Audie Murphy came into my life about six years ago, and he did so through the medium of homeschooling. Teaching my children myself enabled me to tailor-make a curriculum for each of them. While we studied the mandatory subjects, for those subjects which really grabbed my kids' attention, we delved deeper. In fact, we often took two complete school years to do a more comprehensive study of certain topics, and for my son, World War II was one of the things he wanted to explore in-depth. He devoured book after book about every aspect of the war---battles, soldiers, prisoners---and in the course of his reading, he learned about the most decorated soldier of the war...a brave and courageous young man who received over two dozen military medals, including the Congressional Medal of Honor...a man named Audie Murphy.
As surprising and hard to believe as it may be, I had never heard Mr. Murphy's name until my son mentioned him to me. Back when I was going to high school (in the late '70’s), I never heard a word about him. My American history book said nothing about him, nor did my American History teacher. The most decorated soldier of the Second World War, and I never heard his name until well into adulthood?! I find that shocking---and shameful!
The film, in which Audie portrays himself and which also stars Charles Drake, Marshall Thompson, David Janssen, and a few others, chronicles Murphy's years of service to our country during World War II. Underage and small in stature, Audie is rejected by other branches of the military, before being accepted into the U.S. Army. (In later years, Audie would admit to falsifying his age in order to enlist.) Though his size might dictate otherwise, Audie is courageous, capable, and committed and soon garners the respect of his superiors. Seeing action in Africa and Europe, he proves his bravery again and again, ultimately fighting off the enemy from atop a burning tank, an action for which he would earn the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Even if you're not a fan of Murphy's Westerns, watch this movie---then read the book of the same name, which is superior to the film and which more vividly describes the incredibly dangerous conditions that brought about Murphy's medal---then be thankful for Murphy and men like him who so bravely fought for the cause of freedom. (Isn't this an awesome photo?!)
5 stars for the film...5 stars for the book...10 stars for the man!!
Happy viewing!