Raymond Gerald Murphy

Leading Marines under fire and rescuing the wounded in Korea

Raymond Gerald Murphy earned the Medal of Honor for his leadership and rescue work during the Korean War. A second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, he had earned the Silver Star before his Medal of Honor action at Ungok Hill on 3 February 1953.

Born in Pueblo, Colorado, on 14 January 1930, Murphy graduated from Adams State College in 1951. He entered the Marine Corps Reserve that May and was commissioned a second lieutenant in September. Following training at Quantico and Camp Pendleton, he embarked for Korea in July 1952 and served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Reinforced).

On 22 November 1952, Murphy led his infantry platoon against an enemy main-line strongpoint. He coordinated supporting arms while exposed to intense mortar and artillery fire, countering three enemy attempts to halt the assault. With his platoon suffering severe casualties, he helped ensure evacuation of the wounded and stayed behind until his men had withdrawn. This action earned him the Silver Star.

On 3 February 1953, he led an evacuation platoon during Operation CLAMBAKE against Chinese positions in the Ungok Hill complex, west of Panmunjom. Despite a mortar wound, he moved through enemy fire to direct rescue teams and personally carry casualties to safety. He committed men to reinforce the assault and covered the withdrawal. He then returned with a search party to recover missing Marines, bringing down the bodies of a machine-gun crew. Wounded again during the return to friendly lines, he refused treatment until his men and all casualties were safely ahead of him.

His medical evacuation took him aboard the hospital ships Jutlandia and Repose, then to Japan and Mare Island, California, in March 1953. Released from active duty on 7 April 1953, he received the Medal of Honor from President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the White House on 27 October 1953. He was promoted to captain on 31 December 1954 and discharged from the Marine Corps Reserve on 28 December 1959.

After military service, Murphy worked for the Veterans Administration in New Mexico and retired as director in 1997. He continued volunteering to help veterans. He died in Pueblo on 6 April 2007 and was buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery, New Mexico.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a platoon commander of Company A, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Although painfully wounded by fragments from an enemy mortar shell while leading his evacuation platoon in a support of assault units attacking a cleverly concealed and well-entrenched hostile force occupying commanding ground, 2d Lt. Murphy steadfastly refused medical aid and continued to lead his men up a hill through a withering barrage of hostile mortar and small-arms fire, skillfully maneuvering his force from one position to the next and shouting words of encouragement. Undeterred by the increasing intense enemy fire, he immediately located casualties as they fell and made several trips up and down the fire-swept hill to direct evacuation teams to the wounded, personally carrying many of the stricken marines to safety. When reinforcements were needed by the assaulting elements, 2d Lt. Murphy employed part of his unit as support and, during the ensuing battle, personally killed two of the enemy with his pistol. With all the wounded evacuated and the assaulting units beginning to disengage, he remained behind with a carbine to cover the movement of friendly forces off the hill and, though suffering intense pain from his previous wounds, seized an automatic rifle to provide more firepower when the enemy reappeared in the trenches. After reaching the base of the hill, he organized a search party and again ascended the slope for a final check on missing marines, locating and carrying the bodies of a machine-gun crew back down the hill. Wounded a second time while conducting the entire force to the line of departure through a continuing barrage of enemy small-arms, artillery, and mortar fire, he again refused medical assistance until assured that every one of his men, including all casualties, had preceded him to the main lines. His resolute and inspiring leadership, exceptional fortitude, and great personal valor reflect the highest credit upon 2d Lt. Murphy and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.