Veterans Day Tribute: Audie Murphy

On this Veterans Day, I want to take the time to honor a man who was the most decorated of all WWII soldiers, Audie Murphy. A short, slight man, Audie grew up in poverty, and at age 10, became ‘man of the house’ when his father passed away. Audie, to support the family by putting food on the table, became a crack shot with a rifle. In military service, this skill, along with his bravery and daring, would combine to produce a feared combatant, and would save the lives of hundreds of his fellow soldiers. Watch this short film [captioned] about Audie Murphy.

Audie Leon Murphy (June 20, 1924–May 28, 1971) was an American soldier in World War II. In 27 months of combat action, he became the most decorated U.S. combat soldier of World War II.

Murphy received the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award for valor, along with 32 additional medals awarded for bravery and service.

In the later part of his life, he went on to have a successful movie career, including the extremely popular TO HELL AND BACK.

He died in an airplane crash in May 1971.

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Hunter Thompson’s Life Now Open to Further Scrutiny

Hunter Thompson’s life now open to further scrutiny
Monday, November 06, 2006
L. Wayne Hicks – The Denver Business Journal

Hunter S. Thompson’s legacy — at least the one his only child is concentrating on now — may be hundreds of boxes of papers.

Juan Thompson, 42, faces the task of going through 800 or so boxes of letters, faxes and photographs. He’s compiling a rough index of what’s in the boxes and setting aside letters to include in an upcoming book, and estimated he’s examined the contents of 100 boxes so far.

Hunter Thompson killed himself in February 2005 at his home in Woody Creek, outside Aspen. His son heard the shot and found the body. The irony is that going through his father’s archives is giving Juan a chance to know his father better.

Obit: William Styron, Leading Novelist, 81

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November 1, 2006

By CHRISTOPHER LEHMANN-HAUPT

William Styron, the novelist from the American South whose explorations of difficult historical and moral questions earned him a place among the leading literary figures of the post-World War II generation, died today in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., where he had a home. He was 81.

. Kathy Willens/The Associated Press

The cause was pneumonia, coming after many years of illness, his daughter Alexandra Styron said.

Mr. Styron’s early work, including “Lie Down in Darkness,” won him wide recognition as a voice of the South and the heir to William Faulkner. In subsequent fiction, like the critical and commercial success “Sophie’s Choice,” he transcended his background and moved across cultural lines.