Audie murphy death

Audie murphy wife

At heart, Audie Murphy was a simple country boy from Texas who wanted to provide for his family. Murphy stepped up to support his family, dropping out of school in fifth grade to earn wages picking cotton. As he grew, tragedy struck in waves: first, his mother died, then Murphy watched helplessly as his siblings were sent to an orphanage.

Desperate, heartbroken, and lacking purpose, Murphy decided to take drastic measures. In , at age 17, he enlisted in the US Army by lying about his age and filing a false birth certificate that claimed he was Later correspondence with his sister, Corrine, shows that Murphy added his younger siblings as his dependents so that they would receive more financial support from his Army paycheck.

After basic training, Murphy received a training assignment to North Africa in February On July 7, , Murphy transferred to Company B and saw combat in Sicily, thus proving evidence of his shrewd marksmanship. By , he was in Italy, and quickly advanced through the ranks as officers were wounded, killed, or transferred in battle.

Audie murphy western movies

Before long, Murphy and his unit were sent to southern France during Operation Dragoon. Operation Dragoon started August 14, Unfortunately, things got worse before they improved. Murphy had no idea the major role he would play in turning the tide in favor of the Allies. With nowhere to hide, Murphy ordered his company to retreat to the cover of the woods while he continued directing artillery fire by phone.

Suddenly, behind him, an American tank received a direct hit. Murphy was completely alone and without coverage, facing the enemy on an open battlefield.