Audie Murphy. The name rings throughout history as a young, seven-teen year old, man. He was arguably the greatest soldier ever to walk this earth. He didn’t have many achievements during his life after WWII, but the impact he made on the sequel to what Germany calls The Great War, would be so invaluable to the lives of men that he didn’t need to. Audie Murphy had many medals, a reason to keep fighting in WWII, and his contribution to the war was incredibly vast.
To begin with, Audie Murphy is mostly well-known for being the most decorated soldier in WWII. On one occasion, Murphy received the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S military medal to ever be given to anybody. He was awarded the medal after jumping onto a burning tank, employing its .50 caliber machine gun on the surrounding enemy forces. He ended up killing, or seriously wounding, roughly 50 hostile units (The Price of Freedom: Audie Murphy’s Medal of Honor Citation). The young man had also been awarded with three of the Purple Heart badges for being injured three times in the war, one of which was during the act that earned him the Medal of Honor. 2nd Lt. Murphy also received a total of 29 U.S military medals and badges, not including The Medal of Honor and the three Purple Hearts.
Secondly, Murphy wasn’t just fighting in the war for his country. His mother, who had passed away just two days before he enlisted, was the main reason for him to live and fight in WWII. Murphy states in his autobiography, To Hell and Back, that he had made a promise to his mother on her death bed to go fight for his country but to return home after the end of the war to take care of his two younger siblings. Although he was only seven-teen, Audie learned the forger’s trade and with t...
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...s’ deaths. His siblings ended up caring for him until a wish of his was finally brought upon him. On May 28th 1971 Audie’s private plane crashed leaving one of the worst crashes in U.S history and no survivors. Audie’s body was brought to Arlington National Cemetery and was buried with highest military honors. This finishes the story of the greatest hero to ever live. Audie Murphy.
Works Cited
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Museum of Natural History, and Robert Weingarten. “O Say Can You See?” ‘O Say Can You See?’ N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.
Unknown. “Audie Murphy Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Unknown. “The Price of Freedom: Audie Murphy’s Medal of Honor Citation.” The Price of Freedom: Audie Murphy’s Medal of Honor Citation. N.p., n. d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
6th ed. New York: St. James Press, 1996. Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
“The Unknown service member from the Vietnam War was designated by Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Allan Jay Kellogg Jr. during a ceremony at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, May 17, 1984” (“The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”). On Memorial Day of the same year, President Reagan presented the Medal of Honor to the Unknown.
Bartlett, Charles. “McCarthy, Joseph Raymond.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
In the Historical fiction, “The Red Badge of Courage”, written by Stephen Crane; a young man try’s to find courage in himself in the time of war. After watching your commander die in war, would you stay and fight or return home and be a coward? Enlisting Himself into war Henry, to be more than the common man to prove worthyness and bravery. With the sergeant dead will Henry lead his men to victory, or withdraw his men in war. Not being the only are faced with the decision Jim and Wilson Henry’s platoons will have the same decision.
Ed. Mary McDonagh Murphy. New York: Harper Perennial, 2010. 104-09. Print.
Standing out more than the other soldiers in his regiment Henry defines his bravery by many different points throughout his experiences. While Henry is just a boy, his self-image is shared very descriptively while Henry tells his mother that he is joining the army. His mother completely rejects his adult decisions of becoming a soldier, but his thoughts were like bricks that could not be moved. Assuring that Henry was not making any rash decisions that he would regret, his mother respects his ideas and allows him to pursue his goal. Henry’s mother shows that she will dignify his decisions, “She had then covered her face with the quilt. There was an end to the matter for that night.” (Crane 5). For Henry’s sake of becoming a man and increasing his self-image, his mother puts her worries aside and lets him go to war. Therefore, Henry, with his decisions of war continues to lack knowledge of reality. His adolescent mind cannot comprehend the horrific scenes of battle, in preparation, he must increase his life visually before he is encouraged to fight for his country. The soldiers in Henry’s regiment tell their stories of battle and how different it really is compared to Henry's life back home. “He was nobody; now he is suddenly special, and this is what he wants.”(Breslin 268) . As Henry continues to be told the stories of men dying, people suffering, and the conditions of war, Henry’s vision of war changes. By understanding how war really is, it enables Henry to become more of a man while he is preparing himself mentally for his first experience in battle. On the other hand, Henry is unaware of how the future will end up. The risks he will have to take and the struggles he will have to overcome in order survive in battle will reveal...
Throughout the rest of his life, Murphy would be plagued by PTSD and show its effects in a time where there was no treatment and people were told to “get over it.” After the war, Murphy would enter into Hollywood and become an actor in several western and war movies. Due to his humble beginnings, Murphy did not enjoy his time in the limelight and tended to be backward and antisocial. In Hollywood, Murphy found that he disagreed with many people who silently supported communism, which is partly what he fought against. Murphy continued to work as an actor and care for his children until he died when thrown out of a plane after it crashed into mountains. Audie Murphy was an America’s sweetheart and appeared to embody all the ideals of what a soldier should. Murphy was humble, courageous, and all-American. In a time of little optimism, Audie Murphy brought hope and new life to American life and culture. Without meaning to be, Murphy turned out to be the most decorated soldier in World War II and one of America’s most celebrated
2. Dike (p.77 to 79) Robert Ross shows his perseverance, when he tries to save himself from drowning in the dikes. He fights against Mother Nature, and thinks strategically by pushing himself and not giving up. He was fearful of drowning, mentally motivated himself to get out and avoid dying, and soon eventually breaks free. This shows how strong Robert is when motivated by the will to survive. Although he was fearful, he overcame it and saved himself, since some would just give up. Before entering the war, it was seen that he would run away from his problems (Rowena’s death), but now as he realizes that there is no point of return, he finds a new sense of drive. He shows his willpower, by maintaining an independent, and strong, logical mind when faced with fear, and learns to fight so that was doesn’t get the best of him. “I don’t want to drown, he thought. Please don’t drown. He pushed himself up with his head hanging down,” (Findley 79).
...st victories like no other individual. Billy Bishop emerged from Owen Sound, Ontario and struggled through his training days. He proved himself as a great war hero and earned his spot among those most honoured and remembered.
Recently, students of Olympian High School have stumbled upon the question, "What is a hero?" In the school's 2013 Young Minds Essay Contest, students are expected to consider universal concerns and ideas. Many times when people think of a hero, they think of Superman, Batman, and many other Marvel characters who display unattainable superpowers. However, heroes are prevalent throughout the world. A hero can be anyone who has the desire to help others, brave in dangerous situations, and does not look at exterior gain from helping others.
8th ed. of the book. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. 505 - 16. Print.
What is the price of freedom that was paid, and is being paid? Freedom was paid with anguish, pain, time, and lives. We, the inhabitants of America, are fortunate to see this land where we have unalienable human rights that are just basic and essential statutes. There is always a cost for something; furthermore there is a price on our freedom. We pay taxes, follow the land and society¡¯s regulations, vote, and so on. The topic of importance and eminence is how, why, and what paid for our freedom.
Stanley Corngold. New York: Bantam, 2004. Print.
Murphy, Bernice M. Shirley Jackson: Essays on the Literary Legacy. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &, 2005. Print.
6th ed. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Harper Collins, 1995. 118-29.