Visited Audie Murphy memorial today

jimdeere

From Wikipedia:

On 28 May 1971, Murphy was killed when the private plane in which he was a passenger crashed into Brush Mountain, near Catawba, Virginia, 20 miles (32 km) west of Roanoke in conditions of rain, clouds, fog and zero visibility.[181] The pilot and four other passengers were also killed.[182]

The aircraft was a twin-engine Aero Commander 680 flown by a pilot who had a private-pilot license and a reported 8,000 hours of flying time, but who held no instrument rating. The aircraft was recovered on 31 May.[183] 

Grunt2

That's awesome...My hero!

kimi

Id like to visit there, too. Wife, son and I have visited his burial site.

spasmcreeksrun

awesome military record.....my respects

bustedknee

I am impressed by the amount as well as the variety of mementos left by visitors.

We usually spend a 1/2 hour sitting on the bench, quietly soaking it up. 

I looked for any remnants of the plane and could find nothing.

Very nice walk out the ridge, highly recommended.

jimdeere

Yep, dog tags, service hats, all kinds of stuff. The National Forest folks must collect the mementos periodically. Next time I’m in their office, I’ll ask them.

Grasshopper

Quite the MAN. Hero, a real one and I have watched every movie he has made a dozen times.

Smitty500mag

He was only 5'-5 1/2" tall and weighted 112 pounds when he enlisted in June of 1942 but by the end of war in1945 he cast a giant shadow where ever he walked.

He was wounded 3 times, got gangrene from one of the wounds that required several operations to remove the dead tissue and hospitalized twice for Malaria while he was in the war. 

He was an amazing man. Rose from PFC to Major by the end of his military career. To bad his life was cut short from a plane crash at the age of 45.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_career_of_Audie_Murphy

"From its peak of 235 men, disease, injuries and casualties had reduced Company B's fighting strength to 18 men. Murphy being the only officer remaining on 26 January was made the company commander.[81] The company awaited reinforcements as Murphy watched the approaching Germans,

I see the Germans lining up for an attack. Six tanks rumble to the outskirts of Holtzwihr, split into groups of threes, and fan out toward either side of the clearing. Then wave after wave of white dots, barely discernible against the background of snow, start across the field. They are enemy infantrymen.[82]

The Germans scored a direct hit on an M10 tank destroyer, setting it on fire and causing its crew to abandon it.[83] Murphy ordered his men to retreat to positions in the woods, remaining alone at his post shooting his M1 carbine and relaying orders via his radio while the Germans aimed fire directly at his position.[84] Murphy mounted the abandoned, burning tank destroyer and began firing its .50 caliber machine gun at the advancing Germans, killing a squad crawling through a ditch towards him.[85]

It was like standing on top of a time bomb ... he was standing on the TD chassis, exposed to enemy fire from his ankles to his head and silhouetted against the trees and the snow behind him.[83]

— Eyewitness account of Pvt. Anthony V. Abramski

For an hour, Murphy stood on the tank destroyer returning German fire from foot soldiers and advancing tanks, during which he sustained a leg wound. He stopped only after he ran out of ammunition.[83]

As if under the influence of some drug, I slide off the tank destroyer and, without once looking back, walk down the road through the forest. If the Germans want to shoot me, let them. I am too weak from fear and exhaustion to care.[86]

— Audie Murphy, To Hell and Back

He rejoined his men with complete disregard for his own wound, leading them back to successfully repel the Germans. Only afterwards would he allow treatment of his leg wound, and still insisted on remaining with his men.[83]

... during his indomitable one-man struggle, Lieutenant Murphy broke the entire attack of the Germans and held hard-won ground that it would have been disastrous to lose.[87]

— Eyewitness account of Sergeant Elmer C. Brawley

While standing on the burning tank destroyer Murphy killed or wounded 50 Germans. For his actions that day he was awarded the Medal of Honor.[88]

SW0320

I was at that site in Colmar France where this took place.  Looking across the field from the road I can’t imagine what he went through.  The guide told us about one quote by Audie. It was said that Audie was speaking with a commander in the rear and the commander asked how close are the Germans.  Audie said “Wait a moment I will put a German on the line”.

Here is a video of the museum.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfJRd67iYuY

Sam06

Cool.

His M1 Carbine is in the Infantry Museum at Ft Benning.

gruntled2

https://www.audiemurphyranch.com/  This just a short distance from my house. It is built on what used to be his horse farm.

kimi

I've mentioned it before on the forum many years ago, but here it is again.  Aside from being the military hero he was quite the hero on other fronts as well.  Back when I was on the field at San Diego in the late 60s and early 70s, Audie was driving down one of the LA area freeways in the early hours of the morning when he passed by two parked vehicles where two men were accosting a woman, and although I do not remember the details that well anymore, the traffic was practically nonexistent when he stopped his vehicle, backed up, whipped up on the two guys, and I think pistol whipped them to boot with his 1911 .45.  And helped the lady to avoid any more abuse.  That's Audie Murphy for you.