American Hero

The Life and Death of Audie Murphy (Americans Fighting to Free Europe)

By: Charles Whiting

Narrated by: Dallas Britt

As a teenager Audie Murphy left his home in Texas to join in the fight against the Nazis. By the end of the war, he had fought in the bloody battle of Anzio, helped liberate Rome, marched his way across France, repelled German counterattacks in Alsace, before finishing in Germany. He was wounded three times, killed over two hundred enemies, and won every medal for valor that the United States had to offer.

Charles Whiting charts Murphy's journey through World War Two, shedding light on his courageous actions.

Yet what price did young Audie Murphy pay for becoming America's most decorated soldier of the Second World War?

Rather than simply focusing on Murphy's achievements in combat, Whiting also explores his life after the war when he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction problems, and even twenty years after the war slept with the lights on and a loaded Walther pistol beneath his pillow.

American Hero draws upon numerous contemporary sources and a wealth of information drawn from interviews with Murphy's friends and comrades to provide insight into the rise and fall of Audie Murphy.

©1990 The Estate of Charles Whiting (P)2023 Tantor

Fills in the knowledge cracks

I was familiar with Murphy from a book about American heroes that I had as a child back in the 60's. Also included were Margaret Bourk-White, Marian Anderson and Alan Shepard and others, so the bios were kid sized in content and length.

I had also seen To Hell and Back and known Murphy was a mediocre actor who died tragically in a plane crash. This book fills in the superficial knowledge with the real tragedy of their experience's, how Murphy and other combat veterans (victims ?) are so blithely forgotten despite physical and mental damage that never goes away. We as a nation don't seem to care until they get into trouble or die, then we do superficial accolades and again forget them. Naming buildings, roads and bridges after them is great, but does the average person know anything beyond the name?

A man with great courage for a couple years

Audie Murphy was a guy who was amazingly brave and lucky during World War Two. He appears to show no fear in a battle and found the time as a fighting soldier the most exciting and powerful time of his life. The book of his biography is not greatly written and not greatly performed. Much hyperbolic language and is read with emphasis on this angle. Audie was what he claimed to be when enlisting, a farm laborer. He was able to work in the movies on B westerns, but never really could match his success during the war. The book does do a good job showing that his PTSD was never treated and controlled him until his death.