Audie Murphy

[audiesdad]

Dave,

Unfortunately, I was totally unaware of the efforts being made to recognize Audie. I had accepted a position with the US Army in Rotterdam, Holland and served there from Dec 2006 to Jan 2012. Had I known...I would surely have supported your outstanding efforts to recognize Audie for the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor. In fact..all my voting was done by absentee balloting during that time and I certainly didn't vote for Perry.

[Our campaign was very public and waged through social media. My best guess is that his advisors convinced him that just "doing it" to appease the Murphy supporters would content them and end the story].

As many others have done I read and have copies of "To Hell and Back" the Book on Audie's Biography and took a snap of his gravesite at Arlington which I inserted in the book along with an original WW2 3rd ID patch.

Also just a little history I was stationed at Larson Barracks, Kitzingen, Germany with the 3rd Infantry Division DIVARTY back in 1974. I processed through the 3rd ID in Wurzburg, Germany which was Audie Murphy country and home of the Audie Murphy Platoon.

Bill

Thanks for the background Bill and for your service. As I penned earlier it was a long, hard, difficult fight that took everything we could throw at the legislature and Perry to make this happen.
I do appreciate your kind remarks and I may call out to you soon. Watch for a post I'll make in the next day or so...I am sure you would want to be a part of it.

Thanks again,

Dave

[audiesdad]

Ooops ...

lol!

[audiesdad]

http://www.homeofheroes.com/quickqui...decorated.html

Thanks! I am familiar with that link, which indeed was prompted by my original comparison that I mentioned in an earlier post that I made some years ago.
In any case, Murphy best Urban by sheer fact that he earned every combat award for WWII.
In addition, while I don't wish to denigrate Urban there is a distinct difference in the way each either sought to minimize or maximize their claim to fame. Murphy detested the title, while Urban consistently sought to prove the title.
That aside, as I posted earlier, we would not be having this conversation except for Urban's vast numbers of Purple Hearts.
But being wounded in combat does not make one valorous, as the Purple Heart is actually a merit award.

Thanks,

Dave

[bodes]

Bodes:
Lastly, as to Urban, if it were not for his many awards of the Purple Heart, this would not even be in contention.
The Purple Heart is not a valor award, it is a merit award, and although every Purple Heart recipient is valorous in their conduct leading up to their wounding and certainly should not be disparaged I don't think there is anything valorous in being wounded in combat. A gallantry medal, which is awarded for something you've done, is more significant than a wound medal, which is simply awarded for something that's happened to you and which you probably wish hadn't!

Urban's awards shouldn't include Purple Hearts, but Audie Murphy's awards should include the U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal towards his count?....This medal was given to him in 1961 as an technical advisor, consultant, and actor in the Army documentary film "The Broken Bridge". .....Had nothing to do with his service in WW2.....Bodes

[bodes]

Thanks! I am familiar with that link, which indeed was prompted by my original comparison that I mentioned in an earlier post that I made some years ago.
In any case, Murphy best Urban by sheer fact that he earned every combat award for WWII.
In addition, while I don't wish to denigrate Urban there is a distinct difference in the way each either sought to minimize or maximize their claim to fame. Murphy detested the title, while Urban consistently sought to prove the title.
That aside, as I posted earlier, we would not be having this conversation except for Urban's vast numbers of Purple Hearts.
But being wounded in combat does not make one valorous, as the Purple Heart is actually a merit award.

Thanks,

Dave

I actually had the honor of meeting Matt Urban.....He seemed quite humble and when I mentioned I had lost an Uncle during WW2, he was genuinely and deeply moved.....Bodes

[audiesdad]

It was Wikipedia that I got my information.....Curious as to why they (Wikipedia) don't refer to Murphy as the most decorated American soldier of WW2, if that is indeed the case....Bodes

Bodes:

Thanks for being a "sport" about this. It appears that the wiki editors with whom I have had a long battle over this issue wish to attempt to indulge in revisionists history.
Wiki is not a credible source in my opinion, as it can be edited by anyone at anytime.
A while ago they made claim that Murphy had every combat medal but one and they left that sentence in the opening of the bio, which was picked up and re-printed in an AP article.
After proving that the medal they referred to, The Soldier's Medal, is not a combat award, although it can be earned in combat, is actually a peacetime heroism award, they retracted the statement, and made an entry in the foot notes area, but the damage had been done.
It has already been repeated in many web postings and again in an AP article.
While wiki my be good for basic knowledge it certainly is not an authoritative source of information.
In my quest to have Murphy acknowledged as the "most decorated" in the opening wiki bio I was told by the wiki editors that the Defense Department had never publically acknowledged that or issued a statement top that effect, and the editors would not change it.
In a rather long and drawn out statement I gave to them what I would consider unimpeachable governmental statements, not one but I guess more than 10 to settle the issue.
The response was, "well, these are governmental sources and the government can't be trusted to tell the truth."
I've given up on wiki. That was a ridiculous statement.
In a subsequent postings, I will place my comments on here and let you be the judge as to weather or not my sources should hold water.
Seems to me wiki does itself a disservice when it will not seek the truth.
Thanks for the question,

Dave

[audiesdad]

Urban's awards shouldn't include Purple Hearts, but Audie Murphy's awards should include the U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal towards his count?....This medal was given to him in 1961 as an technical advisor, consultant, and actor in the Army documentary film "The Broken Bridge". .....Had nothing to do with his service in WW2.....Bodes

Point well received and I concur. That said, Murphy still best Urban by sheer levels of decorations and the fact that that Urban did not received the DSC or the French Legion of Honor, the highest military award of France.

[audiesdad]

I actually had the honor of meeting Matt Urban.....He seemed quite humble and when I mentioned I had lost an Uncle during WW2, he was genuinely and deeply moved.....Bodes

Glad you had that opportunity, I know Urban was from Michigan. I met Murphy as a kid, so I know the feeling.

Best,

Dave

[bodes]

Glad you had that opportunity, I know Urban was from Michigan. I met Murphy as a kid, so I know the feeling.

Best,

Dave

Yes, Matt Urban resided in Michigan.....My mother talked me into going to a function in which he was going to appear.....She later gave me a signed copy of his book.....I have a picture of us two together, but please don't ask me where it's at....

Seems like I read some where else on the internet that Urban campaigned to get his MOH.....And that Audie Murphy wouldn't have done such, as he disliked being called the most decorated soldier of WW2.....On the surface, that doesn't put Urban in a good light.....However, was it all possible this was done for compensatory purposes?.....I don't know Urban's financial status, but perhaps the pension that comes along with the award, gave Urban and his family a more comfortable existence.....I'm not trying to be an apologist for Urban, just trying to point that out.....Whether that was the case or not...

Audie Murphy was awarded a military disability, received a pension for MOH award, was likely compensated for his image and name being used by the Army, and went on to have a successful acting career.....I would like to believe he had a very comfortable life and didn't want for much.....I won't begrudge him any of this, as unfortunately he didn't live very long to enjoy his successes....Bodes

[audiesdad]

Yes, Matt Urban resided in Michigan.....My mother talked me into going to a function in which he was going to appear.....She later gave me a signed copy of his book.....I have a picture of us two together, but please don't ask me where it's at....

Seems like I read some where else on the internet that Urban campaigned to get his MOH.....And that Audie Murphy wouldn't have done such, as he disliked being called the most decorated soldier of WW2.....On the surface, that doesn't put Urban in a good light.....However, was it all possible this was done for compensatory purposes?.....I don't know Urban's financial status, but perhaps the pension that comes along with the award, gave Urban and his family a more comfortable existence.....I'm not trying to be an apologist for Urban, just trying to point that out.....Whether that was the case or not...

Audie Murphy was awarded a military disability, received a pension for MOH award, was likely compensated for his image and name being used by the Army, and went on to have a successful acting career.....I would like to believe he had a very comfortable life and didn't want for much.....I won't begrudge him any of this, as unfortunately he didn't live very long to enjoy his successes....Bodes

Bodes,

I actually don't mind having this conversation at all so not need to worry about that. Yes, Urban waged a campaign, first by himself, and then with the Polish American veterans Association to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
It was actually a very strange citation and quite unusual in that it was not awarded for a single action. That in itself is not unusual in that occasionally one may be awarded for for example two different actions or perhaps even three over a short period of time, but Urban's was awarded for I think, five separate actions, over a several month period.
Once that campaign finally succeeded then he campaigned for another Bronze Star, a legion of Merit (I think) and another Purple Heart, all with the sole goal of surpassing Murphy.
Once this was finally accomplished, then he authored his memoirs, "Matt Urban - America's Most Decorated Soldier of WWII."
All of this has "rankled" a lot of people to include some of the Medal of Honor recipients themselves, as it was "tacky" (my word) and self-serving to do so.
All recipients receive a Medal of Honor pension. At the time of Morphy's death it was only $175 monthly I believe and Urban as such would have received the same.
Also, both Urban and Murphy drew federal disability pensions. I have no idea how much Urban drew, but Murphy in the 1960's was only receiving a little over $100 a month.
So, I don't think financial gain was the goal, I just think Urban was "rankled" that he did not have the title and the title meant a lot to him.
Even in death it seems Urban or his supporters have continued this nonsense.
Here is an interesting contrast of two heroes. First we have Morphy's simple headstone. take note that even the gilt Medal of Honor symbol which typically adorns a recipient headstone is not there as Murphy specifically asked that it not be placed on his headstone. Murphy also has no inscriptions on the verso of the marker.



Urban was buried at Arlington with a simple government headstone but it was adorned with the gilded Medal of Honor symbol. In addition, it mentioned his Silver Stars, Purple Hearts etc etc on the verso. here are pics of his headstone front and rear circa 2001.





In 2002, his family, I assume, bolstered by his supporters had a second headstone installed at Arlington. Since the headstone or marker is not a government marker but rather a privately funded one it could be inscribed in any fashion the party placing it desired.








The Urban benefactors actually went to the trouble to inscribe every single decoration, medal, award, campaign star, etc I guess as a way of "thumbing their noses" at Murphy.
They didn't even get it right, as if you will notice in the pic it mentions a Belgium Fourragere Medal and we all know there is no such animal.

One final point, since the large Urban marker was not vetted prior to placement as it was privately purchased it seems that i recall it was originally inscribed (I am almost certain, but not 100%) "most decorated" and Arlington to avoid a pissing contest made the Urban people have it sanded down and re-inscribed to read "highly decorated".
Wow!

Thanks,

Dave