Murphy, Frederick Coleman
(Boston/Massachusetts/United States, July 27th, 1918 -
Saarlautern/Rhine Province/Germany, March 19th, 1945)
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February 26th, 1946; Private First Class, Medical Detachment, 259th Infantry Regiment
"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."
Awarded posthumously.
(Source: General Orders No. 21, War Department)
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