us_ch9_webquest-murphy

=**CORRECT!!! AUDIE MURPHY**=

All Americans should know about this guy, and many do. His grave is the second most visited at Arlington National Cemetery, only behind the eternal flame at JFK's shrine. Born on a farm outside of Dallas, TX, Murphy was drafted during WWII and assigned as a private to the Third Infantry Division. For three years, Murphy and the Third fought their way across Europe, experiencing some of the worst combat every known. Along the way, Murphy was wounded three times, killed approximately 240 enemy soldiers, and was decorated an astounding 33 times, including being awarded the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest award for bravery. When the war ended, Murphy had been promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and was a legend in America. The media did a good job covering Murphy's heroics in detail and his incredible courage was brought home in print for all Americans to read and think about. It was a classic story - a poor boy from Texas putting his life at risk countless times to defend his country from the vicious Third Reich. News stories don't get any better than that. However, the story took a turn for the worse. After the war, the legendary actor James Cagney invited Murphy to Hollywood. Because the ways of show business were alien to him, Murphy struggled to find his place in California. He became homeless, sometimes sleeping in school gymnasiums. In time, his fortunes changed, and he achieved movie stardom. Murphy's 1949 rags-to-riches autobiography, //To Hell and Back//, became a bestseller and eventually was made into a movie starring himself. In a little-known fact, that film was the highest-grossing picture in terms of money coming in that Universal released until //Jaws// came along in 1975. From there, Audie Murphy went on to make dozens of action movies, often portraying a cowboy, always playing the good guy. Then, life took another sad turn for Murphy. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, he became addicted to sleeping pills. He kicked the habit by locking himself alone in a hotel room for a week. After that, he began publicizing the horrors that millions of combat veterans have experienced, bring PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) to the public's attention. Audie Murphy was just an everyday guy. He had no advantages in life. He simply had courage. He exemplifies what Patriotism is all about. He put his life on the line for his country, then followed up by overcoming adversity and doing good things with his postwar life. Every American should know this story.

Be sure to write down why Murphy deserves the patriot label.

= = =**ON THE BOTTOM:**= Read the exerpt on Doug Munro. Who was he and why was he a hero? [|Click here]

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