Trivia of Audie Murphy (20 June 1924 - 28 May 1971).

As a child, Murphy was a loner with mood swings and an explosive temper. His father drifted in and out of the family's life and eventually deserted them. Murphy dropped out of school in fifth grade and got a job picking cotton for a dollar a day to help support his family; he also became skilled with a rifle, hunting small game to help feed them.

He was accepted by the U.S. Army on 30 June 1942. He became The Most Decorated Combat Soldier in American history, earning every commendation the army could bestow by the time he was 20, including the Medal of Honor. He was also awarded France's and Belgium's highest decorations.

When actor and producer James Cagney saw the 16 July 1945 issue of Life magazine depicting Murphy as the "most decorated soldier", he brought him to Hollywood. Cagney and his brother William signed him as a contract player for their production company and gave him training in acting, voice and dance.

A non-smoker who rarely drank alcohol, he turned down large offers of money to advertise cigarettes and spirits.

Audie Murphy originally declined the opportunity to portray himself in the movie To Hell And Back (1955) , not wanting people to think he was attempting to cash in on his role as a war hero. Murphy initially suggested his actor friend Tony Curtis to play him. They had worked together on three westerns--Sierra (1950), Kansas Raiders (1950) and The Cimarron Kid (1952).

Murphy cast as Burt Lancaster's son and Audrey Hepburn's brother in The Unforgiven (1960). During the filming Audie Murphy and a friend decided to go duck hunting on a nearby lake. The boat capsized and Murphy nearly drowned, but was saved by Inge Morath, the female photographer who had been taking pictures nearby. She stripped to her underwear, reached Murphy, who was in the last stages of exhaustion, and hauled him ashore by her bra strap while the hunt continued uninterrupted over them.

On 28 May 1971, Murphy was killed when the private plane in which he was a passenger crashed into the side of a mountain 14 nautical miles northwest of Roanoke, Virginia, in conditions of rain, clouds, fog and zero visibility. The pilot and four other passengers were also killed. Murphy's gravesite is in Section 46, headstone number 46-366-11, located across Memorial Drive from the Amphitheater. A special flagstone walkway was later constructed to accommodate the large number of people who visit to pay their respects. It is the cemetery's second most-visited gravesite, after that of President John F. Kennedy…