Audie Murphy - Hunt County Courthouse - Greenville, TX
N 33° 08.384 W 096° 06.399
14S E 769904 N 3670506
A memorial to Hunt County native, Audie Murphy, on the grounds of the Hunt County Courthouse quotes something that Lt. Murphy said regularly after World War II.
Waymark Code: WMWRRF
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/08/2017
Views: 1
Standing atop a one ton red granite base, the memorial is a bronze bust which was sculpted by Bill Leftwich and dedicated in 2000. It features Audie Murphy from the chest up, with a slight grin and his eyes looking up. Although wearing a combat helmet, he is depicted wearing all of his awards and medals, and the author's signature is on Murphy's right shoulder, also noting that the bust was cast by the Mesa Cross Foundry in Sanderson, TX. A small bronze plaque on the front of the monument reads:
Lt. Audie Leon Murphy
June 20, 1924 - May 28, 1971
WWII Most Decorated Hero
A Man of Uncommon Valor
A Man Set Apart by Great Deeds
A Man Able to Face Danger
With Determination
"The Real Heroes of the War Are
The Men Who Never Came Home"...
Lt. Audie Leon Murphy
--
Audie Murphy hailed from Celeste, TX, just northwest of here, and a 1973 Texas Historical Marker there provides a mini-biography:
Most decorated soldier in World War II. Born 4.5 miles south, June 20, 1924, sixth of nine children of tenant farmers Emmett and Josie Killian Murphy. Living on various farms, Audie Murphy went to school through the 8th grade in Celeste -- considered the family's home town. He had to quit school to help support the family, acquiring marksmanship skills by hunting to provide food. On his 18th birthday, after being rejected by the Marines because of his size (5 feet, 7 inches; 130 pounds), he enlisted in the Army while working in Greenville.
For unusual courage and bravery, he received 24 decorations, including the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor; the French Legion of Honor, Chevalier: the Distinguished Service Cross; and a Silver Star.
After the war he became a successful actor, his most prominent role portraying himself in the film "To Hell and Back," his war career autobiography.
Following his untimely death in a plane crash in Virginia, May 28, 1971, and burial in Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Congress paid him a final tribute, dedicating a new veterans' hospital in San Antonio to the memory of this American hero.
Survived by widow Pamela, sons Terry and James.