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In 1955, Murphy became interested in Freemasonry.
He was encouraged by his close friend, Texas
theater owner Skipper Cherry, to petition and join
the Masonic Order in California. He returned to
Texas to conduct his 32 degree work and to join
the Shriners. Murphy remained active in various
masonic events and was a member of good standing
at the time of his death in 1971.

Murphy ran into a streak of bad financial luck and
was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1968.

==Military Career==

Desperately needing money, Murphy tried to join
military in order to earn enough to help support
his family. Murphy had tried to enlist in the Army
in his native Texas as soon as the U.S. declared
war due to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in
December of 1941, but was rejected because he was
too young. He was accepted into the U.S. Army
after being turned down by the Navy, Marines and
Army Paratroopers because he was too short
standing at only 5 feet, 5 inches, (165 cm) tall
and 110 pounds. He signed the papers a few days
after his 18th birthday and was sent through Basic
Training at Fort Wolters, Texas. During a training
session of close order drill at Camp Wolters he
fell flat on his face and passed out cold. The
company commanders tried to have him transferred
to cook and bakers' school because of his baby-
faced youthfulness, but Murphy persisted in
becoming a fighting soldier. There he received the
nickname 'baby' where his commanding officers
tried to keep him from being sent to combat. After
thirteen weeks of basic training, he was sent to
Fort Meade, Maryland|Fort Meade, Maryland for
advanced infantry training. Murphy had to fight to
be able to go overseas to see combat. He was then
attached to Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th
Regiment, U.S. 3rd Infantry Division and shipped
to Casablanca, Morocco|Casablanca, Morocco (North
Africa). After helping wipe up the last of the
Axis resistance, he and his unit were sent to
participate in the Invasion of Sicily. Upon
arrival in Sicily, he had his first encounter with
death. He killed two Italian soldiers as they
tried to escape on their magnificent white horses.
When questioned by his platoon leader why he did
it, he replied, "It was my job". Murphy contracted
malaria while in Sicily. It put him in the
hospital for several days while in Salerno, and on
an occasional basis during the remainder of the
war.Next, Murphy was involved in the Invasion of
Italy. Murphy distinguished himself as an
effective soldier by fighting his way out of an
enemy ambush. When he returned he was promoted to
Sergeant. He also received a Bronze Star for his
actions in Italy. Then the 3rd Infantry Division
invaded Southern France on August 15, 1944.
Murphy's battalion was in an ambush in which a
friend of his, Private Lattie Tipton, was killed
as he tried to accept some surrendering German
troops. Murphy decided to avenge Tipton's death by
taking a German machine gun and his grenades and
destroying the German position and several others
nearby. For this action he received a
Distinguished Service Cross. Just weeks later, he
received two Silver Stars for twice saving his
patrol from a German ambush. Soon after that, he
was given a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant and
went back to command the platoon he had served in.
He was wounded by a sniper bullet in the hip and
spent 3 months recuperating. When he got back, he
led his men in the action that earned him the
Medal of Honor.


Audie Murphy fought in World War II with such
courage that he received every decoration for
valor that the United States had to offer, plus
another five decorations that were presented to
him by Belgium and France. He was the most
decorated U.S. soldier during WWII. Part of
Murphy's appeal to many people what that he hardly
fit the "image" of a war hero. He was a slight,
somewhat skinny, shy and soft-spoken young man,
whose boyish appearance (something he never lost
throughout his life). Beginning his service as an
Army Private, Murphy quickly rose to the enlisted
rank of Staff Sergeant, was given a "battle field"
commission as 2nd Lieutenant, and company
commander. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant
prior to receiving his Medal of Honor. Murphy was
credited with either killing over 240 of the enemy
while wounding and capturing many others. Murphy
became a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division
for his heroism. He was wounded three times and
awarded the Purple Heart with Second Oak Leaf
Cluster. Murphy served the rest of the war as a
liaison officer and then returned to Texas after
the War. After Murphy's discharge from the
service, he went back to Texas to be welcomed to
parades, banquets and speeches. He even had his
photo hung at the Texas State Capitol in Austin,
Texas|Austin, Texas. 

The Korean War broke out in June 1950. In July
1950, Audie returned to Dallas to join the 36th
Infantry Division (Texas National Guard). If that
division was re-activated, Murphy would have again
found himself in a combat outfit. He had
considered volunteering for direct military
service, but the "police action" which the Korean
War was called indicated that it would be a short
term combat, and Murphy had little desire to pull
a full-time hitch in a peace-time army. His final
rank later was Major in the Texas National Guard.

===Medal of Honor===
Here is the Medal of Honor citation that explains
why Murphy was awarded the medal:

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S.
Army, Company B 1 5th Infantry, 3rd Infantry
Division. Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France,
26 January 1945. Entered service at: Dallas,
Texas. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Texas,
G.O. No. 65, 9 August 1945. Citation Second Lt.
Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by
6 tanks and waves of infantry. Second Lt. Murphy
ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions
in a woods, while he remained forward at his
command post and continued to give fire directions
to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his
right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct
hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the
woods. Second Lt. Murphy continued to direct
artillery fire which killed large numbers of the
advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks
abreast of his position, Second Lt. Murphy climbed
on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger
of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50
caliber machinegun against the enemy. He was alone
and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his
deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused
their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks,
losing infantry support, began to fall back. For
an hour the Germans tried every available weapon
to eliminate Second Lt. Murphy, but he continued
to hold his position and wiped out a squad which
was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right
flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only
to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg
wound, but ignored it and continued the
single-handed fight until his ammunition was
exhausted. He then made his way to his company,
refused medical attention, and organized the
company in a counterattack which forced the
Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery
fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or
wounded about 50. Second Lt. Murphy's indomitable
courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground
saved his company from possible encirclement and
destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods
which had been the enemy's objective.

===Post War Illness===
Murphy sufferred from Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD). His first wife, Wanda Hendrix
claimed he had horrible nightmares and slept with
a gun under his pillow. She claimed that he had at
one time held her at gun point. He was plagued by
insomnia and depression. During the mid-1960s he
became dependent for a time on doctor prescribed
sleeping pills called Placidyl. When he recognized
that he had become addicted to this prescription
drug, he locked himself in a motel room. He
stopped taking the sleeping pills and went through
withdrawal symptoms for a week. Always an advocate
for the needs of veterans, he broke the taboo
about discussing war related mental problems after
this experience. In a effort to draw attention to
the problems of returning Korean and Vietnam War
veterans, Audie Murphy spoke-out candidly about
his personal problems with PTSD, then known as
"Battle Fatigue". He publicly called for United
States government to give more consideration and
study to the emotional impact war has on veterans
and to extend health care benefits to address PTSD
and other mental health problems of returning war
veterans.

==Movie Career==


===First Starring Role===
After returning home from World War II, Murphy
bought a house in Farmersville,
Texas|Farmersville, Texas for his oldest sister
Corinne, her husband Poland Burns, and their three
children. The idea was that Audie's three
siblings, Nadene, Billie, and Joe, who had been
living in an orphanage since Murphy's mother's
death, would also be able to live with Corinne and
Poland and would become part of a family again.
Unfortunately, six children under one roof created
too much stress on everyone. The arrangement
didn't work out as smoothly as expected,
particulaly with Nadene and Joe, so Murphy came
and picked them up.

Joe and Nadene wanted to stay with Murphy, but he
was having a hard time surviving. Despite a lot of
post war publicity and James Cagney's help,
Murphy's acting career had gone nowhere. He was
broke and sleeping on the floor of his friend
Terry Hunt's gymnasium. Murphy's oldest brother
Buck and his wife agreed to take in Nadene but
Murphy didn't know what to do with Joe. 

Murphy went to James "Skipper" Cherry, a Dallas
theater owner whom he had previously befriended
and seeked his advice. Cherry was a member of a
consortium of Texas theater owners who were part
of Variety Clubs International and was involved
with the Variety Clubs International Boy's Ranch a
4,800 acre ranch near Copperas Cove,
Texas|Copperas Cove, Texas. Cherry arranged for
the Boy's Ranch to take Joe in. Joe loved it there
and Murphy was able to visit him, as well as
Skipper Cherry frequently.

During one of these visits, Murphy confided to
Cherry that even with Cagney's help and acting
lessons, he wasn't getting anywhere in Hollywood.
In a 1973 interview, Cherry recalled, "He was
discouraged and somewhat despondent concerning his
movie career." The Variety Clubs was financing a
film called Bad Boy to help promote the
organization's work with troubled children. Cherry
called Texas theater executive Paul Short, who was
producing the film, and suggested they considered
giving Murphy a significant role in the movie.
Murphy looked good in the screen test, but the
president of Allied Artists did not want to cast
someone with so little acting experience as a
major character. However, by this time, Cherry,
Short, and the other Texas theater owners had
decided that Audie Murphy was going to play the
lead or they weren't financing the film. Their
money talked and Murphy was cast as the lead. He
turned in such a fine performance that the
Hollywood powers that be finally recognized his
talent. As a direct result of this film, Universal
Studios signed Murphy to his first seven year
studio contract.

===Autobiography===
Murphy's 1949 autobiography To Hell and Back
(book)|To Hell and Back became a national
bestseller. The 1955 film, To Hell and Back
(film)|To Hell and Back was based on his book. The
film grossed almost ten million dollars during its
initial theatrical release, and, at the time,
became Universal's biggest hit movie in the
43-year history of the studio. It held the record
as Universal's highest-grossing motion picture
until 1975, when it was surpassed by Steven
Spielberg's Jaws (movie)|Jaws. This film would not
be released until October, 1955, but Universal
believed the movie would be a big hit, so the
studio gave Murphy latitude in choosing roles as
long as they required a lot of action. Terry
Murphy, who played Joe Preston Murphy (at 4), is
Murphy's oldest son. Corinne, Charles Emmett
(Buck), Vernon, June, Oneta, J.W., Richard,
Eugene, Nadene, Billie and Joseph Murphy were the
names of Murphy's brothers and sisters in real
life. Murphy starred as himself in this film
biography.

===Hollywood Walk of Fame===
For his contribution to the motion picture
industry, Audie Murphy has a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame at 1601 Vine Street. In the 25 years
that Murphy spent in Hollywood, he made a total of
44 feature films.

==Music Career==
In addition to acting in motion pictures, Murphy
also became successful as a country music
songwriter. He teamed up with talented artists and
composers such as Guy Mitchell, Jimmy Bryant,
Scott Turner, Coy Ziegler, Terri Eddleman. Many of
Audie Murphy's songs were recorded and released by
such great performers as Dean Martin, Eddy Arnold,
Charley Pride, Jimmy Bryant, Porter Waggoner,
Jerry Wallace, Roy Clark, Harry Nilsson. His two
biggest hits were Shutters and Boards and When the
Wind Blows in Chicago. Eddy Arnold recorded When
the Wind Blows in Chicago for his 1993 album, Last
of the Love Song Singers which is currently in
release by RCA.

==Death==
While on a business trip on May 28, 1971,
(Memorial Day Weekend) he was killed at the age of
46. His private plane was flying in fog and rain.
It crashed on the side of Brush Mountain near
Catawba, Virginia, some twenty miles west of
Roanoke, Virginia. Five others including the pilot
were also killed.

On June 7, 1971, Audie Murphy was buried with full
military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
His gravesite, near the Amphitheater, is second
most visited gravesite year round. President John
F. Kennedy's grave is the most visited. At
Arlington Cemetery, the tombstones of Medal of
Honor winners are normally decorated in gold leaf,
but Murphy had requested that his tombstone
remained plain and inconspicous. His engraved
headstone reads as follows: Audie L. Murphy,
Texas. Major Infantry, World War II, June 20, 1924
- May 28, 1971, Medal of Honor, DSC - SS & OLC; LM
- BSM & OLC; PH & 2 OLC. (DSC-Distinguished
Service Cross; SS-Silver Star; LM-Legion of Merit;
BSM-Bronze Star Medal; OLC; Oak Leaf Cluster;
PH-Purple Heart).

In 1974, a large granite
http://www.audiemurphy.com/roanoke.htm memorial
marker  was erected near the crash site.

==Honors==
On November 17, 1973, the Audie L. Murphy Memorial
Veterans Hospital in San Antonio, Texas was
dedicated to Murphy. A one-ton bronze, eight-foot
statue of Audie is the fine work of sculptress,
Jimilu Mason, who was one of Murphy's many
admirers. He is dressed in battle fatigues holding
a rifle with bayonet. Inside the hospital, is a
museum that depicts Murphy's life and has items
including a uniform, other clothing, books and
pictures. 

In 1996 the Texas Legislature officially declared
his birthdate, June 20, as "Audie Murphy Day".
U.S. Highway 69 North, from North Greenville city
limits to Fannin County line was renamed "The
Audie Murphy Memorial Highway". In 1996, he was
inducted posthumously into the Western Performers
Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western
Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

In 1999, Governor George W. Bush, also made the
same proclamation declaring June 20 to officially
be "Audie Murphy Day" in the state of Texas. 

In 2000, Audie Murphy was honored with his
portrait on the 33 cent List of people on stamps
of the United States|United States postage stamp.
There is also an Audie Murphy Middle School in
Fort Hood, Texas, named in his honor. 

===Military Awards===
*Medal of Honor 
*Distinguished Service Cross (USA)|Distinguished
Service Cross 
*Silver Star with First Oak Leaf Cluster 
*Legion of Merit 
*Bronze Star Medal with "V" Device and First Oak
Leaf Cluster 
*Purple Heart with Second Oak Leaf Cluster 
*U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal 
*Good Conduct Medal
*Distinguished Unit Emblem with First Oak Leaf
Cluster 
*European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service   Stars
(representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze
Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily
and Southern France) 
*American Campaign Medal
*World War II Victory Medal
*Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp 
*Armed Forces Reserve Medal 
*Combat Infantryman Badge 
*Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar 
*Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar 
*Croix de guerre|French Fourragère in Colors of
the Croix de guerre
*Légion d'honneur|French Legion of Honor
*Croix de guerre|French Croix de guerre with Palm
*Croix de guerre|French Croix de guerre with
Silver Star 
*French Liberation Medal
*Croix de guerre|Belgian Croix de guerre with Palm

==Filmography==
* A Time for Dying (1969)
* 40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967)
* The Texican (1966) aka Texas Kid (Spain)
* Trunk to Cairo (1966) aka Cairo Campaign; aka
Einer spielt falsch (West Germany); aka Mivtza
Kahir (Israel: Hebrew title)
* Gunpoint (1966)
* Arizona Raiders (1965)
* Apache Rifles (1964)
* Bullet for a Badman (1964) aka Renegade Posse
(USA)
* The Quick Gun (1964)
* Gunfight at Comanche Creek (1963) aka Gun Fight
at Comanche Creek (USA: poster title)
* War Is Hell (1963)(Was the narrator)
* Showdown (1963)
* Six Black Horses (1962)
* Battle at Bloody Beach (1961) aka Battle on the
Beach (UK)
* Whispering Smith (1961) TV Series
* Posse from Hell (1961)
* Seven Ways from Sundown (1960)
* The Unforgiven (1960)
* Hell Bent for Leather (1960)
* Cast a Long Shadow (1959)
* The Wild and the Innocent (1959)
* No Name on the Bullet (1959)
* The Gun Runners (1958) aka Gunrunners
(International: English title)
* Ride a Crooked Trail (1958)
* The Quiet American (1958)
* Night Passage (1957)
* Joe Butterfly (1957)
* The Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957)
* Walk the Proud Land (1956) aka Apache Agent
* World in My Corner (1956)
* To Hell and Back (1955)
* Destry (1954)
* Drums Across the River (1954)
* Ride Clear of Diablo (1954) aka The Breckenridge
Story (USA)
* Tumbleweed (1953) aka Three Were Renegades (USA)
* Column South (1953)
* Gunsmoke (1953) aka A Man's Country (USA); aka
Roughshod (USA)
* The Duel at Silver Creek (1952) aka Claim
Jumpers (USA)
* The Cimarron Kid (1952)
* The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
* Kansas Raiders (1950)
* The Kid from Texas (1950) aka Texas Kid, Outlaw
(UK)
* Sierra (1950)
* Bad Boy (1949) aka The Story of Danny Lester
* Beyond Glory (1948)
* Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven (1948) aka The Girl
from Texas (UK) 


==External Web Sites==

* http://www.audiemurphy.com/ Audie Murphy
Memorial Web site



See also: Notable figures in Western films|Other
notable figures in Western films