World war 2 soldier biography

In his last few years, he was plagued by money problems but refused offers to appear in alcohol and cigarette commercials because he did not want to set a bad example. Murphy died in a plane crash in Virginia inshortly before his 46th birthday. He was interred with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Murphy was born on 20 Junein Kingstona small rural community in Hunt County in northeastern Texas.

Smith concluded that he was born inbased on statements made by his To Hell and Back co-author David McClure, his California driver's license, and by Murphy himself. As a child, Murphy was a loner with mood swings and an explosive temper. After his mother died of endocarditis and pneumonia [ 20 ] inhe worked at a radio repair shop and at a combination general store, garage and gas station in Greenville.

After the war, he bought a house in Farmersville for his eldest sister Corinne and her husband, Poland Burns. His other siblings briefly shared the home. She died when I was sixteen. She had the most beautiful hair I've ever seen. It reached almost to the floor. She rarely talked; and always seemed to be searching for something. What it was I don't know.

We didn't discuss our feelings. But when she passed away, she took something of me with her. It seems I've been searching for it ever since. After his sister provided an affidavit that falsified his birth date by a year, he was accepted by the U. Army on 30 June Smith, Murphy acknowledged his birth date was falsified at his enlistment in a interview with the Austin Statesman : "'The doctor back home couldn't remember exactly when I was born,' he said with a smile, 'so I was After basic training at Camp Wolters[ 30 ] he was sent to Fort Meade for advanced infantry training.

Murphy was shipped to Casablanca in French Morocco on 20 February Murphy participated in Operation Avalanchethe September mainland Salerno landing at Battipaglia. Murphy and the other survivor responded by killing five Germans with hand grenades and machine gun fire. In JanuaryMurphy was promoted to staff sergeant. Murphy continued to make scouting patrols to take German prisoners before being hospitalized for a week on 13 March with a second bout of malaria.

During the first wave of the Allied invasion of southern FranceMurphy received the Distinguished Service Cross [ 62 ] [ 63 ] for action taken on 15 August He retrieved a machine gun that had been detached from the squad and returned fire at the German soldiers, killing two and wounding one. Murphy advanced alone on the house under direct fire.

He killed six, wounded two and took 11 prisoners. Murphy's first Purple Heart was for a heel wound received in a mortar shell blast on 15 September in northeastern France. When his men finally took the hill, 15 Germans had been killed and 35 wounded. Murphy captured two before being shot in the hip by a sniper; he returned fire and shot the sniper between the eyes.

At the 3rd General Hospital at Aix-en-Provence[ 73 ] the removal of gangrene from the wound caused partial loss of his hip muscle and kept him out of combat until January. The Colmar Pocketsquare miles 2, km 2 in the Vosges Mountainshad been held by German troops since November The Germans scored a direct hit on an M10 tank destroyer which was stationed near Murphy's company command post, setting it alight and forcing the crew to abandon it.

He sustained a leg wound during his stand, and stopped only after he ran out of ammunition. Murphy rejoined his men, disregarding his own injury, and led them world war 2 soldier biography to repel the Germans. Murphy insisted on remaining with his men while his wounds were treated. For his actions that day, Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor.

On 16 February, Murphy was promoted to first lieutenant [ 86 ] and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service from 22 January to 18 February Belgium awarded Murphy the Belgian Croix de guerre with Palm. Brigadier General Ralph B. Lovett and Lieutenant Colonel Hallet D. Edson recommended Murphy for the Medal of Honor. When asked after the war why he had seized the machine gun and taken on an entire company of German infantry, he replied, "They were killing my friends".

Murphy received every U. Army for his World War II service. Inquiries were made through official channels about the prospect of Murphy attending West Point upon his return to the United States, but he never enrolled. Murphy was one of several military personnel who received orders on 8 June to report to Fort Sam Houston in San AntonioTexas, for temporary duty and reassignment.

He was discharged with the rank of first lieutenant at a 50 percent disability classification on 21 September and transferred to the Officers' Reserve Corps. After his military service, Murphy was plagued with insomnia and bouts of depression, and he slept with a loaded pistol under his pillow. His medical records indicated that he took sleeping pills to help prevent nightmares.

To draw attention to the problems of returning Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, Murphy spoke out candidly about his own problems with post-traumatic stress disorder.

World war 2 soldier biography

He called on the government to give increased consideration and study to the emotional impact of combat experiences, and to extend health care benefits to war veterans. Phinney, were the 36th's commander and deputy commander respectively. After the 25 June commencement of the Korean War, Murphy began a second military career and was commissioned as a captain in the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard.

At his request, he transferred to inactive status on 1 October because of his film commitments with MGM Studiosand returned to active status in Murphy was world war 2 soldier biography to the rank of major by the Texas Army National Guard in and returned to inactive status in During an acting career spanning from toMurphy made more than 40 feature films and one television series.

Cagney and his brother William signed him as a contract player for their production company and gave him training in acting, voice and dance. They never cast Murphy in a movie and a personal disagreement ended the association in He wrapped up that year making Sierra starring Wanda Hendrix, who by that time had become his wife, [ ] and Kansas Raiders as outlaw Jesse James.

Murphy worked with Siegel one more time in for The Gun Runners. Although Murphy was initially reluctant to appear as himself in To Hell and Backthe adaptation of his book directed by Jesse Hibbshe eventually agreed; [ ] it became the biggest hit in the history of Universal Studios at the time. They worked together for the last time in the western Ride a Crooked Trail.

Joseph L. The partnership fell into disagreement over the remaining two projects, and Brown filed suit against Murphy. Murphy was featured in three westerns in he starred opposite Sandra Dee in The Wild and the Innocent[ ] collaborated as an uncredited co-producer with Walter Mirisch on the black and white Cast a Long Shadowand performed as a hired killer in No Name on the Bulleta film that was well received by critics.

He received the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal for his cooperation in the episode Broken Bridgewhich featured his visits to military installations in Germany, Italy, Turkey and the U. Willingham and his wife Mary Willingham befriended Murphy in his early days in Hollywood and worked with him on a number of projects. Willard was a producer on Murphy's television series Whispering Smith[ ] and co-wrote the screenplay for Battle at Bloody Beach that year.

Murphy married actress Wanda Hendrix in His horses raced at the Del Mar Racetrackand he invested large sums of money in the hobby. He was noted for a quick, fierce temper; he was involved in various violent altercations during his adult life. He was accused of firing a shot at the man, which he denied. On 28 MayMurphy was killed when the private plane in which he was a passenger crashed into the side of a mountain 14 nautical miles 16 mi; 26 km northwest of Roanoke, Virginia[ ] in conditions of rain, clouds, fog, and zero visibility.

The aircraft was a twin-engine Aero Commander flown by a pilot who had a private-pilot license and a reported 8, hours of flying time, but who held no instrument rating. The aircraft was recovered on 31 May. George H. A special flagstone walkway was later constructed to accommodate the large number of people who visit to pay their respects.

It is the cemetery's second most-visited gravesite, after that of President John F. The headstones of Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery are normally decorated in gold leaf. Maximilian Kolbe — was a Franciscan priest who encouraged devotion to Mary and was committed to praying for those hostile to the Church. Inhe was arrested for sheltering Jews and sent to Auschwitz.

He volunteered to take the place of a man condemned to death. He used his connections and his own money to successfully protect over 1, Jews who were employed in his factory. Witold Pilecki — Pilecki was a soldier in the Polish army and after the German occupation, he joined the underground Polish resistance. Inhe volunteered to smuggle himself into Auschwitz concentration camp so he could report on the holocaust to the allies.

He then escaped Auschwitz and took part in the Warsaw uprising of Inhe was executed by the Stalinist secret police for retaining loyalty to the non-Communist Polish government. He helped several thousand Jews to escape from Lithuania by personally writing exit visas — despite the fact he was disobeying orders from Tokyo not to do so. After the war, he was forced to resign from the Japanese civil service.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer — was a Lutheran Pastor who was an influential critic of Hitler and Nazism, executed in He sought to create a new Roman Empire and allied Italy with Germany. After the fall of Italy to Allied troops, he was executed by Italian partisans. Charles de Gaulle — When France surrendered to the Germans, Charles de Gaulle escaped to England and provided a focal point for the Free French who wished to resist the German occupation.

De Gaulle became the symbol of the French resistance and triumphantly returned to Paris in He initially sought a policy of appeasement with Hitler to allow the UK to re-arm and also in the hope another war could be avoided. The early years of the war were considered a failure, and after humiliating setbacks, he was replaced by Churchill.

General Josip Tito. He oversaw the militarization of society and the Japanese attempt to conquer China and South East Asia. Tojo was Prime Minister from October 17,to July Tojo was responsible for ordering the attack on Pearl Harbour and other measures of aggression. He was executed for war crimes in Haile Selassie — Emperor of Ethiopia from Selassie became an inspirational figure in the movement for African independence for the way he resisted the Italian invasion of Ethiopia during the s.

Chiang Kai-shek — Leader of Chinese Nationalist forces. Led Chinese troops against the Japanese invasion of mainland China. He was a commander during the invasion of France and achieved striking victories in North Africa war. InRommel was put in charge of defending the Atlantic Wall, but disillusioned with Hitler he became part of the failed bomb plot and was forced to take his own life.

Led Allied troops to the first major victory of the war El Alamein when it was desperately needed. He also led British divisions during Operation Overlord and the liberation of occupied Europe. Taken prisoner by the Russians, he became a critic of Nazi Germany. Erich von Manstein — German officer who devised a plan for the invasion of France.

He clashed with Hitler over military strategy and was removed from his post in March Yamamoto was world war 2 soldier biography for the naval actions at Pearl Habour and the Battle of Midway. He was popular with his men, and when his plane was shot down init was a blow to Japanese War morale. Within a month of his arrival back in England, Carton de Wiart was summoned to spend a night at the prime minister's country home at Chequers.

Churchill informed him that he was to be sent to China as his personal representative. He was granted the rank of acting lieutenant-general on 9 October, [ 70 ] and left by air for India on 18 October Anglo-Chinese relations were difficult in World War II as the Kuomintang had long called for the end of British extraterritorial rights in China together with the return of Hong Kong, neither proposal being welcome to Churchill.

In earlyChurchill had to ask Chiang Kai-shek to send Chinese troops to help the British hold Burma from the Japanese, and following the Japanese conquest of Burma the X Force of five Chinese divisions had ended up in eastern India. As his accommodation in China was not ready, Carton de Wiart spent time in India gaining an understanding of the situation in China, especially being briefed by a genuine tai-panJohn Keswickhead of the great China trading empire Jardine Matheson.

He also met Orde Wingate. When in Cairo, he took the opportunity to renew his acquaintance with Hermione, Countess of Ranfurlythe wife of his friend from prisoner-of-war days, Dan Ranfurly. Army General Joseph Stilwell. For the next three years, he was to be involved in a host of reporting, diplomatic and administrative duties in the remote wartime capital.

Carton de Wiart became a great admirer of the Chinese people. He wrote that, when he was appointed as Churchill's personal representative to Chiang Kai-shek in China, he imagined a country "full of whimsical little people with quaint customs who carved lovely jade ornaments and worshiped their grandmothers. He regularly flew out to India to liaise with British officials.

His old friend, Richard O'Connor, had escaped from the Italian prisoner-of-war camp and was now in command of British troops in eastern India. On 9 OctoberCarton de Wiart was promoted to temporary lieutenant-general and to the war substantive rank of major-general. Carton de Wiart was assigned to a tour of the Burma front, and after meeting Admiral Sir James Somervillecommander-in-chief of the British Eastern Fleethe was given a front seat on the bridge of the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth for the bombardment of Sabang in the Netherlands East Indies inincluding air battles between Japanese fighters and British carrier aircraft.

A good part of Carton de Wiart's reporting had to do with the increasing power of the Chinese Communists. The journalist and historian Max Hastings writes: "De Wiart despised all Communists on principle, denounced Mao Zedong as 'a fanatic', and added: 'I cannot believe he means business'. He told the British cabinet that there was no conceivable alternative to Chiang as ruler of China.

Mao was briefly stunned, and then laughed. After the Japanese surrender in AugustCarton de Wiart flew to Singapore to participate in the formal surrender. He was now 66 and ready to retire, despite the offer of a job by Chiang. Carton de Wiart retired in Octoberwith the honorary rank of lieutenant-general. En route home via French IndochinaCarton de Wiart stopped in Rangoon as a guest of the army commander.

Coming downstairs, he slipped on coconut matting, fell, broke several vertebrae, and knocked himself unconscious. He was admitted to Rangoon Hospital where he was treated. Inat the age of 71, he married Ruth Myrtle Muriel Joan McKechnie, a divorcee known as Joan Sutherland, 23 years his junior born in lateshe died 13 January at the age of Carton de Wiart died at the age of 83 on 5 June He left no papers.

The grave site is just outside the graveyard wall near the gojo shrine on the grounds of his home, Aghinagh House. Carton de Wiart was the recipient of several awards: [ 90 ]. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item.

This is the latest accepted revisionreviewed on 1 January Belgian-British Army officer — This article uses a Belgian surname: the surname is Carton de Wiartnot Wiart. Killinardish Churchyard, County CorkIreland. Early life [ edit ]. Background [ edit ]. Second Boer War [ edit ]. Character, interests, and life in the Edwardian army [ edit ]. First World War [ edit ].

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