BADASS OF DECEMBER: AUDIE MURPHY

Welcome to our "Badass of the Month" series, where each month we tip our rugged, adventure-worn hats to men who aren't just leading the pack, they're rewriting the playbook of leadership. These are the men who climb mountains, both literal and metaphorical, and make us all want to charge a little harder in the great wilderness of life.

http://www.detrick.army.mil/samc/index.cfm)

For those of you that aren’t familiar with Audie Murphy, (born on June 20, 1925, and died May 28, 1971) was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II.

He received every military combat award for valor available from the United States Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor that he demonstrated at the age of 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945, before leading a successful counterattack while wounded and out of ammunition.

Audie Murphy, a legend among men, exemplifies the spirit of resilience and bravery we at MENxNATURE cherish. His journey from overcoming challenges in boot camp to becoming one of the most decorated soldiers ever showcases the strength and determination we all aspire to.

If you’ve heard of Audie Murphy, you may know him as a popular actor from the late ’50s and 60’s. But he was so much more.

Here’s a quick story from the U.S. Army about Audie written in June 2007:

(http://www.detrick.army.mil/samc/index.cfm) - US Army website for Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland:

“He fainted halfway through boot camp but insisted on being sent to fight. He contracted malaria but ended up on the front line in France in 1944.

As part of his duties, Murphy and another soldier approached a German machine gun nest where a Nazi soldier inside the nest pretended to surrender. Instead, the Nazi shot and killed Murphy’s fellow soldier and best friend.

In response, Murphy killed the gunner, took over the gun, and used the German’s own machine gun to kill every Nazi within 100 yards.

Six months later, Murphy's company was ordered to defend an area in France. Murphy’s company had started with 128 men when they were formed but was down to 19 by the time they were assigned this mission. They were to use their M-10 tanks to defend the area, but the Nazis had them outnumbered and outgunned, and the mission was not going well.

Murphy got fed up with the situation, jumped up into one of his company’s burning M-10 tanks, and started firing the tank’s turret machine gun at the enemy soldiers. He proceeded to shoot every Nazi in the area for an hour. He finally just ran out of bullets.

He walked back to his unit just as the burning tank behind him exploded. (Yes, just like the movies.)

By the way, Murphy was a modest 5'5" and 110 pounds - a true testament to the fact that courage and resilience aren't defined by physical stature.”

You might be tough, but are you Audie Murphy tough?