" His name was Audie Murphy just
a Texas farmer lad.
His country found itself in war; he tried to lend a hand,
He volunteered to fight and die for freedom with a smile;
He was too young to carry a gun and had to wait a while.
He reached 18 and tried again, this time they let him in;
The soldiers called him Baby Face and he took it with a grin;
But he told the men of the Fighting 3rd, Don't judge me by my size,
I may be small, but I bet you all, I'll spit in the Germans eyes
He learned the deadly game of war and they shipped him off to France.
And soon he heard the rumble of the deadly German tanks,
Some men started praying but he stood there in his tracks,
He sure looked tall and they heard him call Well fight to hell and back
Though he was badly wounded Audie never left his gun,
He killed 240 men and made the Germans run;
And when the fight was over, the men all gathered round,
To shake the hand of the Texas man that backed the Germans down.
He fought 100 battles, and he never turned to run,
The President sent for him when he heard what he had done;
Gave him the highest honor our country has to give,
He said You didn't fight in vain as long as freedom lives.
His plane went down, the searchers found him on a mountain side,
And our country mourned its loss; our hero son had died
Though he will live forever as long as men are free
This little man that took a stand to fight for liberty "
Now that Audie had finally gained a position in the military, he had a new path in life to follow. A path of a soldier. Audie Murphy was sent to Fort Wolters, Texas for Basic Infantry Training. During a training session at the fort, Audie Murphy fell flat on his face and became unconscious. The commanders of the camp tried to have him transferred to the cooking division of the Army because of his lack of skill and his childish looks. Audie Murphy was persistent on becoming a soldier, though. He passed Basic Infantry Training and moved on to the Advanced course in Fort Meade, Maryland. He also passed Advanced training and was placed in Company B, first Battalion, fifteenth Regiment, U.S. third Infantry Division. He was shipped to a town in North Africa to help fight Axis resistance in the area. After the Axis powers in the area were abolished, Audie's unit was sent to help with the invasion of Sicily. Audie shot two Italian soldiers as they tried to escape the city on their horses. Audie's platoon leader questioned him about his actions, and Audie Murphy stated that he did it because "It was my job."
Audie contracted malaria while in Sicily, putting him in the hospital for a significant amount of days while on duty. Murphy's unit was now sent to aid in the Invasion of Italy. Murphy proved his worth as a soldier by fighting his way out of an enemy ambush while in Italy. When he returned from the battle, he was promoted to Sergeant and given a Bronze Star for his actions. Audie's unit was once again sent into intense action in the invasion of Southern France on August 15, 1944. Murphy's squad was being ambushed when a friend of his, Private Lattie Tipton, was killed as he tried to accept some surrendering German troops. Murphy took immediate action to avenge his friends death by grabbing a nearby German machine gun and destroying the nearby German positions. Murphy was awarded with a Distinguished Service Cross. Two weeks later, Murphy was awarded two Silver Stars for saving his patrol from German attacks twice. For all of the above reasons, Murphy was promoted to Second Lieutenant. Murphy was sent to command the platoon he had once served in. During a patrol, Audie was wounded by a German sniper, and his hip shattered. Audie Murphy spent three months in a military hospital recovering from the wound.
But out of all of the actions Audie Murphy took to ensure the security of his friends and his country, the most distinguishable act was the one at Holtzwihr, France. At the time Audie was the commander of Company B in Holtzwihr. Company B was being attacked by 6 tanks and multiple waves of infantry. Murphy commanded his troops to fall back into the woods, from which point he called in artillery strikes by telephone on to the incoming waves of infantry. During this time, a U.S. tank destroyer was directly hit by a tank missile. It lit on fire and its crew retreated to the woods. Still calling in artillery strikes, Audie noticed a tank was moving in on his position and that he would be putting his company at risk by not immediately taking care of it. In a desperate attempt to save his and his company's life, Audie climbed on the burning tank destroyer and manned it, firing at tanks and infantry alike. During this time, Audie Murphy was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 positions. Audie did not give up. He continued firing at the infantry until their attack was halted and they were unable to progress. Audie, knowing that the destroyer could explode at any given moment, still continued his assault on the infantry. Eventually, the tanks fell back due to lack of infantry support. The Germans tried every weapon and tactic they had available to them at the time. Audie did not give up. He even eliminated a German squad trying to sneak around his right flank. The Germans got as close as ten yards, but were defeated by his machine gun fire before they could get any further. At one point, Audie was shot in his leg, but he ignored the wound and the pain so he could continue his counterattack. When the destroyer finally ran out of ammo, Audie still stood, alive. He ran back to his company and refused any medical care so he could direct another counterattack on the remaining German forces, causing them to flee the forest and successfully holding the forest for Allied troops. Audie Murphy's true nature was present during these events, and after being recognized as a legendary soldier, he was awarded with plenty of medals, the most important one being the highest honor any soldier can receive:
The Congressional Medal of Honor.
Audie Murphy was recognized by tons of recommendations, referrals, and eyewitness accounts. Some examples are shown below.
Audie Murphy had gone from a poor farmer boy to the most decorated soldier of the U.S. Army.
He had finally proved his worth.