Major Audie Murphy 1924-1971
Turned down by the Navy and the Marine Corps, this 5'5" Texan enlisted in the Army.
As a World War II soldier, Audie Murphy received every military combat award for valor available, including the Medal of Honor for his "indomitable courage and refusal to give an inch of ground" in a battle near Holtzwihr, France.
At the age of 19, Murphy single-handedly held off an entire company of German soldiers for an hour, then led a successful counterattack while wounded and out of ammunition.
He is credited with 240 enemy kills and was wounded three times in nine major campaigns across the European theater.
After WWII, Audie Murphy became a movie and television star appearing in over 30 movies, including “To Hell and Back,” where he played himself. He died in a plane crash in 1971.
