My Dad told me about guys in Basic in 1942 who thought they had struck it rich

Three meals a day, multiples pairs of shoes, and new underwear ( they had never  had any clothing that wasn’t ahand-me-down).

Charles Bronson was a coal miner at age 12.

Hard men.

Earlier in this thread someone p would hosted that Boyington was probably drunk when he wrote Baa Baa Black Sheep.

I would be surprised if he wasn't.

You guys are beating up on OP too much. It can be simultaneously true that:

1. Murphy was the real deal: an incredible soldier who pulled off almost super human feats.

2. The ghostwriter some assholes forced on him sucked.

OP thank you for your opinion and your service.

Go ahead and read ‘With the Old Breed’ by Eugene Sledge next. You’re welcome.

I'm sure he was a badass, but I always smell bullshit when I watch his movie where all his fellow soldiers are hunkered down in that house, calling out, "Murph, Murph," as he walks by.  They seemed fucking paralyzed, only able to get inspiration from Murphey.  Come on, now.

I read it years ago.  It came across as an accurate and truthful account of just how shitty war is.  It goes into detail.  

It's not a rah-rah book.  It's mud, blood, corpses, decay, and for some of them hopelessness.

It had a huge impact on how I viewed combat.

This was my take on the book as well.

An ETO GI memoir that I'd recommend is Roll Me Over, by Raymond Gantter, free on Kindle Umlimited.

Yes I have a few times

Someone way smarter than me said, every book that is a "good" war book, is by default an anti war book.

goes for movies as well

To Hell and Back was probably the first real war account book I read, I was in 7th grade, probably still one of my favorite books to this day. I estimate that I have read it and reread it at least 50 times since then, but oddly I have never seen the movie. I also have the book on his life, No Name on the Bullet.

I always figured the dialog was always just a rough guess on what a normal conversation would have looked like between G.I.s. I certainly don't expect the conversations to be word for word and completely accurate. How would you remember the exact words exchanged during a conversation that took place months to years before when survival was the main subject on your mind most likely. Let alone trying to recall exact details considering all of the trauma and horror that he must have witnessed and experienced.

I know that I usually have a difficult time recounting conversations I have had even if I make a note to try and recall a certain details for record. Everyday normal conversation between myself and others, good luck if I can really say for certain what was said in detail the next day. And I certainly have never experienced the things Murphy had.  

With the Old Breed is another of my favorites and also have read over and over again. This is the book I loan out to others who really are looking for a no bullshit, vivid, brutal account of what utter hell war truly is and the mental destruction it can wreak upon a man. I own every book mentioned in this thread except the Barb account and have read all them and many, many others.

I recall an interview with Murphy when he said the movie left out most of the actual real crazy stuff because no one would believe it.

After the war there were a few incidents that showed Murphy the warrior.  At a hollywood party some jackass french actor was making crude comments to one of the actresses. Murphy approached him and had a few quiet words. The french actor turned white, and fled. In another Murphy was at a truck stop and two thugs tried to rob him. He fought back hard and beat them to a pulp, witnesses said it was like watching a wild dog attack.

he was a little guy, supposedly he beat up a carjacker once he was back. which is possible.   He always looked innocent in his on screen stuff. but I knew plenty of short guys mean as a rattlesnake.

I never heard much of his story being questioned.  Some soldiers are damn good.  looking at some of the accounts in the last 20 years alone.

SLA marshall who wrote a bunch of books,  was supposed to be a exaggerator,  In Hackworth's book About Face he talks about it.

Oddly enough some question Hackworth as being authentic.



One thing though, you can have 10 guys in the same fight. and you will get 10 different stories on what happened and how it happened.


If Audie did half of what they say he still damn amazing.

He didn’t actually want to write the book or star in the movie from what I’ve read from biographers.

Marines turned him away, too small.

Most of his friends died and he became detached late in the war because he didn’t want to get to close to replacements.

Luttrell's book is a pretty bad read, too.  I could not get far into it.  The very structure and style of it is awful.  This was before I learned more on here about the reality of those events.

You have no idea what you are saying much less thinking.

Not getting into a biography, but to get medals you do not get to fill out the paperwork yourself.

And with dozens of eye witness reports how much chance of getting a Bronze Star much less the hat full HE received makes him what he was, a U.S. Soldier.

Currahee is another.

I love this part. Page 174 of 274. I realized my entire life I thought having the high ground behind an embarkment was an advantage, but actually you are better of laying out completely exposed downhill. I wonder if they still teach that one today?

"Despite the lack of cover I drag the gun out into the open field, directly in front of the enemy strongpoint. Now the advantage is mine. I am firing uphill and and may lie flat upon the earth. But the Germans to shoot down the slope must expose head and shoulders over the embarkments fronting their foxholes."

By the time my gun is ready for action, bullets are popping within a foot of my body. I judge the range, press the trigger, and turn the stream of lead on anything that remotely resembles a kraut.

I noticed you failed to answer the second question. If someone tells you a story and most of the people in the story don't exist, do you still call it a true story?

In the parts I read so far he is the only person that lived, both American and German. So who are these eyewitnesses?

You probably believe Eric Murphy's MOH citation and John Kerry's citations uncritically as well?

If names were changed, but the actions happened, yes i call it a true story.  Sometimes you want to shield family from knowing what happened to their loved ones

He also was a tough NCO with a no nonsense air about him according to most accounts.   Same when he became an officer.  

He didn’t suffer fools lightly

Audie preferred the little M1 .30 Carbine over the venerable M1 Garand, …. so I stopped reading right there.

Attached File

He did like the carbine for carrying around and he felt it brought him good luck.  He kept it even after it had become all beat to hell

He would trade it out or put it aside depending on the mission or the environment he was going to fight in

He liked to carry a Thompson sub machine gun in city fighting.

But he killed enemy soldiers with his carbine as well.

Its 2024 thanks to drones in cameras we got to see some of the most crazy and insane shit in color and HD.

His SCR-536 was far deadlier than his rifle or his carbine as it should be.

You probably believe having the low ground as quoted in the book.

"Despite the lack of cover I drag the gun out into the open field, directly in front of the enemy strongpoint. Now the advantage is mine. I am firing uphill and and may lie flat upon the earth. But the Germans to shoot down the slope must expose head and shoulders over the embarkments fronting their foxholes."

By the time my gun is ready for action, bullets are popping within a foot of my body. I judge the range, press the trigger, and turn the stream of lead on anything that remotely resembles a kraut.

He's describing Defilade. He was in a position too low for the Germans to engage with direct fire without exposing themselves.