Photo By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Atkinson | Maj. Gen. John F. Nichols, Texas adjutant general and commander of the Texas Military...... read more read more
FARMERSVILLE, Texas - A brisk October wind made the flags and red, white, and blue bunting flutter and flap as the entire town of Farmersville, Texas, turned out to honor a local hero as Gov. Rick Perry presented the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor, posthumously, to World War II's most decorated soldier, retired Maj. Audie L. Murphy on Oct. 29, 2013.
“We are deeply humbled and proud to be at such an event,” said Maj. Gen. John F. Nichols, the adjutant general of Texas and the commanding general of the Texas Military Forces, “to honor the most decorated soldier of World War II in a Texas way.”
Murphy, one of 12 children, was born into a large sharecropper family in Hunt County, in northeast Texas. He often hunted to put food on the family table, and dropped out of school after the fifth grade to support his family.
“Coming from humble roots, like many Texans before and since, Audie Murphy answered the call to serve,” said Nichols, “except that he served above and beyond that call of duty.”
In 1942, Murphy’s older sister helped him forge birth paperwork so he could join the Army at 17, below the minimum recruitment age.
Touching on the past and the present, Nichols expressed his gratitude to Murphy and others of the “Greatest Generation.”
“I am here representing our next ‘Greatest Generation,’” said Nichols, “to say thank you for your service.”
After receiving training at Camp Wolters, Texas, Fort Meade, Md., and in Algeria, Murphy fought in the European and Mediterranean theaters of operations.
On Jan. 26, 1945, he conducted an hour-long defensive action against German troops at the Colmar Pocket near Holtzwihr, France. Standing alone on a burning tank destroyer, Murphy fired a machine gun at attacking German soldiers and tanks until he exhausted all his ammunition, receiving a leg wound during the fight. Refusing medical attention, Murphy climbed off the tank, and led his men on a successful counter assault.
The official U.S. Army citation for Murphy's Medal of Honor reads:
Second Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. Second Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to a prepared position 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, one 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, 2nd Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50-caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from three 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 2nd Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad that 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 his single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way back 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.
Murphy was 19 when he received the Medal of Honor. He would, throughout the course of his service, receive 33 awards, from the United States, Belgium and France.
After release from active-duty, Murphy joined the Texas Army National Guard during the outbreak of the Korean War, eventually attaining the rank of major.
Perry presented the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Nadine Murphy Lockey, Murphy’s sister, on behalf of Murphy, to honor his service and sacrifice as an American and a Texan.
“I'm privileged to be here today, joining you all to honor an individual who helped define heroism for his community, his state and his country,” said Perry. “More than four decades since his untimely passing, Audie Murphy lives on in the hearts and memories of a generation of Americans. For them, Audie remains the first person they think of when they hear words like ‘valor,’ ‘determination’ and ’courage.’"
The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor is awarded to “a member of the state or federal military forces (effective June 20, 2003) designated by concurrent resolution of the legislature who voluntarily performs a deed of personal bravery or self-sacrifice involving risk of life that is so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the person for gallantry and intrepidity above the person's comrades. Awarding of the medal shall be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit. The medal may be awarded only on incontestable proof of performance of the deed.”
Bestowed every other year, there have been 10 recipients of the award; every award but one has been presented posthumously.
House Concurrent Resolution Three, read on July 18, 2013, states in part “…WHEREAS, though his extraordinary record in the war brought him widespread fame, Audie Murphy remained profoundly humble, highlighting his comrades’ courage, rather than his own, in his autobiography and requesting a plain government headstone for his grave, instead of one adorned with the gold gilt that typically signifies a Medal of Honor recipient; and
“WHEREAS, Audie Murphy repeatedly risked his life to save the lives of his fellow soldiers and to help advance their mission, and for his remarkable heroism he is most assuredly deserving of this state’s supreme military award; now, therefore, be it
“RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas, 2nd Called Session, hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor posthumously to Audie Murphy in recognition of his valiant actions in World War II.”
“Many of you here today knew Audie personally,” said Perry, looking out over the crowd, “and you knew that Audie stood for all of that, and much, much more. You know what made Audie great wasn't simply his courage.”
“It was his quick wits ... it was his determination ... his profound faith in the rightness of his cause … and it was his love. The love he felt for his fellow soldiers on the battlefield; the love he felt for his country; and the love he felt for everyone waiting for him back home,” continued Perry. “Audie Murphy personified every trait that led America to victory in the Second World War, and what's led us to victory on other battlefields, in other wars, around the globe.”
Perry stressed the importance of remembering great Texans like Murphy.
“It's our obligation to keep his memory alive, telling and re-telling his stories, reminding new generations of Texans of what this sharecropper's son accomplished through the sheer power of his will,” said Perry.
“To his friends and family here today, please know Texas simply couldn't be any prouder of Audie,” he said. “We will all work to keep his memory, and his spirit, alive.”
“We'll do so because, first, it's the right thing to do for a man who gave so much to his community and country,” Perry said. “But we'll also do so because he remains a shining example for anyone who believes in the importance of service, for generations now, and into the future.”
| Date Taken: | 10.31.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2013 15:51 |
| Story ID: | 116390 |
| Location: | FARMERSVILLE, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | FARMERSVILLE, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 345 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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