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Frederick C Murphy

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Battles and wars
  
World War II

Unit
  
65th Infantry Division

Name
  
Frederick Murphy

Battles/wars
  
World War II

Rank
  
Private first class

Years of service
  
????-1945


Frederick C. Murphy

Born
  
July 27, 1918Boston, Massachusetts (
1918-07-27
)

Awards
  
Medal of HonorPurple Heart with Oak Leaf ClusterBronze Star MedalGood Conduct MedalEuropean African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Bronze StarAmerican Campaign Medal

Died
  
March 19, 1945, Saarlouis, Germany

Place of burial
  
Saint Laurent, France

Service/branch
  
United States Army

Allegiance
  
United States of America

Frederick C. Murphy (July 27, 1918 - March 19, 1945) was a recipient of the Medal of Honor during World War II while serving as a medic in the US 65th Infantry Division.

Contents

Medal of Honor citation

  • Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 259th Infantry, 65th Infantry Division.
  • Place and date: Siegfried Line at Saarlautern, Germany, March 18, 1945.
  • Entered service at: Weymouth, Mass.
  • Birth: Boston, Mass.
  • G.O. No.: 21, February 26, 1946.
  • Citation:An aid man, he was wounded in the right shoulder soon after his comrades had jumped off in a dawn attack 18 March 1945, against the Siegfried Line at Saarlautern, Germany. He refused to withdraw for treatment and continued forward, administering first aid under heavy machinegun, mortar, and artillery fire. When the company ran into a thickly sown antipersonnel minefield and began to suffer more and more casualties, he continued to disregard his own wound and unhesitatingly braved the danger of exploding mines, moving about through heavy fire and helping the injured until he stepped on a mine which severed one of his feet. In spite of his grievous wounds, he struggled on with his work, refusing to be evacuated and crawling from man to man administering to them while in great pain and bleeding profusely. He was killed by the blast of another mine which he had dragged himself across in an effort to reach still another casualty. With indomitable courage, and unquenchable spirit of self-sacrifice and supreme devotion to duty which made it possible for him to continue performing his tasks while barely able to move, Pfc. Murphy saved many of his fellow soldiers at the cost of his own life.

    • PFC Murphy is buried at Lorraine Cemetery north of Saint-Avold, Lorraine, France. He left a wife and a daughter born two months after his death.

    Namesakes

    A Victory Ship, hull number 821, (VC2-S-AP2/WSAT) the SS Private Frederick C Murphy, was named for Frederick C. Murphy. The ship was formerly named SS Maritime Victory. The SS Maritime Victory was built in 1945 as a USAT Transport ship. It displaces 7,607 gross tons with an overall length of 455 feet, and beam of 62 feet. This ship was moored at Beaumont Reserve (Texas) and was sold for scrap in 2008.

    Murphy Barracks in Stuttgart Germany was named for Pvt. Murphy.

    The Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center was also named for him. This facility was named as the result of a bill passed in Congress co-sponsored by John Kerry.

    Frederick C Murphy Primary school in Weymouth, MA.

    References

    Frederick C. Murphy Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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