As I've watched documentaries and read biographies and biographical snippets about Mr. Murphy, the overwhelming word which comes to my mind to describe him is humble. Despite his great heroism, Audie Murphy remained an unpretentious man. He didn't seek greatness, praise, or fame, and he wasn't comfortable receiving it.
Although he has gone down in history as the most-decorated soldier of WWII, that was not a title with which Mr. Murphy wanted to be identified. Said he, "I never liked being called the most-decorated soldier. There were so many guys who should have gotten medals and never did---guys who were killed. The real heroes were the ones with the wooden crosses." [1]
In This Week Magazine, he stated, "It occurs to me on Memorial Day that all of the dead deserve top medals. What more can a man do than give his life for his country?...That's why - because of my own feelings at certain times - I didn't feel comfortable with my medals. I am grateful to the Army for giving them to me. But I feel today, some 10 years later, just as I did when I received them: that they rightfully belong to Company B, 15th Infantry Regiment, Third Division." [2]
"I feel they belong to a lot of people and not just me." [3]
Over and over through the years, Audie would say that "the medals belonged to the men with whom he fought and that he was merely the person asked to hold them." [4]
Over and over through the years, Audie would say that "the medals belonged to the men with whom he fought and that he was merely the person asked to hold them." [4]
When Universal decided to make a film of Mr. Murphy's best-selling war memoir, To Hell and Back, they wanted Audie to portray himself; a national hero portraying his own life story was something that had never been done before. Audie did not want to do it. "Not wanting anyone to think that he had come to Hollywood to cash in on medals he had won at great cost, he suggested Tony Curtis take the role." [5] Universal, however, insisted that no one could play Audie Murphy as well as Audie Murphy.
Another argument with the studio came because Audie did not want the film to include him receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor. "Feeling that the real heroes were still there, in the ground of Europe, he did not want to call attention to himself." [4] Although he argued with studio executives, in the end, they won, for to them, a movie about America's most-decorated hero must show him receiving the highest honor for bravery.
About his Distinguished Service Cross, Mr. Murphy said, "I won the medal, but Lattie (best friend, Lattie Tipton, who was killed only moments before the action for which Mr. Murphy was awarded the DSC), who was the bravest man I ever knew won only death for himself." Murphy gave the decoration to Lattie's daughter, who had last seen her father when he left for war when she was 9-years old. [3]
For the courageous actions which brought about the Congressional Medal of Honor, Mr. Murphy downplayed his heroism, saying, "No man stands out there in the front all alone; not for long he doesn't. Help must, and does, come from somewhere if he is to survive." [4]
He dedicated To Hell and Back to two fallen friends, Joe Sieja and Lattie Tipton, with the inscription, "If there be any glory in war, let it rest on men like these." [6]
Even in death, Mr. Murphy's humility shines, for the headstones of Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery are normally decorated in gold leaf. However, Audie had requested that his stone remain plain and inconspicuous, like that of an ordinary soldier."
Audie Murphy never sought greatness, praise, or recognition, and for me, those who don't seek such things, are the ones truly deserving of them. As a person who prizes humility above nearly every other character trait and who detests the pride, arrogance, and self-exaltation of most of today's celebrities (and society in general), I find Mr. Murphy to be a breath of fresh air and the kind of role model I want for my children. What an overwhelming privilege it has been to showcase such a man this month!
[1] From Real Men, Ten Courageous Americans to Know and Admire, by R. Cort Kirkwood, Cumberland House, 2005.
[2] From This Week (magazine), May 29, 1955
[3] From American Hero, The Life and Death of Audie Murphy, by Charles Whiting, Eskdale Publishing, 2000.
[4] From American Hero, The Audie Murphy Story, by Peggy Caravantes, Avisson Press, Inc., 2004
[5] From Audie Murphy: Great American Hero, A&E Biography, 1996.
[6] From To Hell and Back, by Audie Murphy, MJF Books, 1949
All photos were obtained from the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Website (HERE)