Audie Murphy - Texas Legislative Medal of Honor

I thought that I would inform everyone that Audie Murphy was finally posthumously awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor by Governor Perry. The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor is the supreme military honor in the state of Texas.
I was the person that spearheaded the campaign for the honor.
Please take a moment to read the article that I authored for the transparency in government website watchdogwire.com.
This is a very detailed article pertaining to the campaign to award Murphy the supreme military honor of Texas.
I think you might be struck by the oddity and absurdity of the events outlined in the final paragraph.


http://watchdogwire.com/texas/2013/0...edal-of-honor/

Thanks,

Dave
Executive Administrator
Audie Murphy Pres. Medal of Freedom Petition Campaign

 

Good show, Dave, and welcome to the forum.

I'm always glad to see any WW2 vet receive the honors they deserve.

 

Well done! I saw this elsewhere and mentioned it on another Forum I inhabit.

 

Very happy to see Audie Murphy finally honored in this way. I can understand that high honors shouldn't be easy to receive, but I don't get the lack of publicity after the medal was awarded. Hopefully it was due to shame for taking so long.

 

WWII legend Audie Murphy given Texas medal of honor posthumously





FARMERSVILLE — World War II hero Audie Murphy earned a Medal of Honor, two Silver Stars, three Purple Hearts and every other U.S. medal for valor except one. His image appeared on a postage stamp. And he starred in a Hollywood movie about his wartime exploits, which are said to include more than 200 Nazi kills. But he never received the highest military honor from his home state of Texas until Tuesday, when his last living sibling accepted the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor on his behalf.

The honor was formally bestowed by Gov. Rick Perry at a downtown ceremony in Murphy’s hometown. It was the first time a governor had ever visited Farmersville, organizers said. A military brass band and dozens of veterans and politicians attended the event. Hundreds of Farmersville residents also showed up. Some hung out of windows or stood on nearby roofs. Almost all of them waved small American flags.
“It is a privilege to live in a state with men and women like Audie Murphy,” Perry told the crowd. “He reflected what valor and determination and courage meant.”

Murphy joined the Army as a private when he was 17, lying about his age to gain entry after Pearl Harbor. He was almost too small to serve — he was well under 6 feet and weighed 130 pounds when he first tried to enlist — but quickly became a giant in military lore.
He climbed the ranks while fighting in Italy, but earned his first major medal in France, where he “single-handedly destroyed a German machine gun crew and several other enemy positions” to help the Army capture a fiercely contested hill during an October 1944 battle, according to the state resolution in his honor. Less than a year later, he won the U.S. Medal of Honor by climbing onto a burning tank and using a machine gun to hold off about 250 Germans from his retreating troops. He then led his men on a counterattack to successfully retake the forest they were fighting over. Murphy is credited with killing or wounding about 50 Germans in that battle. He was pulled from the front lines about a month later at age 20 and spent the rest of his life as a celebrity. He wrote a best-selling autobiography and played himself in movies. He also served in the Texas National Guard and then the U.S. Army Reserve until his death in a plane crash in 1971.

Murphy’s family and hometown have worked endlessly to keep his memory alive since his death. Tuesday’s ceremony was a few blocks away from Audie Murphy Street. And each June, the city hosts a festival in his honor.
But getting the long-delayed medal from the state was more difficult than expected. The distinction was created by the Legislature more than a quarter-century after his death. State law limited the body from bestowing it more than once each time the Legislature meets every other year.
Local politicians, including Farmersville Mayor Joe Helmberger and state Rep. Scott Turner, R-Rockwall, made the award a top priority this year. A bill was passed to allow two recipients of the honor each year, one who earned it before 1956 and one who earned it after.
But the bill slipped through the cracks in the frantic final days of the session and Perry didn’t sign it in time to give the honor to Murphy. The bill was resuscitated in the first special session and finally passed.

State elected officials and military leaders said it was long overdue. “Audie Murphy has been our hero for a long time, and I am happy that it is time for us, the state of Texas, to be able to honor him,” said Maj. Gen. John Nichols, commander of Texas Military Forces. Murphy’s sister, Nadine Lokey, said it was worth the wait. “They say heroes never die,” she said after the ceremony. “As long as you remember them, they are still alive.”

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20131029-wwii-legend-audie-murphy-given-texas-medal-of-honor-posthumously.ece

 

He sure was

My favorite picture of him. "It's not the size of the dog in the fight ..... "


Description
U.S. Army soldier Audie Murphy showing his sister a rifle he captured from a German sniper that he killed

 

He looks about 12 years old in that photo. Wow!

 

Great news, I am sure you must be pleased. Thank you for your tireless efforts on behalf of this American hero.

And great to see you here on the forum, Dave. You and I "meet" in the oddest places! I see you only posted once so far, hope to see you around more.

 

Frankly, the "supreme military honor of Texas" is a meaningless award.


Dave

 

Can any US State invent a medal ?
I'd have thought the 'proper ' MoH was a high enough award.

 

That is subject to opinion.

Here's the state code:

TEX GV. CODE ANN. § 431.131 : Texas Statutes - Section 431.131: TEXAS LEGISLATIVE MEDAL OF HONOR
Search TEX GV. CODE ANN. § 431.131 : Texas Statutes - Section 431.131: TEXAS LEGISLATIVE MEDAL OF HONOR

[SIZE=10pt]a. The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor shall be awarded to a member of the state or federal military forces designated by concurrent resolution of the legislature who voluntarily performs a deed of personal bravery or self-sacrifice involving risk of life that is so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the person for gallantry and intrepidity above the person's comrades. Awarding of the medal shall be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit. The medal may be awarded only on incontestable proof of performance of the deed. To be eligible for the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor, a person must:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt](1) have been born in this state;[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt](2) reside in this state or have been a resident of this state on the person's death; or[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt](3) have been a resident of this state when the person entered military service. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]b. [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]A person is not ineligible for the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor because the person has received any other medal or award for military service, including a medal or award made by the United States.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]c. To receive the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor, a person must be nominated during a regular session of the legislature by majority vote of all the members of a nominating committee consisting of:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt](1) the adjutant general or the adjutant general's designated representative;[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt](2) the lieutenant governor or the lieutenant governor's designated representative;[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt](3) the speaker of the house of representatives or the speaker's designated representative; and[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt](4) the chair of the standing committee of each house of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over military and veterans affairs.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]d. The legislature by concurrent resolution may direct the governor to award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to a person nominated by the nominating committee. The committee chairs serving on the nominating committee shall jointly prepare a concurrent resolution directing the governor to award the medal to a person nominated. The legislature may direct the medal to be awarded only during a regular session and may not direct the medal to be awarded to more than one person during a regular session.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 147, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1092, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1020, Sec. 1, eff. June 20, 2003.[/SIZE]

Re: http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/GV/4/C/431/J/431.131

 

Audie Murphy, America's "most decorated" soldier of WWII was posthumously awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor by Texas Governor Rick Perry in his hometown of Farmersville, Texas, 29 October, 2013.
Accepting the award was Murphy's sole surviving sister Nadine Murphy-Lockey.
Here is a video of the award ceremony and rendering of the award presided over by Governor Perry.
Murphy's sister also addresses those in attendance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iYoRl9RdNU

Thanks,

Dave

 

Audie Murphy, America's "most decorated" soldier of WWII was posthumously awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor in his hometown of Farmersville, Texas, 29 October, 2013. Accepting the award was Murphy's sole surviving sibling Nadine Murphy-Lockey.
Texas Governor Rick Perry presented the award and the Adjutant General of the Texas Military Forces was on hand for the award ceremony.
The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor is the highest military award in the state of Texas and Murphy became the 10th recipient.
Murphy's sister presented remarks and "hit a homerun" with her heartfelt unscripted remarks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iYoRl9RdNU


Thanks,

Dave

 

Thanks and belatedly I appreciate it!

 

I would suggest to you that you hit it exactly on the head. It appears that the Perry administration was concerned about this thing growing legs, in that the social media is all over the net and easily discoverable. They made a calculated decision that it was better to try and mask this than to publicize it.

Thanks,

Dave

 

Well, I guess that kind of depends on your perspective...it is an official state award, has an order of precedence...and if the recipient is living and on active duty or serving in a reserve status may be worn alongside all other federal and foreign decorations.
That said...thanks for the comment.

 

It may mean little outside of Texas...again depending on your perspective. It means a lot if you are a family member and can see your big brother finally be recognized by the state that he loved so much.
In addition, I might add...honorarium or not...I would say that honors are bestowed and rendered by great societies so that we may remember that person and the accomplishments of that person's life; and in doing so help perpetuate the memory and legacy of that person for future generations.

Thanks,

Dave