Charles P . Murray , Jr . Charles Patrick Murray , Jr . ( September 26 , 1921 – August 12 , 2011 ) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in World War II . Early life . Born on September 26 , 1921 , in Baltimore , Maryland , Murray moved to Wilmington , North Carolina , at age one . After graduating from Wilmington ' s New Hanover High School in 1938 , he attended the University of North Carolina . He was drafted into the U . S . Army in 1942 , after his third year of college . World War II . Arriving in northeastern France in October 1944 , Murray was assigned as a replacement platoon leader to Company C of the 30th Infantry Regiment , 3rd Infantry Division . The division had landed in Saint - Tropez on the southern coast of France months earlier and was pushing northward towards Germany . On December 8 of that year , Murray became company commander . Early on December 16 , Company C crossed the Weiss River in the northern Vosges Mountains and established a defensive position atop Hill 512 , just south of the village of Kaysersberg . Later that morning , Murray , by then a first lieutenant , led a platoon - sized group on a reconnaissance mission to the southeast , towards Ammerschwihr . Descending the vineyard - covered hill along a winding footpath , the group noticed German soldiers in a sunken road , about away , firing on an American hilltop position . Creeping forward to a point from which he could see the German unit , about 200 men strong , Murray made a radio call for artillery support . When the artillery landed slightly off target , he attempted to call for a range correction but the radio went dead . Not wanting to send his patrol against the much larger German force , he retrieved rifle grenade s from his men and returned to his vantage point to begin a single - handed attack on the position . Although his fire alerted the Germans to his location , he continued to shoot grenades and later an automatic rifle into the German unit . As the soldiers attempted to withdraw , he disabled a truck which was carrying out three mortars . Members of his patrol brought up their own mortar , and Murray directed its fire until the Germans had scattered towards Ammerschwihr . Continuing on the footpath , he and his men captured ten German soldiers . An eleventh soldier approached him with his helmet off and his arms raised . When Murray turned to shout orders , the soldier tossed a grenade ; the explosion knocked Murray to the ground and sent eight pieces of shrapnel into his left leg . After getting back to his feet , he stopped his men from killing the prisoner . Only after organizing the patrol into a defensive position did he turn over command of the company and find an aid station . After receiving medical treatment , Murray rejoined his unit on December 28 , 1944 . He learned that he had been recommended for the Medal of Honor in March of the next year and , per Army policy , was soon removed from combat . He remained with his division and was in Salzburg , Austria , on May 7 , 1945 , when a ceasefire was declared . The next day , Germany ' s surrender was finalized and the war in Europe was over . Murray was issued the Medal of Honor on August 1 , 1945 , eight months after the fight near Kaysersberg . It was formally presented to him during a ceremony in Salzburg , with the entire 3rd Infantry Division in attendance . He arrived home in Wilmington in September to a hero ' s welcome , but later returned to Europe and served four years of occupation duty . During this time , he was stationed in Salzburg and became the head U . S . intelligence officer in that city . In addition to the Medal of Honor , Murray received three Silver Star s , two Bronze Stars with Valor device s , a Purple Heart , and the Combat Infantryman Badge for his World War II service . Later life . Murray remained in the Army after World War II , serving with the 82nd Airborne Division and participating in the Korean and Vietnam War s . He eventually rose to the rank of colonel and commanded the 3rd US Infantry Regiment ( The Old Guard ) , a ceremonial unit tasked with guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns , among other duties . In 1970 , he transferred to Fort Jackson in Columbia , South Carolina , from where he retired in 1973 . As a civilian , Murray worked for the South Carolina Department of Corrections until his final retirement . He and his wife , Anne , lived in Columbia , South Carolina until his death from congestive heart failure on August 12 , 2011 . Murray Middle School in Wilmington is named in his honor . Medal of Honor citation . Murray ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : For commanding Company C , 30th Infantry , displaying supreme courage and heroic initiative near Kaysersberg , France , on 16 December 1944 , while leading a reinforced platoon into enemy territory . Descending into a valley beneath hilltop positions held by our troops , he observed a force of 200 Germans pouring deadly mortar , bazooka , machinegun , and small arms fire into an American battalion occupying the crest of the ridge . The enemy ' s position in a sunken road , though hidden from the ridge , was open to a flank attack by 1st Lt . Murray ' s patrol but he hesitated to commit so small a force to battle with the superior and strongly disposed enemy . Crawling out ahead of his troops to a vantage point , he called by radio for artillery fire . His shells bracketed the German force , but when he was about to correct the range his radio went dead . He returned to his patrol , secured grenades and a rifle to launch them and went back to his self - appointed outpost . His first shots disclosed his position ; the enemy directed heavy fire against him as he methodically fired his missiles into the narrow defile . Again he returned to his patrol . With an automatic rifle and ammunition , he once more moved to his exposed position . Burst after burst he fired into the enemy , killing 20 , wounding many others , and completely disorganizing its ranks , which began to withdraw . He prevented the removal of 3 German mortars by knocking out a truck . By that time a mortar had been brought to his support . 1st Lt . Murray directed fire of this weapon , causing further casualties and confusion in the German ranks . Calling on his patrol to follow , he then moved out toward his original objective , possession of a bridge and construction of a roadblock . He captured 10 Germans in foxholes . An eleventh , while pretending to surrender , threw a grenade which knocked him to the ground , inflicting 8 wounds . Though suffering and bleeding profusely , he refused to return to the rear until he had chosen the spot for the block and had seen his men correctly deployed . By his single - handed attack on an overwhelming force and by his intrepid and heroic fighting , 1st Lt . Murray stopped a counterattack , established an advance position against formidable odds , and provided an inspiring example for the men of his command . Burial at Arlington National Cemetery on 9 SEP 2011 . http : / / www . patriotguard . org / Forums / tabid / 61 / postid / 1626878 / view / topic / Default . aspx