Audie Murphy (1925–1971) was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II, receiving every military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. Coming from a poor sharecropping family of Irish descent in Texas, he served in nine World War II campaigns, receiving the Medal of Honor after single-handedly holding off an entire company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France. After the war, he appeared in more than forty feature films, mostly westerns; his most successful film was To Hell and Back (1955), based on his war memoirs. During the Korean War, Murphy was commissioned as an officer in the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard. Possessing a natural gift for rhyme, he collaborated on numerous songs between 1962 and 1970. He suffered from what would today be termed posttraumatic stress disorder, and was plagued by money problems in the last few years of his life, but refused offers to appear in alcohol and cigarette commercials to avoid setting a bad example. Murphy died in a plane crash in Virginia, and was interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1337:
Edward, the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first duchy in England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward,_the_Black_Prince
1452:
Reconquista: The combined forces of Castile and Murcia defeated the Emirate of Granada at the Battle of Los Alporchones around the city of Lorca. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Los_Alporchones
1776:
American Revolutionary War: The British Army garrison in Boston, Massachusetts, withdrew from the city, ending the 11‑month Siege of Boston. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Boston
1955:
Six thousand people in Montreal rioted to protest the suspension of ice hockey star Maurice Richard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Riot
1985:
American serial killer Richard Ramirez (pictured), known as "the Night Stalker", began a home invasion burglary and killing spree that resulted in 13 deaths and 11 sexual assaults over the following five months. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ramirez
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
dudeen: A short-stemmed Irish pipe made out of clay. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dudeen
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Acceptance. Acceptance of the impermanence of being. And acceptance of the imperfect nature of being, or possibly the perfect nature of being, depending on how one looks at it. Acceptance that this is not a rehearsal. That this is it. --William Gibson https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Gibson