Episode 300 - Audie Murphy - An American Tale

About this episode

This episode explores the life and achievements of Audie Murphy, the most decorated Combat Infantryman of World War II.

This episode, we go deep into the life, heroism and spectacle that was Audie Murphy. Audie Murphy was a sharecropper's son from Hunt County Texas, small, skinny, barely fed and full of work. When his dad would disappear, he worked, when his mom died, he worked. When his family came apart, he tried military service. He was rejected by the marines, the paratroopers, only the Army would eventually accept the skinny kid from Texas because in the 1940's they needed manpower. We discuss Audie's training and how he went from being an unlikely soldier to the most decorated Combat Infantryman of World War II. He had over twenty medals and barely enough chest to pin them on. He would come home suffering from what we would today call PTSD and tried to build a life. He was invited to LA by actor James Cagney where he worked Westerns and military pictures before being chosen to play himself in the movie To Hell And Back. based on Audie's memoirs. He would marry twice, and become a songwriter with hits like Shutters and Boards. All this and more in this special, All American Episode of the Family Plot Podcast. Become a supporter of this podcast…

People in this episode

Host: Family Plot Podcast

Topics covered

• Audie Murphy
• World War II
• heroism
• PTSD
• Hollywood
• military service

Keywords

• Audie Murphy
• World War II
• heroism
• PTSD
• James Cagney
• To Hell And Back
• military
• songwriter

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