The true meaning of America, you ask? It's in a Texas rodeo, in a policeman's badge, in the sound of laughing children, in a political rally, in a newspaper... In all these things, and many more, you'll find America. In all these things, you'll find freedom. And freedom is what America means to the world. And to me.
After the war, they took Army dogs and rehabilitated them for civilian life. But they turned soldiers into civilians immediately, and let em sink or swim.
Sometimes it takes more courage to get up and run than to stay. You either just do it or you don't. I got so scared the first day in combat I just decided to go along with it.
I Knew why I felt at home. The spirit of freedom was hovering over that play yard as it did all over France at that time. A country was free again.
And freedom is what America means to the world.
I'll tell you what bravery really is. Bravery is just determination to do a job that you know has to be done.
Now I have shed my first blood. I feel no qualms, no pride, no remorse. There is only a weary indifference that will follow me throughout the war.
No soldier ever really survives a war.
They were singing in French, but the melody was freedom and any American could understand that.
It's not easy to shed the idea that human life is sacred.
I was scared before every battle. That old instinct of self-preservation is a pretty basic thing, but while the action was going on some part of my mind shut off and my training and discipline took over. I did what I had to do.
I'm glad that it didn't take as long to get Shepard off the ground as it's taken this series. I'd begun to think the Congo would be ahead of us in the space race before Whispering Smith ever got on the air.
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.
Actual combat experience is the only teacher. You never come out of a skirmish without having picked up a couple of new tricks; without having learned more about your enemy...Total involvement with the war was the only thing that kept me alive and pushing.
Author details
Audie Murphy: Biography and Life Work
Audie Murphy was a notable American soldier. The story of Audie Murphy began on June 20, 1925 in Kingston, Texas, U.S.. The legacy of Audie Murphy continues today, following their passing on May 28, 1971 in 14 nautical miles northwest of, Roanoke, Virginia.
Audie Leon Murphy (June 20, 1925 – May 28, 1971) was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II , and has been described as the most highly decorated enlisted soldier in U.S. history. He received every military combat award for valor available from the United States Army , as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor that he demonstrated at age 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945, before leading a successful counterattack while wounded.
Legacy and Personal Influence
Personally, Audie Murphy was married to Wanda Hendrix (divorced), Pamela Opal Lee Archer.
Philosophical Views and Reflections
After his military service, Murphy was plagued with insomnia and bouts of depression, and he slept with a loaded pistol under his pillow. A post-service medical examination on 17 June 1947 revealed symptoms of headaches, vomiting, and nightmares about the war. His medical records indicated that he took sleeping pills to help prevent nightmares. During the mid-1960s, he recognized his dependence on the sedative Placidyl , and locked himself alone in a hotel room for a week to successfully break the addiction. Post-traumatic stress levels exacerbated his innate moodiness, and surfaced in episodes that friends and professional colleagues found alarming. His first wife, Dixie Wanda Hendrix , claimed he once held her at gunpoint. She witnessed her husband being guilt-ridden and tearful over newsreel footage of German war orphans. Murphy briefly found a creative stress outlet in writing poetry after his Army discharge. His poem "The Crosses Grow on Anzio" appeared in his book To Hell and Back , but was attributed to the fictitious character Kerrigan.
Murphy was a fan of country music, in particular Bob Wills and Chet Atkins , but was not a singer or musician himself. Through his friend Guy Mitchell , Murphy was introduced to songwriter Scott Turner in 1961. The two collaborated on numerous songs between 1962 and 1970, the most successful of which were "Shutters and Boards" and "When the Wind Blows in Chicago".
