homer isbell in texas in world war 2 navy

Murphy fought at Montélimar and led his men on a successful assault at L'Omet quarry near Cleurie in northeastern France in October.Īfter the war, Murphy embarked on a 21-year acting career. He first saw action in the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily then in 1944 he participated in the Battle of Anzio, the liberation of Rome, and the invasion of southern France. Turned down initially for being underweight by the Army, Navy and the Marine Corps, he eventually was able to enlist in the Army. Murphy left school in fifth grade to pick cotton and find other work to help support his family his skill with a hunting rifle helped feed his family.Īfter the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Murphy's older sister helped him to falsify documentation about his birthdate in order to meet the minimum age requirement for enlisting in the military. After his father abandoned them, his mother died when he was a teenager.

Murphy was born into a large family of sharecroppers in Hunt County, Texas.

Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor that he demonstrated at the age of 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945, before leading a successful counterattack while wounded and out of ammunition.

He received every military combat award for valor available from the United States Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism.

He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II.

Croix de Guerre with silver star (France)Īudie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – ) was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter.

Homer isbell in texas in world war 2 navy