Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-06-18
NATIVE OF KANDIYOE1I
. WAS HERO IN FRANCE
Cleaned Out Machine Gun Nest
Single Handed to Save His
s. Men. e

Wahpeton has modest war hero
In the person OF James P. Murray, d
native of Kandiyohf county. and a
nephew of Mike Murray OF Willmar.
The following newspaper clipping
telling about it, has found its way to
our office: - II sss~-. r.
- When James P. Murray of Wahpe.
ton returned last Saturday from
France, after serving with the A. E.
F. for many months, no one in Wah.
peton knew that he had made any
record which was more than the U.s.
uaL. Bravery was personified in ev.
cry American soldier who faced the
Boche 'over there" and stories OF
brave deeds are common.
sergeant Murray, who before the
war was Jim Murray of the firm Of
Dietz & Murray, grocers, had never
mentioned anything in his letters
home to his parents and brothers or
sisters regarding the details of his
experiences. They finally learned
that he had been very slightly
wounded and had been in the hos
pital few days." When talking
with his brother Harry on his re-
turn, the latter asked Jim to allow
him to look at his discharge papers.
Jim passed them over, and Harry
noticed with establishment that his
brother had twice been cited in Gen
eral Orders and awarded the Medal
of Honor for bravery in action on
two occasions. Jim doesn't talk about
this, and the particulars of the story
come from his brother.
Sergeant Murray, who went across
with an eastern division early in
1918, was under fire with the Brit
ish on the Somme three days after
landing in France After going
through the Somme affair, where
the British were being so fearfully
pressed, his outfit moved over to St.
Mihiel, where they took part in that
American offensive, after which they
moved up to the Argonne. Here,
where the most bitter fighting of the
war occurred, Jim won his honors.
Cleaned Nest Single Handed.
'At the start of the drive, there
were three platoons of Jim's com.
pany advancing. Jim's platoon was
in the center, and was forced to halt
by coming bang up against Boche
machine gun nest. The platoon lead.
er, sergeant, was killed, leaving
Jim in command. The platoons on
the right and the left continued to
advance, and it was seen that in a
few moments they would be where
the Boche machine gunner would be
directly between them and able to
flank both platoons with his fire. 1t
was pretty warm position to be in,
and Sergeant Murray hesitated, to
order any of his men to advance
against what appeared to be certain
death in an effort to remove the pes
tiferous machine gunners. But the
obstruction had to be moved, and
so, ordering the platoons to remain
where they were, Jim went forward
alone. You can't get any more de-
tails from Jim, except that of the
four Boches who manned the nest,
bullet accounted for one, the bay
onet for two, and the other, he re-
luctantly admitted, got away. His
platoon advanced, overtaking the
others. Jim's action was noted, and
the citation and decoration follow.
ed in due course.
Rescued Wounded Comrade.
"The second citation came when Jim
rescued wounded comrade in arms
after being severely wounded him.
self. He spent two and half months
in the hospital.
'And we narrowly escaped missing
all this. If it hadn't been for those
discharge papers, no one would have
known about it at all. Jim, like
most of the other boys who saw lots
of close action don't want to talk
about it-wants to forget it. To him,
it was simply doing the job he was
sent there for, To his friends at
home, and particularly to his rela.
tives and parents, it will be the
proudest memory of their lives. And
some day-Well, when that day
comes, that handsome but modest
Medal of Honor will be the most
valued possession of some other Muir