A Good Friday Hero: Audie Murphy of Hunt County, Texas
A Good Friday Hero
On June 20, 1925, in the humble town of Kingston, nestled within Hunt County, Texas, Audie Leon Murphy was born into a life of hardship. As one of twelve children in a sharecropping family, Murphy’s early years were marked by poverty and struggle. After his father abandoned the family and his mother passed away when he was just sixteen, Murphy took on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings. He left school in the fifth grade, working various jobs and honing his skills as a marksman to provide for his family.
Determined to serve his country, Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 at the age of seventeen after falsifying his birth certificate. Despite being initially rejected for his small stature—standing at 5’5″ and weighing 112 pounds—his perseverance paid off. Murphy’s military career was nothing short of extraordinary. He fought valiantly in campaigns across North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and France.
His most notable act of heroism occurred on January 26, 1945 , during the Battle of Holtzwihr in France. Facing a German assault, Murphy ordered his men to retreat while he single-handedly held off enemy forces for an hour, even after being wounded. His actions earned him the Medal of Honor , among numerous other accolades, making him the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II…