Raymond G . Murphy Captain Raymond Gerald " Jerry " Murphy ( January 14 , 1930 – April 6 , 2007 ) was the 39th United States Marine to receive the Medal of Honor for heroism in the Korean War . He was decorated by President Dwight D . Eisenhower in a White House ceremony on October 27 , 1953 . He earned the Nation ' s highest decoration for heroic action and leadership in the " Reno - Vegas " fighting of February 1953 . Biography . Raymond Gerald Murphy was born in Pueblo , Colorado on January 14 , 1930 to Thomas and Mame Murphy . He graduated from Pueblo Catholic High School in 1947 . He attended Fort Lewis Junior College in Durango , Colorado for two years before transferring to Adams State College in Alamosa , Colorado . While in college , he played varsity football , basketball and baseball , and worked as a swimming instructor in Durango in the summer of 1950 . In 1951 , Murphy graduated from Adams State College with a degree in physical education . He joined the Marine Corps Reserve in May 1951 and entered Officers Candidate School at Parris Island , South Carolina , the following month . Commissioned a second lieutenant in September 1951 , he was then ordered to Officers ' Basic School at Quantico , Virginia . Completing the course the following February , he was transferred to Camp Pendleton , California , for advanced training before embarking for Korea in July 1952 . In Korea , 2dLt Murphy served with the 5th Marines , 1st Marine Division until he was wounded in the action where he earned the Medal of Honor . After treatment aboard the Danish hospital ship " Jutlandia " , the American hospital ship , and later in Japan , he was returned to the U . S . Naval Hospital , Mare Island , California , in March 1953 . He was promoted to first lieutenant that same month . He returned to Pueblo after his discharge from the hospital and was released from active duty April 7 , 1953 . On October 27 , President Dwight Eisenhower presented Murphy and six others with the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House . He is one of four Medal of Honor recipients from Pueblo , Colorado , the others being William J . Crawford , Drew Dennis Dix , and Carl L . Sitter . Murphy was promoted to captain on December 31 , 1954 and discharged from the Marine Corps Reserve five years later on December 28 , 1959 . After the war , Murphy moved to New Mexico . From 1974 until his retirement , he worked as a counselor for the Veterans Administration and became the Chief of Veterans Services . After retiring from the VA Jerry stayed on as a volunteer at the hospital until 2005 . He and his wife , Maryann , raised three sons , John , Tim , and Michael , and a daughter , Eleanor . Murphy died on April 6 , 2007 in the Veterans Administration Nursing Home in Pueblo at age 77 , after a long illness . He was buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery in Santa Fe , New Mexico . Prior to his death , a bill was introduced in the U . S . Senate to name to Veterans ' hospital in Albuquerque the " Raymond G . Murphy Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center " . The bill was passed by both houses of Congress and signed by President Bush on July 5 , 2007 . Awards and decorations . Capt . Murphy ' s decorations include : Medal of Honor citation . The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to SECOND LIEUTENANT RAYMOND G . MURPHY UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS for service as set forth in the following CITATION : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Platoon Commander of Company A , First Battalion , Fifth Marines , First Marine Division ( Reinforced ) , in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on February 3 , 1953 . Although painfully wounded by fragments from an enemy mortar shell while leading his evacuation platoon in support of assault units attacking a cleverly concealed and well - entrenched hostile force occupying commanding ground , Second Lieutenant Murphy steadfastly refused medical aid and continued to lead his men up a hill through a withering barrage of hostile mortar and small - arms fire , skillfully maneuvering his force from one position to the next and shouting words of encouragement . Undeterred by the increasing intense enemy fire , he immediately located casualties as they fell and made several trips up and down the fire - swept hill to direct evacuation teams to the wounded , personally carrying many of the stricken Marines to safety . When reinforcements were needed by the assaulting elements , Second Lieutenant Murphy employed part of his Unit as support and , during the ensuing battle , personally killed two of the enemy with his pistol . When all the wounded evacuated and the assaulting units beginning to disengage , he remained behind with a carbine to cover the movement of friendly forces off the hill and , though suffering intense pain from his previous wounds , seized an automatic rifle to provide more firepower when the enemy reappeared in the trenches . After reaching the base of the hill , he organized a search party and again ascended the slope for a final check on missing Marines , locating and carrying the bodies of a machine - gun crew back down the hill . Wounded a second time while conducting the entire force to the line of departure through a continuing barrage of enemy small - arms , artillery and mortar fire , he again refused medical assistance until assured that every one of his men , including all casualties , had preceded him to the main lines . His resolute and inspiring leadership , exceptional fortitude and great personal valor reflect the highest credit upon Second Lieutenant Murphy and enhance the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service . / S / DWIGHT D . EISENHOWER