WW2 Fallen - Medal of Honor hero and medic Frederick Murphy, 65th Infantry Division

Pfc. Frederick Murphy was a medic in the 65th Infantry Division fighting in Germany in March 1945.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55869850
http://www.fordgpw.com/65th_Infantry/body_65th_infantry.html 

Frederick Coleman Murphy never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on July 27, 1918 in Massachusetts. His parents William and Bridget were born in Ireland. His father worked as a shipyard filler-clauker and later as a teamster and truck driver. Frederick had one older brother. By 1940 Frederick had completed four years of high school. He was still living at home and worked as a stock boy.  At some point after that he married his wife Virginia.

He was a student at the University of Pennsylvania when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He tried to enlist but failed two medical exams and was classified 4-F. He underwent corrective back surgery and was able to enlist in November 1943. 

He became a private first class and medic assigned to the 259th Infantry Regiment, 65th Infantry Division. The 65th ID was one of the last units joining the European campaign that saw action. It arrived in France in late January 1945 and was sent to the front lines near the Saar River on March 8. Nine days later it attacked across the Saar. It captured Saarlautern on March 19. Pfc. Murphy was killed during this battle and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. 

Pfc. Murphy's citation reads as follows:

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.

His daughter was born two months after he died.

His grave is at Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, France. I don't know what happened to his widow or daughter.

Thank you Pfc. Murphy for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Federick.

Last year on this date I profiled Ned Guysinger, 4th Infantry Division. You can read about Ned here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

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