Charles Patrick Murray Jr.

He faced nearly 200 enemy soldiers with a handful of men, then attacked almost alone. Even eight shrapnel wounds could not make him leave his troops.

Colonel Charles Patrick “Chuck” Murray Jr. was one of the most highly decorated U.S. Army infantry officers of the Second World War and a Medal of Honor recipient whose military career stretched for more than three decades. Born on 26 September 1921 in Baltimore, Maryland, Murray grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, and attended the University of North Carolina before entering the Army. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1943, he reached Europe in 1944 and joined the 3rd Infantry Division, where combat would quickly test the young officer far beyond anything training could prepare him for.

By December 1944, casualties among Company C's officers had pushed Murray from platoon leader to executive officer and then company commander. On 16 December 1944 near Kaysersberg, France, he led a reinforced platoon into enemy-held territory and discovered approximately 200 German troops firing mortars, machine guns, bazookas and small arms against American forces on nearby high ground. Rather than throw his small patrol directly against such overwhelming numbers, Murray crawled forward alone to identify the enemy position and attempted to direct artillery onto it. When his radio failed, he chose a far more dangerous solution.

Murray repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire, first using rifle grenades and then an automatic rifle against the German position. Army accounts state that he fired roughly 2,000 rounds, killed about 20 enemy soldiers, wounded many more and disabled a truck carrying three mortars. When a mortar became available, he personally directed its fire before leading his men forward. The patrol captured ten Germans, but another enemy soldier approached pretending to surrender and suddenly threw a grenade. Murray was knocked down and struck by eight pieces of shrapnel. Bleeding and wounded, he still refused evacuation until he had selected the defensive position and made certain his men were properly deployed.

That extraordinary action became the basis of Murray's Medal of Honor citation, which credited his “supreme courage and heroic initiative” and concluded that his single-handed attack had stopped a counterattack, established an advanced position against formidable odds and inspired the soldiers under his command. The citation was published in War Department General Orders No. 63 of 1 August 1945. The medal itself was presented on 5 July 1945 at Salzburg, Austria, by Lieutenant General Geoffrey Keyes after bad weather prevented General George S. Patton from attending the originally planned ceremony.

The Medal of Honor was not Murray's only recognition for battlefield gallantry. His record includes multiple Silver Stars, and surviving award information identifies one Silver Star action at Colroy, France, on 24 November 1944, where he was cited for gallantry in action while serving with Company C, 30th Infantry Regiment. Additional Silver Star awards recognized further gallantry during the European campaign. He also received the Bronze Star Medal with the “V” Device and a subsequent award, reflecting valorous combat service, along with the Purple Heart for wounds received in action. His wartime recognition also included the French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star and, later, appointment as an Officer of the Legion of Honour, evidence that his battlefield reputation extended beyond the United States Army.

Murray refused to let his wounds end his war. After surgery and hospitalization, he returned to his unit before the end of December and resumed command. Company C later fought through the Siegfried Line, crossed the Rhine at Worms and advanced into Germany. The 30th Infantry entered Munich before continuing into Austria as the war in Europe reached its final days. Murray's wartime record ultimately brought him an extraordinary collection of American and allied recognition, including repeated awards of the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal and Air Medal, as well as campaign and foreign decorations reflecting service in Europe and later conflicts.

For Murray, however, victory in Europe was not the end of military service. He returned to the University of North Carolina and completed his bachelor's degree in 1946, then went back on active duty. He later earned a master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University and completed advanced professional military education including the Canadian Army Staff College and National War College. His assignments included the 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Forces in Austria, the Infantry School, the Army General Staff and the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard.”

Decades after Kaysersberg, Murray again served in a combat theater. During 1966 and 1967 in Vietnam, he served as executive officer and deputy commander of the 196th Infantry Brigade and commanded the 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division. His service there brought further American and South Vietnamese recognition, including the Vietnam Service Medal with campaign participation, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and Gold Star, the Civil Actions Honor Medal First Class, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. He later served in the Pentagon with the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before holding senior commands at Fort Jackson.

Murray retired from the U.S. Army in 1973 as a colonel, ending more than 30 years of military service. He subsequently worked for the South Carolina Department of Corrections as a senior planner. Yet the defining image of his life remained that young lieutenant on a hillside in France, repeatedly moving forward under fire because his soldiers needed someone to lead from the front. Charles Patrick Murray Jr. died in Columbia, South Carolina, on 12 August 2011 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

His Medal of Honor citation described him as an example to the men of his command. His full career makes the description even more fitting. From Kaysersberg to Vietnam, Charles P. Murray Jr. built a legacy not on one courageous moment, but on a lifetime of combat leadership, service and responsibility.