The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1945-10-11
Thousands Greet
Hero Who Looks
Like a Boy Scout
Fighting Texan Won About
Every Decoration for
His Achievements.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.-A freck-
led face kid, fresh from European
battle fields, limped down the ramp
from C-54 transport at the air field
here.
There were about 20 G.I.s with
him and he could have been their
mascot. He was feet 7 inches tall
and weighed 1874. He looked about
IT. When he started down long re-
ception line of waiting notables he
didn't give his name to a single
member of the welcoming commit
tee.
This was Lit Audie Leon Murphy,
who held just about every combat
decoration in the book, including the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
This was the Murphy who made
lone stand against $50 German in
fantrymen and six German tanks;
the kid who ran through a hail of
machine gun fire and single hand
edly cleaned out prepared enemy
positions; the 20-year-old youngster
who came up the hard way to
DaJtle neld commission.
He Steals the Show.
This was Murphy, back on his ma
tive Texas soil, but he looked like
an Eagle Scout. Texans gasped with
surprise. There were 10 generals
in the group that landed at the air
port. Murphy stole the show.
Delighted reporters bounced on
him. In amazement they wrote
down the long list of awards.
"Pd like to know every detail
about how you won the COMPRESSION
al Medal of Honor" a girl reporter
said.
Murphy's cool green eyes studied
the girl "There wasn't much to
it," he said.
Not much! 1t was a January
morning of this year and the woods
outside of Holtzwihr, France, were
heavy and silent with bitter cold.
There were Sc men, all that were left
of a company of the 18th "Can Do"
regiment of the 3rd division, 7th
army. In command, succeeding the
leader who had fallen the day be-
fore, was End Lit Murphy, who didn't
drink or smoke and whose strongest
cuss word was gosh"
Valor had boosted him from the
ranks. He had become a private
first class in Africa, a corporal in
Sicily, sergeant and staff sergeant
in Italy, a second lieutenant in
southern France. Now company
command was handed him by field
telephone at 3 a. m. on freezing
morning.
Left All Alone.
Hours crawled by. The company,
scheduled to attack, awaited ammu-
milton. At 10 a. m. Murphy raised
his field glasses and took a long
look. His mouth went dry. The
enemy, camouhaged in white sheets,
was attacking over the hard packed
snow with $50 infantrymen and six
tanks. Murphy ordered his men out
of the woods Then he ran to his
field telephone and called for ar
tillery fire. Shells began bursting
in the German ranks and Murphy
dropped his telephone often to fire
his rifle.
The Germans came on. An artil-
leryman yelled into a telephone.
How close are they to your"
"Just minute" Murphy replied.
"Tn let you speak to them"
An American tank destroyer ap-
preached the young officers posi-
ton and a German 88 shell set it
afire. Two men lay dead in the tur-
ret. The others bailed out and went
back
That left Murphy alone with
rife, telephone, and a burning
tank destroyer loaded with ammuni-
ton and gasoline and likely to blow
sky high at any moment.
In all, he killed or wounded so
Germans with the machine guns.
The Nazi infantry was stopped.
Without the infantry, the whole at
tack collapsed. Only then did Muir
ply drop YEARLY off the destroyer
and limp back to his company. He
refused treatment for his shrapnel
wound, reorganized his company,
and led it in an attack that routed
the enemy.