83S10611 KEK-D
By: Van de Putte S.C.R. No. 5
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state
or federal military forces, and Audie Murphy, the most highly
decorated American soldier of World War II, would be a fitting
recipient of this prestigious award; and
WHEREAS, Born in Kingston, Hunt County, on June 20, 1925,
Audie Leon Murphy was one of 12 children; he received several years
of formal education before leaving school to help support his
family; in addition to working a variety of jobs, he hunted small
game for food and became a crack shot; and
WHEREAS, Audie Murphy tried to enlist in the armed forces
after the attack on Pearl Harbor but was rejected because he was
underage; later, when he claimed to be a year older than he actually
was, the marines and paratroopers turned him down on the grounds
that he was too short and thin; finally, in June 1942, still
misrepresenting his date of birth, he managed to join the army
infantry; determined to become a combat soldier, he successfully
resisted the effort of his company commander to have him
transferred to a cook and bakers school; and
WHEREAS, In early 1943, Private Murphy shipped overseas to
Morocco as a replacement in Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry
Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division; while stationed in North Africa,
he participated in extensive training maneuvers; he saw his first
combat in July 1943, when the 3rd Division invaded Sicily, and he
subsequently took part in the landing at Salerno, the Volturno
River Campaign, the landing at Anzio, and the march on Rome; during
those months in Italy, Audie Murphy demonstrated both exceptional
skill as a marksman and a sound grasp of small-unit tactics; his
proficiency as a soldier earned him repeated promotions and several
decorations for valor; and
WHEREAS, On the morning of August 15, 1944, Staff Sergeant
Murphy landed with the 3rd Division in southern France; that same
day, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross, this nation's
second-highest award for heroism, for his actions in
single-handedly destroying a German machine gun crew and several
other enemy positions, feats that made possible the capture of a
fiercely contested hill; the following October 2 and October 5, he
earned Silver Stars for further heroic action; and
WHEREAS, That fall, Audie Murphy received a battlefield
commission as a second lieutenant; soon afterward, he sustained a
wound that removed him from action for the next 10 weeks; though not
completely healed, he returned to his unit early the next year, and
on January 25, 1945, he became company commander; and
WHEREAS, At that time, Lieutenant Murphy's men were engaged
in the effort to clear German soldiers from an area in eastern
France known as the Colmar Pocket; on January 26, in bitter cold and
with several feet of snow covering the ground, Company B came under
attack by six German tanks and 250 German infantrymen; Lieutenant
Murphy ordered his troops, whose effective strength had been
reduced by about 40 percent, to fall back; he remained forward and
continued to direct Allied artillery fire by telephone; when the
German tanks drew abreast of his position, he mounted a burning tank
destroyer and, though exposed to fire on three sides, employed its
machine gun against the enemy, causing the German infantry to waver
and the tanks to fall back; he continued to hold his ground in the
firefight for an hour, wiping out a German squad that had reached
within 10 yards of his position; when his ammunition was exhausted,
he made his way back to his company, refused medical treatment for a
leg wound, and led his men in a successful counterattack, enabling
his unit to save the woods that had been the Germans' objective;
Lieutenant Murphy was credited with personally killing or wounding
about 50 enemy combatants in that encounter, and his exceptional
bravery earned him the Medal of Honor; and
WHEREAS, The following month, Audie Murphy was withdrawn from
the front lines, promoted to first lieutenant, and made a liaison
officer; he returned to the States in mid-June 1945, having earned
28 medals, including several from France and Belgium; he was not yet
21; and
WHEREAS, Lieutenant Murphy received his discharge from the
army in September 1945; he joined the Texas National Guard in 1950,
after the outbreak of the Korean War, and eventually attained the
rank of major; assigned to inactive status in 1957, he transferred
to the United States Army Reserve in 1966 and continued as a member
of the reserve until his death in 1971; and
WHEREAS, Though his extraordinary record in the war brought
him widespread fame, Audie Murphy remained profoundly humble,
highlighting his comrades' courage, rather than his own, in his
autobiography and requesting a plain government headstone for his
grave, instead of one adorned with the gold gilt that typically
signifies a Medal of Honor recipient; and
WHEREAS, Audie Murphy repeatedly risked his life to save the
lives of his fellow soldiers and to help advance their mission, and
for his remarkable heroism he is most assuredly deserving of this
state's supreme military award; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas,
1st Called Session, hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas
to award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor posthumously to Audie
Leon Murphy in recognition of his valiant actions in World War II.