Audie Murphy Biography Explores WWII Hero’s PTSD

Baylor historian’s Audie Murphy biography explores WWII hero’s PTSD struggle
Waco Trib.com
Regina Dennis
June 6, 2015

"We want our heroes to be pristine, and we want our wars to be clean. Sometimes we have the wrong idea on how difficult war is on those who fight it.”

Heroic and handsome, his face plastered all over movies and magazines, Audie Murphy’s transition from fearless World War II soldier to famous Western movie star captivated millions across the country.

But a new biography about the renowned soldier, written by a Baylor University senior history lecturer, notes that the same combat experiences that grew Murphy’s stature and wealth would forever mark him, creating a private war he would battle until his tragic death at age 45.

“One the one hand, he wins all of these medals, he wins every award for valor the Army can give, he becomes a celebrity, he becomes nationally known and he becomes a movie star,” said David Smith, author of “The Price of Valor: The Life of Audie Murphy, America’s Most Decorated Hero of World War II.”

“That’s what his war-time experience did for him. But the flip side of that is his wartime experience scarred him for life with post-traumatic stress disorder, and he had to live out the rest of his life as this Hollywood movie star, a really popular one in the ’50s, all the while he was bearing these psychological scars of his combat.”
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