Medal of Honor Citation
Catalog #: 1985.0428.04, Accession #: 1985.0428 |
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Medal of Honor Certificate: Issued to Audie Murphy when he was
awarded the Medal of Honor.
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If you are in Washington, D.C., you may want to stop by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The Smithsonian occassionally will place on display several artifacts that belonged to Audie Murphy. On the 26th of July, 2006, the I was lucky enough to see some of these artifacts and to take pictures. Items photographed included the Medal of Honor certificate issued to Audie, a set of actual dog tags he wore during the war, a New Testament bible he brought home from the war, and an army field jacket with ribbons. Pictured here is Audie Murphy's Medal of Honor citation which is printed on stiff paper. It's dimensions are 10" high by 12" wide.
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Dog Tags
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Audie Murphy's Dog Tags: Did Audie have two different identifica-
tion numbers? See the historical note on the right for a possible
explanation."
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The dog tags to the right were worn by Audie Murphy during combat in Europe. The information on the dog tags includes his name (Audie L. Murphy), an identification number (18083707), his next of kin (Corrine Burns, a married sister), and his home-of-record (Farmersville, Texas). Historical note: According to one source (Audie Murphy / American Cotton Museum curator), Audie Murphy may have actually had two different identification numbers. When Audie Murphy was given a battlefield commission in 1945, he was first honorably discharged as an enlisted soldier. Minutes later, he was sworn in as a commissioned officer of the United States Army by his battalion commander. Because of this, he was likely issued a new service number to reflect this "separate" term of service.
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New Testament
U.S. Army Issued
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Audie Murphy's New Testament: Issued to Audie Murphy as a new
enlisted recruit."
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The New Testament, seen in the photo on the right, is in a sealed plastic bag. This bible was commonly passed out to protestant and roman catholic soldiers by army chaplains. Unfortunately, museum lighting made this photo difficult to take and a flash was not possible because of museum rules. Compounding the lighting problems was the fact that the cover of the bible had faded through the years. The red haze is actually a reflection off the glass display case and is not a part ofr the bible itself.
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Army Field Jacket
Catalog #: 1985.0428.01, Accession #: 1985.0428 |
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Audie Murphy's Field Jacket: Patches and service stripes appear
to be hand-sewn.
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The khaki "Eisenhower" type field jacket shown here is one that the Smithsonian states 2nd Lieutenant Audie Murphy actually wore. Its dimensions are approximately 27.25" in height x 26.5" wide. The 3rd Infantry Division patch on the left shoulder and the service stripes on the left sleeve are actually hand-stitched. The ribbons attached to the chest include the Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. The colors on the jacket are accurate because a flash was accidentally used when the photo was taken (normally, flash photography is prohibited in the Smithsonian for many displays). Fortunately, the museum staff was very kind and allowed me to keep the picture.
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The display with these items is located on the third floor of the Smithsonian's Museum of American History in an exhibit entitled "The Price of Freedom". You should remember that artificats are routinely rotated in and out of display. If you delay your visit, you may discover that these items have been placed back in storage. Also, be warned: as of August 2006 this museum is planning to close by Labor Day, 2006 for several years to upgrade and rennovate its facilities.
If you would like to learn more about the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of American History, visit the following website: http://americanhistory.si.edu/
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