American Campaign Medal and Ribbon Set

Audie Murphy earned the American Campaign Medal for service within the American Theater beginning at North Africa on February 20, 1943. After moving forward as a replacement for a few days, he was assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division (Simpson, page 65).

His time in Africa would be spent mostly in training. On July 7, 1943, Private First Class Murphy departed North Africa as part of an amphibious assault force which was scheduled to invade the island of Sicily (Simpson, page 68).

On 10 July 1943, Private First Class Murphy arrived at Sicily and fought across the island as part of General Patton's U.S. 7th Army. It was here that Murphy would kill his first enemy soldier and see his first American casualty (Simpson, page 69).

After more than two months of combat, Murphy departed Sicily on September 20, 1943 in an LST (Landing Ship, Tank) and arrived the next day on Italy's mainland near the town of Battipaglia (Simpson, page 85).

Murphy would remain in Italy fighting under miserable condtions. It was here that he earned his first medal of valor, a Bronze Star. Many more awards would later follow. After nearly a year, Murphy departed Italy on August 8, 1944 for the coast of southern France (Simpson, page 108).

On August 15, 1944 Murphy participated in an amphibious assault code-named "Operation Anvil" and began fighting his way through France. In a five month period he earned the nation's three highest military medals for valor, was wounded three times, and received a battlefield commission (Simpson, page 120).

On March 15, 1945 the 15th Infantry Regiment enter Germany through the Siegfried line. Nazi forces pulled back toward Berlin. After several more months of fighting, Murphy and his unit reached the southern district of Bavaria, Germany and then entered Austria. The war ended on May 8, 1945 (Simpson, page 166 ).

At the war's conclusion, Lieutenant Audie Murphy and a supply sergeant were the only two original members of B Company who managed to survive without being killed or evacuated home because of injuries. The division suffered over 34,000 casualties, more than any other U.S. army division during World War II (Simpson, page 173).

On June 2, 1945, in an airfield near Salzburg, Austria, Lieutenant Audie Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor and the Legion of Merit. On June 10, 1945 Lieutenant Murphy departed Salsburg, Austria by plane for Paris. There, he embarked on another plane the next day for his return trip to the United States (Simpson, page 175-176).