Who
better to honor this Memorial Weekend than Audie Murphy? Through LIFE
magazine's July 16, 1945 issue ("Most Decorated Soldier"/cover
photo), Audie Leon Murphy became one the most famous soldiers of World War II
and widely regarded as the most decorated American soldier of the war. After
the war he became a celebrated movie star for over two decades, appearing in 44
films. He later had success as a country music composer. And how appropriate
that we honor him this weekend. In addition to be America’s Most Decorated
Soldier, Audie Murphy died in a plane crash on Memorial Day Weekend, May 28,
1971.
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| Audie Murphy Official Portrait with Medals |
Audie
Leon Murphy was born to sharecroppers near the community of Kingston in Hunt
County, Texas. His parents were of Irish descent, Emmett Berry Murphy (February
20, 1886–September 20, 1976), and his wife, Josie Bell (née Killian
(1891–1941). He grew up on farms in Hunt County and has several memorials
there. He was the sixth of twelve children, two of whom died before reaching
adulthood.
In
1933, Emmett and Josie Murphy with their 5 children June, Audie, Richard, Gene,
and Nadine moved to Celeste, Texas with the primary purpose of enrolling the
children in school. They lived in an abandoned railroad boxcar on the southern
end of the small community for several months before renting a rundown home in
Celeste until 1937. The railroad car no longer exists.
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| Audie Murphy as a boy |
While
the family lived in Celeste, the two remaining Murphy children, Beatrice and
Joseph, were born. It was here that Audie befriended the Cawthon family who
played a prominent role in his life. In 1937, the Murphy family moved back into
the abandoned railroad car for several weeks and then moved to a farm near
Floyd, Texas located just west of Greenville. Audie finally moved out on his
own in 1939 at the age of 15 after finding a job with Haney Lee, who had a farm
nearby
Audie
Murphy spent a lot of time with his grandparents, Jefferson D. and Sarah
Elizabeth Killian, at their hope in Farmersville, Texas. In fact, the Killian’s
was a place of refuge for the Murphy children when times were difficult during
the years of the depression. At the height of the depression, around 1929 or
1930, Audie's oldest sister, Corrine, left the Murphy family and moved in with
the grandparents in their Farmersville home to help relieve some of the
financial stress burdening the Murphy family.
As
the family moved from community to community over the years, they never strayed
too far from the Killian home. Around 1933-36 (depending on the account),
Emmett Murphy, who was known to disappear for weeks at a time while apparently
seeking employment, finally vanished permanently. He had attempted to convince
his wife and family to move with him to West Texas where he hoped to find work
in the oil fields. Unconvinced that this was a wise move, Mrs. Murphy did not
want to leave the area where her parents and lifelong friends lived.
At
the time of their mother's death, Audie was approximately 17 years old and was
declared by the county to be old enough to take care of himself. The placement
of his siblings in the Boles Childrens Home in Quinlan was an event that Audie
vowed to correct. On more than one occasion during the war, he told his buddies
that he hoped to someday earn enough money to reunite what remained of his
family. As it turned out, Audie was able to keep his promise.
Audie
attended elementary school in Celeste, Texas until his father abandoned the
family. Audie dropped out to help support the family. He
worked for one dollar per day, plowing and picking cotton on any farm that
would hire him. Murphy became very skilled with a rifle, hunting small game
like squirrels, rabbits, and birds to help feed the family.
One
of his favorite hunting companions was neighbor Dial Henley. When Henley
commented that Murphy never missed what he shot at, Murphy replied, "Well,
Dial, if I don't hit what I shoot at, my family won't eat today."
On
May 23, 1941, his mother died. He worked at a combination general store, garage
and gas station in Greenville. Boarded out, he worked in a radio repair shop.
Later that year, with the approval of his older, married sister, Mrs. Elizabeth
Corinne Burns (usually referred to as "Corrine"), who was unable to
help, Murphy placed his three youngest siblings in an orphanage to ensure their
care. He reclaimed them after World War II.
He
had long dreamed of joining the military. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on
December 7, 1941, Murphy tried to enlist in the military, but the services
rejected him because he was underage. In June 1942, shortly after what he and
his sister Corrine believed was his 17th birthday, Corrine adjusted his birth
date so he appeared to be 18 and legally able to enlist. His war memoirs, TO
HELL AND BACK, maintained this misinformation, leading to later confusion and
contradictory statements about his year of birth.
Murphy
was small, only 5 ft 5 inch and 110 pounds, but he tried once again to enlist
and was declined by both the Marines and Army paratroopers as too short and
underweight. The Navy also turned him down for being underweight. The United
States Army finally accepted him and he was inducted at (some reports say
Dallas) Greenville, Texas and sent to Camp Wolters near Mineral Wells, Texas
for basic training. During a session of close order drill, he passed out. His
company commander tried to have him transferred to a cook and bakers' school
but Murphy insisted on becoming a combat soldier, and after 13 weeks of basic
training, he was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland for advanced infantry training.
Murphy
was awarded 33 U.S. decorations and medals, five medals from France, and one
from Belgium. He received every U.S. decoration for valor available to Army
ground personnel at the time. He earned the Silver Star twice in three days,
two Bronze Star Medals, three Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Service Cross,
and the Medal of Honor.
After
seeing the young hero's photo on the cover of the July 16 edition of Life
Magazine and sensing star potential, actor James Cagney invited Murphy to
Hollywood in September 1945. Despite Cagney's expectations, the next few years
in California were difficult for Murphy. He became disillusioned by the lack of
work, was frequently broke, and slept on the floor of a gymnasium owned by his
friend Terry Hunt. He eventually received token acting parts in the 1948 films
“Beyond Glory” and “Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven.” His third movie, “Bad Boy,”
gave him his first leading role.
He
also starred in the 1951 adaptation of Stephen Crane's Civil War novel, “The
Red Badge of Courage,” which earned critical success. Murphy expressed great
discomfort in playing himself in “To Hell and Back.” In 1959, he starred in the
western “No Name on the Bullet,” in which his performance was well-received
despite being cast as the villain, a professional killer who managed to stay
within the law.
After
returning home from World War II, Murphy bought a house in Farmersville, Texas
for his oldest sister Corrine, her husband Poland Burns, and their three
children. His three youngest siblings, Nadine, Billie, and Joe, had been living
in an orphanage since Murphy's mother's death, He intended that they would be
able to live with Corrine and Poland. However, six children under one roof
proved difficult for Corrine and Poland to parent, and Murphy took his siblings
to live with him.
Despite
a lot of post-war publicity, his acting career had not progressed and he had
difficulty making a living. Buck, Murphy's oldest brother, and his wife agreed
to take Nadine in, but Murphy could not find a home for Joe. He approached
James "Skipper" Cherry, a Dallas theater owner who was involved with
the Variety Clubs International Boy's Ranch, a 4,800 acres ranch near Copperas
Cove, Texas. He arranged for Joe to live at the Boy's Ranch. Reportedly, Joe
was very happy there and Murphy was able to frequently visit his brother as
well as his friend Cherry. In a 1973 interview, Cherry recalled, "He was
discouraged and somewhat despondent concerning his movie career."
Variety
Clubs International was financing “Bad Boy,” a film to help promote the
organization's work with troubled children. Cherry called Texas theater
executive Paul Short, who was producing the film, to suggest that they consider
giving Murphy a significant role in the movie. Murphy performed well in the
screen test, but the president of Allied Artists did not want to cast someone
in a major role with so little acting experience. Cherry, Short, and other
Texas theater owners decided that they wanted Murphy to play the lead or would
not finance the film. The producers agreed and Murphy's performance was
well-received by Hollywood. As a result of the film, Universal Studios signed
Murphy to a seven-year studio contract. After a few box-office hits at
Universal, the studio bosses gave Murphy increased scope in choosing his roles.
Murphy's
1949 autobiography TO HELL AND BACK became a national bestseller. The book was
ghostwritten by his friend, David "Spec" McClure, already a
professional writer. Murphy modestly described some of his most heroic
actions—without portraying himself as a hero. He did not mention any of the
many decorations he received, but praised the skills, bravery, and dedication
of the other members of his platoon. Murphy even attributed a song he had
written to "Kerrigan".
Murphy
portrayed himself in the 1955 film version of his book with the same title, “To
Hell and Back.” Murphy was initially reluctant to star in the movie, fearing it
would appear he was cashing in on his war experience. He suggested Tony Curtis
for the role. Unlike in most Hollywood films, where the same soldiers serve
throughout the movie, Murphy's comrades are killed or wounded as they were in
real life. At the film's end, Murphy is the only member of his original unit
remaining. At the ceremony where Murphy is awarded the Medal of Honor, the
ghostly images of his dead friends are depicted. This insistence on reality has
been attributed to Murphy and his desire to honor his fallen friends. Audie
Murphy's oldest son, Terry, portrayed Audie's younger brother Joseph Preston
"Joe" Murphy (at age four).
The
film grossed almost $10 million during its initial theatrical release, and at
the time became Universal Studios's biggest hit of the studio's 43-year
history. The movie is thought to have held the record as the company's
highest-grossing motion picture until 1975, when it was surpassed by Steven
Spielberg's “Jaws.”
In
the 25 years he spent in Hollywood, Murphy made 44 feature films, 33 of them
Westerns. He played outlaws Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Bill Doolin. His
films earned him close to $3 million in his 23 years as an actor. He also
appeared in several television shows, including the lead in the short-lived
1961 NBC western detective series “Whispering Smith,” set in Denver, Colorado.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Murphy has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1601 Vine Street.
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| Audie Murphy in one of his many western roles |
In
addition to acting, Murphy also became successful as a country music
songwriter. He teamed up with musicians and composers including Guy Mitchell,
Jimmy Bryant, Scott Turner, Coy Ziegler, Ray and Terri Eddlemon. Murphy's songs
were recorded and released by well-known artists including Dean Martin, Eddy
Arnold, Charley Pride, Jimmy Bryant, Porter Waggoner, Jerry Wallace, Roy Clark,
and Harry Nilsson. His two biggest hits were "Shutters and Boards"
and "When the Wind Blows in Chicago".
Murphy
was reportedly plagued by insomnia, bouts of depression, and nightmares related
to his numerous battles throughout his life. His first wife, Wanda Hendrix, often
talked of his struggle with this condition, even claiming that he had held her
at gunpoint once. For a time during the mid-1960s, he became dependent on
doctor-prescribed sleeping pills called Placidyl. When he recognized that he
had become addicted to the drug, he locked himself in a motel room where he
took himself off the pills, going through withdrawal for a week.
Always
an advocate of the needs of America's military veterans, Murphy eventually
broke the taboo about publicly discussing war-related mental conditions. In an
effort to draw attention to the problems of returning Korean and Vietnam War
veterans, Murphy spoke out candidly about his own problems with PTSD, known
then and during World War II as "battle fatigue". He called on the
United States government to give increased consideration and study to the
emotional impact that combat experiences have on veterans, and to extend health
care benefits to address PTSD and other mental-health problems suffered by
returning war veterans.
Murphy
married actress Wanda Hendrix in 1949; they were divorced in 1951. He then
married former airline stewardess Pamela Archer, by whom he had two children:
Terrance Michael "Terry" Murphy (born 1952) and James Shannon
"Skipper" Murphy (born 1954). They were named for two of his most
respected friends, Terry Hunt and James "Skipper" Cherry,
respectively. Murphy became a successful actor, rancher, and businessman,
breeding and raising Quarter Horses. He owned ranches in Texas, Tucson, Arizona
and Menifee, California.
On
May 28, 1971, Murphy was killed when the private plane in which he was a
passenger crashed into Brush Mountain, near Catawba, Virginia, 20 miles west of
Roanoke, Virginia in conditions of rain, clouds/fog and zero visibility. The
pilot and four other passengers were also killed. In 1974, a large granite
marker was erected near the crash site. On June 7, 1971, Murphy was buried with
full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. A special flagstone
walkway was later constructed to accommodate the large number of people who
visit to pay their respects. It is the second most-visited grave site, after
that of President John F. Kennedy.
The
headstones of Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery
are normally decorated in gold leaf. Murphy previously requested that his stone
remain plain and inconspicuous, like that of an ordinary soldier. An unknown
person maintains a small American flag next to his engraved Government-issue
headstone, which reads as follows:
Audie
L. Murphy, Texas. Major, Infantry, World War II. June 20, 1924 to May 28, 1971.
Medal of Honor, DSC, SS & OLC, LM, BSM & OLC, PH & 2 OLC.
Murphy’s
diverse honors are far too numerous to list here so I’ll mention only those in
the county of his birth, Hunt County, Texas. From the mid-1990s through the present, an annual
celebration of Murphy and other veterans in all branches of service has been
held on the weekend closest to Murphy's birthday at the American Cotton Museum,
renamed The Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum (in Greenville, Texas), which
houses a large collection of Murphy memorabilia and personal items. His statue
stands in front of the museum.
A monument in his honor stands in Celeste, the
small town where he attended school for five years. Farmersville also claims
Audie Murphy, since that is where his sister Corinne lived and the address on
his draft information.
Highway 69 from Greenville to Fannin County is the Audie
Murphy Memorial Highway, and Highway 34 crosses the railroad tracks in
Greenville on the Audie Murphy Memorial Overpass.
Mark your calendar for the annual
Audie Murphy Day celebration in Farmersville, Texas with a Military flyover at
10 am followed by parade downtown and program under the Onion Shed.
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| Audie Murphy statue at Greenville, Texas Museum |
As
we remember those who have gone before us this weekend, let’s remember soldiers
like Audie Leon Murphy and his comrades.
Thanks
to Wikipedia, www.audiemurphy.com, and the Chambers of Commerce of Greenville,
Celeste, and Farmersville, Texas.
