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Building is monument to 'bravery, sacrifice'
World War II hero honored
AW AudieMurphy1
Soldiers finish unveiling the sign designating the 2nd Lt. Audie L. Murphy Soldier Service Center. - photo by Photo by Andrea Washington

AloneAndFarRemoved

"Alone and Far Removed" a poem written by Audie Murphy in honor of his fallen WWII comrades. The poem is included on the album, The War Sessions, released by PGH Entertainment.
Another chapter can be added to the legendary story of 3rd Infantry Division soldier and World War II hero, 2nd Lt. Audie Murphy.
The most decorated soldier from WWII was honored Wednesday morning when Fort Stewart’s Soldier Support Center was renamed the 2nd Lt. Audie L. Murphy Soldier Service Center.
“How fitting it is that today we will dedicate this soldier support center to an American and 3rd Infantry Division war hero and legend,” Fort Stewart Garrison Commander Col. Todd Buchs said. “Audie Murphy’s story is one of bravery and sacrifice.”
Murphy is credited with single-handedly, atop a burning tank destroyer, protecting his soldiers against a German attack that included six tanks and waves of infantrymen in the winter of 1945.
“For an hour, the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2nd 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,” ceremonies coordinator for Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield Jeff Fornshell said. “Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire.”
Murphy was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor. He would eventually receive more than 30 United States medals, as well as five other medals from France and Belgium, for a military career spanning three years.
Although not quite the same as supporting men in battle, his name now adorns a building that houses numerous support services and offices for soldiers, their families and civilians.
“I just appreciate what’s been done,” Murphy’s longtime friend, Scott Turner, said. “I thank you on Audie’s behalf because I know he’s looking down saying, ‘I did all that?’”
The acclaimed veteran was killed in a plane crash on May 28, 1971. He was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. His gravesite continues to be the second-most visited burial site in the cemetery.
Dressed in a pair of burnt orange jeans and a matching shirt, which both belonged to Murphy, Turner said he remembers his friend as more than just a soldier.
The pair wrote more than 80 songs together, including the gold record country hit, “Shutters and Boards.”
After years of storing their old records in his attic, the 75-year-old said he was ready to hit the road for a series of two-hour concerts featuring the classics. Proceeds will be donated to the Fisher House Foundation, an organization that builds “comfort homes” for soldiers wounded in Iraq and their families.
Also not forgetting the soldiers serving in Iraq, Buchs said today’s Dog Face Soldiers are performing much like their predecessor.
“Like Audie Murphy before them, American heroes are now performing magnificently on the frontlines in Iraq and Afghanistan,” the garrison commander said. “They’re taking the battle to the enemy and they brave his hatred and brutality to make this country safe.”
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