Audie Leon Murphy

Held Off German Tanks from a Burning Tank Destroyer

Audie Leon Murphy rose from a Texas sharecropping family to become one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. Born on 20 June 1925 near Kingston, Texas, he left school to help support his family. His mother's death in 1941 deepened those responsibilities. In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army while still seventeen.

Assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Murphy entered combat in Sicily in July 1943. Fighting in Italy and southern France brought repeated promotions and decorations for gallantry. He received a battlefield commission in October 1944. By January 1945, he was commanding Company B during the bitter fighting in the Colmar Pocket.

On 26 January, near Holtzwihr, France, a German armoured attack threatened to overwhelm his company. Murphy withdrew his men into the woods but stayed forward to direct artillery fire. When an American tank destroyer was hit and abandoned, he climbed onto the burning vehicle and used its machine gun against the advancing infantry. Exposed to enemy fire and wounded in the leg, he held his position until his ammunition ran out, then returned to his company and led a counterattack. His Medal of Honor recognized the stand that saved his company from possible destruction.

After leaving active duty in 1945, Murphy pursued an acting career in Hollywood. His wartime memoir, To Hell and Back, appeared in 1949, and he portrayed himself in the 1955 film adaptation. He also served in the Texas National Guard, attaining the rank of major. Behind his public success, he struggled with the psychological effects of combat and spoke openly about the difficulties facing returning veterans.

Murphy died in a private aircraft crash near Roanoke, Virginia, on 28 May 1971. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 46, Grave 366-11. His films, military record, and candour about combat trauma preserve both the extraordinary courage of the young infantryman and the burdens he carried after the war.