Audie Murphy

Audie Leon Murphy was born on June 20, 1924, in Kingston, Texas, one of 12 children in a struggling sharecropper family. After his father abandoned them, Audie left school in fifth grade to help support his siblings. He hunted small game to put food on the table and worked in fields for just a dollar a day. When his mother died in 1941, Audie, still a teenager, was left to fend for himself and his younger siblings.

Determined to serve in World War II, Murphy falsified his age to enlist in the Army after being rejected by the Navy and Marines for being too small. Despite his size, he became one of the most decorated American soldiers of the war, earning 28 U.S. medals, including the Medal of Honor. His most famous act of bravery came in France in 1945, when he single-handedly held off a German attack from atop a burning tank.
After the war, Murphy struggled with what was then called “battle fatigue,” now recognized as PTSD. He became an early advocate for mental health awareness among veterans, especially those returning from Vietnam.

Murphy’s fame led him to Hollywood, where he began acting in 1948. Though he had no formal training, he found success in Westerns such as The Kid from Texas, Kansas Raiders, and Ride a Crooked Trail. In 1955, he played himself in To Hell and Back, a film based on his bestselling memoir, which became Universal’s biggest hit of the decade.

Beyond acting, he dabbled in songwriting and raised Quarter Horses, but his post-war years were also marked by financial struggles. He declared bankruptcy in 1968 but refused to endorse alcohol or tobacco products, remaining mindful of his influence on young fans.

Murphy died in a plane crash on May 28, 1971, at age 46. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, where his grave is one of the most visited. His legacy as both a war hero and Western star endures, remembered for his courage, humility, and dedication to fellow veterans.