |
 | Army of Occupation Medal (with Germany Clasp) |
 | Armed Forces Reserve Medal |
 | French Legion of Honor - Grade of Chevalier |
  | French Croix de guerre (with Silver Star) |
 | French Croix de guerre (with Palm) |
 | Medal of Liberated France |
 | Belgian Croix de guerre (with 1940 Palm) |
 | French Fourragère in Colors of the Croix de guerre |
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