Audie Murphy

Born: June 20, 1924 or 1926, Kingston, Texas
Died: May 28, 1971 (aged 44 or 46), near Catawba, Virginia

Audie Leon Murphy was a much-decorated American soldier who served in the European Theater during World War II. He later became an actor, appearing in 44 American films, and also found some success as a country music composer.

In 27 months of combat action, Murphy became one of the most highly decorated United States soldiers of World War II. He received the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military's highest award for valor, along with 32 additional U.S. and foreign medals and citations, including five from France and one from Belgium.

What do you know about Audie Murphy? Try this quick Audie Murphy quiz.

1. He went to school in Celeste until the eighth grade, when he dropped out to help support his family (his father deserted them in 1936), working for a dollar a day, plowing and picking cotton on any farm that would hire him. He became very skilled with a rifle, hunting small game to help feed the family.

• Fact or Myth?

2. Murphy was 18 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 1942.

• Fact or Myth?

3. In early 1943, he was shipped out to Casablanca, Morocco as a replacement in Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment (United States). His unit was part of what division?

• 1st Infantry Division
• 3rd Infantry Division
• 6th Infantry Division

4. Murphy's best friend, Lattie Tipton (referred to as "Brandon" in Murphy's book To Hell and Back), was killed by a German soldier in a machine gun nest who was feigning surrender. Murphy went into a rage, and single-handedly wiped out the German machine gun crew which had just killed his friend. He then used the German machine gun and grenades to destroy several other nearby enemy positions. What award did the receive for this action?

• Medal of Honor
• Distinguished Service Cross
• Silver Star

5. After wounds in combat, he returned to his unit, and still bandaged. What did become on January 25, 1945?

• Company commander
• Platoon sergeant
• Commander Platoon 1

6. At fighting near Holtzwihr, France, what was the effective strength of his 128 man company?

• 19
• 50
• 100

7. At Holtzwihr, Murphy proceeded to use an abandoned, burning tank destroyer's weapon to cut into the German infantry at a distance, including one full squad of German infantry that had crawled in a ditch to within 100 feet of his position. Wounded in the leg during heavy fire, he continued this nearly single-handed battle for almost an hour. What weapon did he use?

• .50 caliber machine gun
• Artillery
• Submachine gun

8. How many US medals did Murphy receive?

• 25 medals
• 33 medals
• 50 medals

9. Just after noon on May 28, 1971, during Memorial Day weekend, Murphy was killed when his private plane crashed into a Virginia mountain near Catawba, Virginia, 20 miles west of Roanoke. What was the mountain's name?

• Brush Mountain
• Rifleman Mountain
• Tipton Mountain

10. Where is Audie Murphy buried?

• Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California
• Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
• Kingston Cemetery, Kingston, Texas

Answers

• 1. Fact
• 2. Myth (maybe fact). His sister Corrine may have adjusted his birth date so he appeared to be 18 and legally allowed to enlist, and his war memoirs, To Hell and Back, maintained this misinformation, leading to later confusion and contradictory statements as to his year of birth.
• 3. 3rd Infantry Division
• 4. Distinguished Service Cross
• 5. Company commander
• 6. 19
• 7. .50 caliber machine gun
• 8. 33 medals
• 9. Brush Mountain
• 10. Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

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