He was sent to Camp Wolters, Texas, for basic training[1][7] and during a session of close order drill, passed out. His company commander tried to have him transferred to a cook and bakers' school[6] because of his baby-faced youthfulness,[citation needed] but Murphy insisted on becoming a combat soldier.
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Murphy's best friend, Lattie Tipton (referred to as "Brandon" in Murphy's book To Hell and Back), was killed by a German soldier in a machine gun nest who was feigning surrender.[1] Murphy went into a rage,[1] and single-handedly wiped out the German machine gun crew which had just killed his friend.[1] He then used the German machine gun and grenades to destroy several other nearby enemy positions.[1] For this act, Murphy received the Distinguished Service Cross[1] (second only to the Medal of Honor).
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Murphy's unit at an effective strength of 19 out of 128. Murphy sent all of his men to the rear[5] while he took pot-shots at the Germans until out of ammunition. He then proceeded to use an abandoned, burning tank destroyer's .50 caliber machine gun[1] to cut into the German infantry at a distance,[5] including one full squad of German infantry that had crawled in a ditch to within 100 feet of his position. Wounded in the leg during heavy fire,[1][5] he continued this nearly single-handed battle for almost an hour
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Audie Murphy received 33 US medals, plus five medals from France and one from Belgium.[1][5] It has been said that he received every US medal available at the time; 5 of them awarded more than once.
His height and weight at his enlistment were 5 feet 5.5 inches (166.4 cm) and 110 pounds (50 kg); after his three year enlistment, he was 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) and 145 pounds (66 kg).
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Murphy suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after his return from the war.[2][4][unreliable source?] He was reportedly plagued by insomnia, bouts of depression, and nightmares related to his numerous battles.[2] His first wife, Wanda Hendrix, often talked of his struggle with this condition, even claiming that he had held her at gunpoint once. For a time during the mid-1960s, he became dependent on doctor-prescribed sleeping pills called Placidyl.[2] When he recognized that he had become addicted to the drug, he locked himself in a motel room where he took himself off the pills, going through withdrawal for a week.[2]
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
A pretty terrible story actually, they were celebrated and then the army turned their backs on them and forced most of the sniper team out. Furlong left the army in disgust. Canadian Forces, good job politicians and armchair generals...
I read that article yesterday again after having read it years ago. Tremendous article. Who knows what happened on that mountain. If anything, Perry is the one to blame in terms of the actual desecration, and guys like Furlong got dragged down in the mess. Very unfortunate. I would be willing to bet that a lot of people, from Perry to high ranking military brass, would love to go back in time and change a few things.
Despite the controversy, Furlong and the rest of the sniper team members are nothing short of heroes. I would love to meet Furlong one day.
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But living an honest life - for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, leads to liberation and dignity. -Ricky Gervais
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Thank you for everything CP. Good memories and thankful for everything that has been done to help me out. I will no longer take part on these boards. Take care, Go Flames Go.
Funny, I currently work on the far west side of Manhattan, which happens to be the area where all the mega strip-clubs are clustered. At times in the mornings I see these girls going to work along with the masses, clomping around in their high heels and faux-fur coats, looking tired and groggy like everyone else.
I'm not sure if they are going to work (day shift?) or just coming home, but they are all headed towards the clubs, so I assume it's to satisfy the early risers. Talk about a morning grind.
