The Price of Valor

The Life of Audie Murphy, America's Most Decorated Hero of World War II

By: David Smith

Narrated by: Tom Perkins

When he was 17 years old, Audie Murphy falsified his birth records so that he could enlist in the army and help defeat the Nazis. When he was 19, he single-handedly turned back the German army at the Battle of Colmar Pocket by climbing on top of a tank with a machine gun, a moment immortalized in the classic film To Hell and Back, starring Audie himself.

In the first biography covering his entire life - including his severe PTSD and his tragic death at age 45 - the unusual story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated hero of World War II, is brought to life for a new generation.

©2015 David A. Smith (P)2015 Tantor

OUTSTANDING

This book gives insight to the life struggles of one of America's greatest hero's. the most decorated American paid a price in blood, and physical health as well as long term mental struggle.

From a decorated Vietnam combat veteran....

I’ve wanted for many years to read something honest and concise about Audie Murphy. My experiences in Vietnam left me with no interest in dramatisations of war. I’ve avoided virtually all of them for 50 years. An exception was Ken Burns’ series on Vietnam. It reached exceedingly deep into my soul where I ordinarily spend no time. I’ve made peace with “what’s under the bed”. I wept more than once during my focused listening to this book. The writing is excellent. The narration superb. But the man as extraordinary as he was, returned from war,, as my mother said of me, but not all of him. There are two books here: one a biography of Audience Murphy, the other, a clinical case study of the inescapable trauma of combat. Thank you so very much.

Fills in blanks

I had read some other bios of Murphy including To Hell and Back. This book gives a bit more insight into Murphy's postwar life and highlights how we, the citizens of the United States and in particular the government has unrealistic expectations and understanding of veterans or war and violence in general.

Deeper, we expect every organ in the body to be susceptible to pathology with the exception of the brain. This has to change.

Loved it!

Explained in great detail. Learned more about Murphy than I thought was possible. After thinking I knew the man from previous books, I feel I REALLY got to know him in this book. Life is fragile and an uphill climb for most people as it surely was was for Murphy but he always tried his best to do the best he could do and keep his chin up. This hero was after all, just like the rest of us, fragile and human.

interesting

interesting, never knew this about that crazy kid from texas. what a true American hero