Audie Murphy

2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a wood, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machinegun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.

http://www.medalofhonor.com/MedalOfHonorAudieLMurphy.htm

During Audie Murphy’s life after World War II, he suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTS). His struggles gave him depression and insomnia, so he began taking sleeping pills called Placidyl. He became addicted to the medication, like so many others did during the sixties. Once he hit his low point and realized his addiction, he locked himself in a motel room for a week while he suffered from drug withdrawals. After his battle with prescription drugs, he became an advocate for veterans. He spoke openly about his “Battle Fatigue,” the name for PTS in the sixties, and used his influence to help returning soldiers from Korea and especially Vietnam. He lobbied the government to study the effects of war on veterans and destroyed the taboo of post-war depression. Because Audie Murphy, a movie star and a war hero, came out openly about his problems dealing with the war, soldiers throughout the United States could be more honest about their experiences and seek help through proper channels instead of through drugs and alcohol. While Post-Traumatic Stress did not become an actual term until 1980, Audie’s work helped a generation of Vietnam veterans deal with the horrors of war in a new and more hopeful way.

Sources: http://www.audiemurphy.com/biograph/biograph_bw.htm

            http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/anxietya/ptstress.cfm