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A Memorial Day Tribute
Monday is Memorial Day, and I’ll be putting on my faded Marine Corp fatigues and railroad track bars and leading the town’s veteran’s parade. So I thought it would be a good day to tell you the story of my Uncle Mitch.
Since job prospects for high school graduates in rural Pennsylvania in 1936 were poor, Mitch walked 200 miles to the nearest Marine Corp recruiting station in Baltimre. After basic training, he spent five years rotating between duty in China and the Philippines.
When WWII broke out, he was a seasoned sergeant in charge of a machine gun platoon. That put him with the seventh regiment of the First Marine division at Guadalcanal in October, 1942. When the Japanese counterattacked, Mitch was put in charge of four Browning 30 caliber water cooled machine guns and 33 men, dug in at trenches on a ridge above Henderson Field.
The Japanese launched massive waves of suicide attackers in a pouring tropical rainstorm all night long, frequently breaking through the lines and engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat. If the position fell, the flank would have been broken, leading to a loss of the airfield, and possibly the entire battle.
After the first hour, all of Mitch’s men were either dead or severely wounded, shot or slashed with samurai swords. So Mitch fired one gun until it was empty, than scurried over to the next, and then the next. In between waves, he ran back and reloaded all the guns. When the Japanese launched their final assault, and then retreated, he picked up a 40 pound Browning and ran down the hill after them, firing all the way, and burning all the skin off his left forearm.
Mitch’s commanding officer, Col. Herman H. Hanneken, heard the guns firing all night from the field below. He was shocked when he visited the position the next morning, finding Mitch alone in front of a twisted sea of 1,000 Japanese bodies, not a scratch on him. To see a photo of that grisly scene please click here at http://www.madhedgefundtrader.com/Today_s_Diary_Entry.php . Mitch was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in Australia a few months later.
After the war, Mitch, now a colonel, was handed the plum of all Marine Corp jobs, acting as the liaison officer with Hollywood. He provided the planes, ships, and beaches needed to make the great classic war films, and got to know stars like John Wayne, Lee Marvin, and yes, even Elvis Presley. The iconic fictional hero in the 1949 film, Sands of Iwo Jima, Sergeant John M. Striker, was said to be modeled after him. Tradition dictated that all military officers saluted Mitch, even five star generals, and he was given a seat to attend every presidential inauguration from FDR on. Pacific countries issued stamps with his image, and Mattel sold a special GI Joe in his likeness.
When Mitch got older and infirm, I used my captain’s rank to accompany him on diplomatic missions overseas to attend important events, like the D-Day 40th anniversary in Normandy. Whenever Mitch was in town, he would join me for lunch with some of my clients with a history bent, and a more humble and self effacing guy you never met.
Mitch passed away in 2003 while he was working as a technical consultant to the pre production of the just released HBO series, The Pacific. The funeral in Riverside, California was marked by an eagle which continuously circled over head, which according to the Indian shaman present, only occurred at the services for great warriors.
When I get back from my parade, I’ll take out the samurai sword Mitch captured on that fateful day, a 1692 Muneshige, the hilt still scarred with 30 caliber slugs, and give it a ritual polishing in sesame oil and powdered deer horn, as samurai have done for a millennia.
To read more about the First Marine Division’s campaign during the war, please read the excellent paperback, The Island: A History of the Firs Marine Division on Guadalcanal by Herbert Laing Merillat, which you can buy by clicking here at http://www.amazon.com/Island-History-Marine-Division-Guadalcanal/dp/1594161135/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274903905&sr=1-4 (add amazon cookie).
To see the data, charts, and graphs that support this research piece, as well as more iconoclastic and out-of-consensus analysis, please visit me at www.madhedgefundtrader.com . There, you will find the conventional wisdom mercilessly flailed and tortured daily, and my last two years of research reports available for free. You can also listen to me on Hedge Fund Radio by clicking on the “Today’s Radio Show” menu tab on the left on my home page.
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Glorifying war and killing other humans holds no appeal for me...
a sober review of America's history of enslavement, genocide of native Americans and endless muderous wars
inevitably leads to the conclusion that our leaders view soldiers as suckers who die to protect the privileges of the few....
But the racists who enjoy killing people who don't look like themselves---they are murderers, and it is not surprising that they are tortured by their own consciences.
sorry!
but thanks for sharing.
I really don't know what to say to someone so fucking brainwashed as you.
Nice avatar...confused much???
My submission;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Hathcock
Semper Fi
I just used moto-mail to send the news of the Black Hawks victory tonight to a 20-yr-old family friend in the Marines serving in Helmand Province. This generation (I'm 30 years his senior) is proving that many of them have the courage, strength and patriotism which would make our founding fathers proud!
The heroism and bravery of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and the absolute strength of character of those who survived battle to fight another day must never be forgotten. But for the others of this nation, I would ask, what has our country come to?
Madhedgefundtrader,
Thank you for sharing the story of your Uncle Mitch. Although I certainly am aware of the implications of the military industrial complex behind the decisions to go or not to go to war, none of that detracts from the courage of the men involved. Do those men make the world "safe" for democracy by defeating the enemy? Probably not. They make the world (or at least the US) safe for democracy because they stepped up to the challenge. They fought...sometimes even brutal hand to hand combat, to stay alive. That is a man you can trust. A man that won't go scushy under pressure.
I had three Uncles that served in WWII and all were assigned to the Pacific Theater. The youngest never had to go as the war was over before he was trained. The next saw only modest combat as a Navy sailor and returned home to live a long and successful life. The oldest was a Marine and was captured on Bataan by the Japs and enslaved and tortured. He was one of the few that survived, but after returning home struggled in civilian life. I wasn't that close to my Uncle Clare, but I was to his sister, my departed Grandmother, and her tears for her brother echo in my memory still especially on Memorial Day.
Now I have two sons serving. My oldest is AF EOD and thank God has recently returned safely from a tour in Afghanistan. They were on the front lines (Now Zad) sleeping in shacks at best and holes in the ground at worst, sweeping the country side for IED's. He saw a great deal of action and I pray he has the strength to deal with it. His brother is currently underwater on a US Navy submarine in the Atlantic. Given recent developments I suspect they are near Iran. Yes, given the current state of affairs, I am ambivalent on if they are defending America or serving the interests of the NWO, but they are now men, and I am proud of them. As the Marines say..."What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." I think America will need such men, tempered by fire, soon, to meet the challenges we face.
On this Memorial Day, I say thanks to all who have served, are serving.
LTC, USAR, EN (Ret)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN9-l-Oy6KY
madhedge. Well done and from this old Colonel a salute to you and your uncle. And Obama is playing basketball in Chicago and sends Biden to place the wreath at the unknown soldiers tomb.
Amazing
To MHFT, been lurking ZH since nearly it's begining. I don't post mainly because I have very little knowledge of the financial discourse here, but I'm learning. The story of your Uncle Mitch moved me to finally post. I'm a firm believer that adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it. He was one hell of a man. I'm old enough now to see that the current "generation of veal" that is being raised in America will continue the descent of the Empire. No matter what your occupation, you need honor, duty and a sense of responsibility to succeed. In general, in each succeeding generation since men like your uncle those qualities are waning. The current hyperconsumer, texting, obese millennial generation will hasten this fall. Maybe some of the returning heros of our current wars will find themselves in a position of power, remain uncompromised, and help our nation course correct. It's a long shot, but maybe.
Thanks for the history lesson.
The enemy is at home !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNvQD83WRCg
Give me a break Davy. I'm a retired Navy combat vet, my dad flew B17s w/ the 8th Air Force in WWII. We both know why we served, we just talked about it again today. Go and serve, go do something for your Nation, understand what "service before self" really means. There are still many true patriots in our country. Don't sit on your ass and bitch while getting your brain sucked out by watching TV. Watching your little video was about as enjoyable as watching Timmay and Benwah peddle their shit day after day.
What an amazing man! I salute his memory and deeds of courage. My father was a P51 recon pilot in WWII and I have pictures he took of panzer divisions in the forests of France, of the people in a concentration camp he participated in liberating, of Churchill and Eisenhower by one of the planes he or his fellow pilots flew and lots of other stuff. I am always in awe of the courage in the face of death so many of our troops face or have faced however the role of the 'money power' behind all this does not elude me.
Vendetta
My Father was in the Ukraine. My Grandmother left him,an eleven year old boy, safely in the woods to care for the Cow and his nine year old brother.
My father recalls picking loot from dead bodies. The Germans dropping flyers telling people it was safe to leave the woods then machine gunning them. He saw streams of blood.
My Grandmother helped smuggle refugees out of the country. At one point she was captured and placed in a work group. She was allowed to go into the woods to the bathroom and escaped.
My neighbor, another Ukranian, has an Uncle who was in the camps. His claim is those who died were the weaker ones, the ones not accustomed to physical labor and low rations.
Semper Fi!
"war is a racket" by usmc general butler:
"WAR is a racket. It always has been.
It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.
A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes."
http://www.iamthewitness.com/books/Smedley.Darlington.Butler/War.Is.A.Ra...
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/index.php/whats-new/1690-gretel-kovach
So Audie Murphy doesn't even get a nod?
Audie Murphy was born on June 20, 1924 near Kingston, Texas, the 7th of 12 children of poor sharecroppers. Life in the Murphy household was poor and very hard. Growing up, Audie picked cotton and became very skilled with a rifle to hunt small game to help feed the family. Audie's father left the family in 1940 and his mother died in 1941, so at age 17 both of his parents were gone, leaving Audie to care for his younger siblings
When the United States declared war in December of 1941, Audie rushed to enlist. He first attempted to join the Marines where he was turned away for being too small. Audie in 1941 was 5' 5" tall and weighed only 110 lbs. Undeterred, he attempted to join the Army Paratroopers and was again turned away. Finally, Audie enlisted in the Regular Army as an infantryman.
Upon completion of basic recruit training at Camp Wolters, Texas, Audie went through Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Meade, Maryland. Finally, Audie was shipped overseas where he joined B Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division which was operating in North Africa. He arrived in February of 1943. Audie saw little action in N. Africa as the war there was in the mopping up phase. 5 months later, Audie received his baptism of fire as he landed in Sicily on July 10, 1943. Audie's captain did his best to keep the small soldier from fighting by making him a runner. However, Audie had other plans and he slipped off to join any patrol he could. Audie soon distinguished himself under fire as a resourceful and effective soldier. Finally the Captain gave up and promoted Audie to Corporal.
Audie's next action was in the invasion of Salerno on the Italian mainland. Here Audie again excelled as a soldier. While leading a night patrol, Audie and his men ran into a group of German soldiers. After fighting their way out of an ambush, they took cover in a rock quarry. The Germans sent a squad of soldiers in to get them out but were stopped by intense machine gun and rifle fire. Three of the Germans were killed and several more captured. For his actions at Salerno, Audie was promoted to Sergeant.
Audie missed the next invasion at Anzio due to a serious attack of malaria. He soon recovered and rejoined his unit just in time for some of the fiercest fighting of the war. For three days the Americans fought to escape their beachhead but were unsuccessful. The situation deteriorated to a stalemate with neither side gaining. This went on for months and the soldiers dug in for the long haul. Audie volunteered for numerous patrols and his unit came under artillery fire almost every night. Audie was soon evacuated from the front with another severe attack of malaria. Within 10 days he was back at the front. Soon after the unit was pulled out for a short rest. Audie was offered a battlefield commission to 2nd Lieutenant. Not wanting to leave his unit, he refused the promotion.
Once back at the front, Audie quickly surveyed his area and discovered that there was only one route the enemy armor could pass through. Audie heavily mined the area. When the Germans attacked, the lead tank hit a mine and blocked the road completely. The Germans withdrew but Audie wanted to ensure that they could not move the damaged tank. Taking a small patrol forward, Audie ordered them to cover him while he approached the tank. He first threw two Molotov cocktails at the tank. Neither ignited. A grenade he tossed inside was ineffective. The Germans guarding the tank began firing at him. Audie next used rifle grenades and finally managed to knock the tank treads off one side. For this action, Audie was awarded the Bronze Star.
On May 23, the 3rd Division finally broke out of the Anzio beachhead. After fighting their way to Rome, the Division was then ordered to a rear area for amphibious training. On August 15, 1944, the Division made yet another landing, this time in Southern France. Three hours after landing, Audie's battalion was tasked with capturing an enemy artillery position high up on a ridge. The men of 1st Battalion slowly advanced up the slope, struggling all the way. As they reached the top, the Germans opened fire with deadly results. Every avenue of approach was covered by machine guns. Audie, whose platoon had been in the rear of the lines, moved forward, out of the line of ambush, and took stock of the situation. Half the unit was pinned down, the other half was being decimated by enemy fire. Audie could not reach the enemy positions with grenades and his carbine was ineffective, Slowly, he crawled down the slope and reached the heavy weapons platoon.
Commandeering a .30 cal machine gun, Audie crawled back up the slope. Setting up the gun, he opened fire and quickly killed two Germans. With only one belt of ammunition, Audie used short bursts and forced the German gunners to cease firing and duck down. Once out of ammunition, Audie and another soldier, Private Lattie Tipton, charged the first enemy position and quickly silenced it. As they prepared to charge the next position, Tipton noticed a German soldier waving a white flag. Standing up to take the soldier prisoner, Tipton was killed by a single rifle bullet. Audie was enraged by this act and picked up the German machine gun. He first charged one enemy position with grenades and the gun and killed both enemy soldiers in it. He charged several more positions and killed all of the soldiers within them. When it was over, they discovered that the artillery they had been sent to silence was a fake. They had been suckered into an ambush. For his actions, Audie was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
As the 3rd Division continued their advance, Audie was wounded in the heel by a shell fragment. He received the Purple Heart and spent two weeks in an Evac hospital. After returning to his unit, they were ambushed while on patrol. Audie, who crawled out of the ambush zone, charged the enemy position and using two hand grenades, silenced it. For this action, which saved the lives of this patrol, Audie was awarded the Silver Star. Several days later, his platoon was ambushed again and several more soldiers were killed. Audie grabbed a radio and crawled forward to where he could see the enemy position. While under intense fire, Audie called in mortar and artillery fire on the Germans. Official Army records indicate the indirect fire killed 15 and wounded 35 enemy soldiers. For this, Audie received his second Silver Star, three days after earning his first.
Several days later, Audie was ordered to the 15th Regiment's headquarters. Once there he was discharged from the Army as a Sergeant and then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. With his new rank, Audie returned to his platoon, this time to command it. On October 26, 1944 Audie was wounded again, this time in the hip by a sniper's bullet. He was evacuated to a hospital and spent the next 3 months recuperating. Rejoining his unit in January, 1945, Audie led his men against the German stronghold at Holtzwihr. For three days they attacked the fortress with no success. Soon, Audie was the only officer left alive. He took command of the company and organized the next assault. As they waited in the snow for the order to attack, 6 German tanks and 250 Infantrymen approached from Holtzwihr. Being greatly outnumbered, he ordered his men to pull back. He called in artillery on the approaching enemy but did not stop them.
Audie decided to take action. Near his position was a burning tank destroyer. Audie climbed on top, and turned the machine gun on the approaching Germans. As he fired from the burning tank, the artillery began to land in earnest and the German advance faltered. For almost an hour, Audie continued to lay down fire on the Germans. When he ran out of ammunition, he dropped into the snow and discovered he had been wounded, his third, in the leg. Enemy soldiers lay dead just 10 yards from the tank destroyer.
For this daring feat, Audie was recommended for and received the Medal of Honor. His citation reads:
Committee On Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate
Audie L. Murphy, Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B, 15th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division.
Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945.
MEDAL OF HONOR - By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved 9 July 1918 (WD Bul. 43, 1918), a Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty was awarded by the War Department in the name of Congress to the following-named officer: Second Lieutenant Audie L. Murphy, 01-692-509, 15th Infantry, Army of the United States,
on 26 January 1945, near Holtzwihr, France, commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. Lieutenant Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to a prepared position in a woods while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him to his right one of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. It's crew withdrew to the woods. Lieutenant Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, Lieutenant Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer which was in danger of blowing up any instant and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to the German fire from three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to water. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate Lieutenant Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he personally killed or wounded about 50.
Lieutenant Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.
Audie L. Murphy rose to national fame as the most decorated U.S. combat soldier of World War II. Among his 33 awards and decorations was the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery that can be given to any individual in the United States of America. He also received every decoration for valor that his country had to offer, some of them more than once, including 5 decorations by France and Belgium. Credited with either killing over 240 of the enemy while wounding and capturing many others, he became a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division.
Most all of the material for this page was "lifted" from Richard L. Rodgers website http://www.audiemurphy.com/ Please visit his site for an enormous amount of well organized information and photos of Audie.
http://www.cracked.com/funny-4924-audie-l.-murphy/
Once he arrived in Africa he faced very little action for a while. (Strange considering WWII had near 65,000,000 casualties). He was assigned to the 3rd infantry regiment. Some of his notable platoon members. Are Abraham "horse face" Johnson (KIA-killed in action) little mike (I forgot his last name) (KIA) Brandon (KIA) among others he all saw them die and didn't cry and shit himself like most of you would. He served for around 30 months. During that time He went through a very harsh winter for all of you that means out of hot coco. For him it meant he would be stuck in a small hole with other people called a "foxhole" this sucked ass. Imagine being in your closet, except its near freezing it's made of mud; and thousands of Germans are shooting at you with artillery and machine guns. Anyways this being nothing but a annoyance to audie he stayed there for four months. You have stayed home without leaving that long but you have a heater and a damn computer. Did I mention he had malaria? Oh ya the 5'7 145 pound 17 year old often suffered from malarial attacks during war, in the cold. After 5 months of being ball cracking cold it finally got warm as weather tends to do. The 3rd infantry regiment along with some other units set up defenses against those people with the weird porn. As they gained more strength they starting launching attacks, many resulted in thousands of deaths you see the Germans were dug in for a defense and very dug in like the memory of accidently seeing those s schizer films. They launched attack after attack and finally broke down the iron wall of asshole Germans. They rapidly gained more ground killing many people in battles I imagine are pants shiting inducing scary but also awesome! (I wonder if they were going commando wait no I don't). After conquering some stuff I forgot if that's what they did I'm not sure. The company went to see the beautiful majestic city of Rome, not on vacation mind you but to kill people lots and lots of people. After taking Rome (wow isn't that supposed to be hard it only took them one sentence of a cracked article. Huh?) Well after that they went to France where Audie's most famed exploit occurred.
Audie hits France.
Well, as soon as old Audie Murphy arrived in France they surrendered; forgetting they were on the same side. During this time Murphy earned many Awards for valor and such, killing many people along the way. His most famous valor filled stent in war was in howltitzer, France. He jumped on a burning m-10 tank destroyer and held off several hundred infantry men and 6 tanks while his company receded to the woods he ordered artillery strikes by phone while doing this here is his medal of honor citation:
General Orders No. 65 WAR DEPARTMENT Washington 25, D.C., 9 August 1945
Section MEDAL OF HONOR - Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 * * * * * *
I. MEDAL OF HONOR. - By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved 9 July 1918 (WD Bul. 43, 1918), a Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty was awarded by the War Department in the name of Congress to the following-named officer:
Second Lieutenant Audie L. Murphy, 01692509, 15th Infantry, Army of the United States, on 26 January 1945, near Holtzwihr, France, commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. Lieutenant Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to a prepared position in a woods while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him to his right one of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. Lieutenant Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, Lieutenant Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer which was in danger of blowing up any instant and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to the German fire from three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate Lieutenant Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he personally killed or wounded about 50. Lieutenant Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.
BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR:
OFFICIAL:
G.C. MARSHALL
EDWARD F. WITSELL
Chief of Staff
Major General
Audie murphy after WWII
eventually audie got annoyed of fighting so he ended the world war by saying to everyone at the U.N and I quote " fucking quit you shit or I will start a war with your face and the butt of my gun." they agreed it needed to stop and they dropped a nuke just to look tough.
After the war he decided to write up his experiences into a book titled "To Hell and Back." It was not very successful.(compared the bible) the book was a best seller and was made into a movie with the same title staring Audie Murphy as well Audie Murphy. Who else better to play the part? The movie was the bestseller of all time for 30 years or so until jaws. Several movies about him and his regiment were published among many, many biographies. As his life went on he stared in many movies mostly westerns 44 to be exact and was a successful country singer. He married Wanda Hendrix, they divorced soon and he married some other chick later and they only parted at his death. But before his death he struggled with PSTD (post traumatic stress disorder).it got so bad that at a dinner party he stood up and walked out and later told his wife:" he saw a dead German and his brains were coming out. This is something I'm not going to make a joke about. He also suffered from depression and anxiety he became addicted to sleeping pills he locked himself in a hotel and quit cold turkey like a badass would. He had financial problems and was forced to declare bankruptcy. How fucked is it that a war hero has to go through so much shit his entire life. From childhood to his death in a plane crash in Virginia in 1971 he went through more hardships then your feeble minds comprehend.
The greatest man of the time.
in conclusion a kid with malari served in the worst war of human history,earned literally every award they could give him. and also was a movie and music star. by the way he made your grannys pussy whistle. he was not only great but modest about this he always said he didnt like all the attention and the dead deserved it more. R.I.P. Audie Leon Murphy Major in the united states army died 1971. gone but not forgotten
never thought that the story was just propaganda?
and Bush twins still didn`t join the army !!!!!!!!!! must not think its a noble cause like dad says !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow! That's a really stupid comment.
The greatest film ever made, Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line" was set on Guadalcanal.
Regarding soldiers in the field of battle...
There are six billion people alive at the moment. If there was to be a "Courage Index" then the young men and women fighting to defend the values of the Western Civilization in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world would be rated at the very top. The various "leaders" on the world stage must do everything in their power to ensure that war and conflict is banished from the affairs of men, and that Isaiah's prophecy re. swords into ploughshares, is fulfilled over time. Soldiers who fight in foreign lands must be given full support. Al Qaida are the mutant extremists of Islam. Certain people and groups are so embittered and calcified with lies and hatred that they are unredeemable and must either be contained or killed.