Murphy received his first Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Purple Heart for this injury. The Colmar Pocket, some two thousand square kilometres, in the Vosges Mountains, had been held by German troops since November 1944. On 14 January 1945, Murphy rejoined his platoon, and moved with the 3rd Division to the town of Holtzwihr, where they faced a strong German counterattack. He was wounded in both legs, for which he received a second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Purple Heart. As the company awaited reinforcements on 26 January, he was made commander of Company B. The Germans scored a direct hit on an M10 tank destroyer, setting it alight, forcing the crew to abandon it. Murphy ordered his men to retreat to positions in the woods, remaining alone at his post, shooting his M1 carbine and directing artillery fire via his field radio while the Germans aimed fire directly at his position. Murphy mounted the abandoned, burning tank destroyer and began firing its .50 caliber machine gun at the advancing Germans, killing a squad crawling through a ditch towards him. For an hour, Murphy stood on the flaming tank destroyer returning German fire from foot soldiers and advancing tanks, killing or wounding fifty Germans. He sustained a leg wound during his stand, and stopped only after he ran out of ammunition. Murphy rejoined his men, disregarding his own injury, and led them back to repel the Germans. He insisted on remaining with his men while his wounds were treated. For his actions that day, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. The 3rd Infantry Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions at the Colmar Pocket, giving Murphy a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for the emblem. On 16 February, Murphy was promoted to first lieutenant and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service from January 1944 to February 1945. He was moved from the front lines to Regimental Headquarters and made a liaison officer. Brigadier General Ralph B. Lovett and Lieutenant Colonel Hallet D. Edson recommended Murphy for the Medal of Honour for his actions at Holtzwihr. When asked after the war why he had seized the machine gun and taken on an entire company of German infantry, he replied, “They were killing my friends.” Murphy received every U.S. military combat award for valour available from the U.S. Army for his World War II service. The United States additionally honoured Murphy's war contributions with: American Campaign Medal, The European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with arrowhead device and nine campaign stars, The World War II Victory Meda, The Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp and Good Conduct Medal France recognized his service with the French Legion of Honor – Grade of Chevalier,the French Croix de guerre with Silver Star, the French Croix de guerre with Palm, the French Liberation Medal and the French Fourragère in Colours of the Croix de guerre, [the lanyard shown in the photograph over his left shoulder] which was authorized for all members of the 3rd Infantry Division who fought in France during World War II. Belgium awarded Murphy the Belgian Croix de guerre with 1940 Palm. He was discharged with the rank of first lieutenant at a fifty percent disability classification in September 1945 and transferred to the Officers' Reserve Corps. Since his military service, Murphy had been plagued with insomnia and bouts of depression, and he slept with a loaded
pistol under his pillow. A post-service medical examination in June 1947 revealed symptoms of headaches, vomiting, and nightmares about the war. Post-traumatic stress levels exacerbated his innate moodiness, and surfaced in episodes that friends and professional colleagues found alarming. Murphy briefly found a creative stress outlet in writing poetry after his Army discharge. His poem The Crosses Grow on Anzio appeared in his book To Hell and Back, but was attributed to a fictitious character. In an effort to draw attention to the problems of returning Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, Murphy spoke out candidly about his own problems with posttraumatic stress disorder. It was known during Murphy's lifetime as "battle fatigue" and "shell shock", terminology that dated back to World War I. He called on the government to give increased consideration and study to the emotional impact of combat experiences, and to extend health care benefits to war veterans. When actor and producer James Cagney saw an issue of Life magazine depicting Murphy as the "most decorated soldier" in 1946 ,he brought him to Hollywood although nothing eventuated until Hollywood writer David "Spec" McClure befriended Murphy and used his connections to get Murphy a bit part in Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven. And in 1949 he had the lead in Bad Boy compelled by the film’s financial backers. Universal Studios signed Murphy to a seven-year studio contract. His first film for them was as Billy the Kid in The Kid from Texas in 1950 and he played the lead of ‘The Youth’ in the 1951 The Red Badge of Courage, and his career was assured. Although Murphy was initially reluctant to appear as himself in To Hell and Back, the 1955 adaptation of his book directed by Jesse Hibbs, he eventually agreed and it became the biggest hit in the history of Universal Studios at the time. During the early 1960s, Murphy donated his time and otherwise lent his name and image for three episodes of The Big Picture television series produced by the United States Army. He received the 1960 Outstanding Civilian Service Medal for his cooperation in the episode Broken Bridge, which featured his visits to military installations in Germany, Italy, Turkey and New Mexico to showcase the military's latest weaponry. Murphy bred quarter horses at the Audie Murphy Ranch in what is now Menifee, California and the Murphy Ranch in Pima County, Arizona. His horses raced at the Del Mar Racetrack, and he invested large sums of money in the hobby. Murphy's gambling left his finances in a poor state. In spite of his financial difficulties, Murphy refused to appear in commercials for alcohol and cigarettes, mindful of the influence he would have on the youth market. He was interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, where his grave is one of the most visited. In May 1971, , shortly before his 46th birthday, Murphy was killed when the private plane in which he was a passenger crashed. The pilot and four other passengers were also killed. His widow, Pamela, moved into a small apartment and took a clerk’s position at a Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles, where she remained employed for thirty-five years. In 1975, a court awarded Murphy’s widow, Pamela, and their two children $2.5 million in damages because of the accident. Murphy was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. It is the cemetery’s second most-visited gravesite, after that of President John F. Kennedy. The headstones of Medal of Honour recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery are normally decorated in gold leaf. Murphy had requested that his stone remain plain and inconspicuous, like that of an ordinary soldier rather than one of the most decorated American veterans of World War II. 19