How Sergeant Audie Leon Murphy Influenced Contemporary NCO Roles and Responsibilities

Sergeant Audie Leon Murphy’s exceptional leadership style, unprecedented military bearing, and gut toughness positively influenced the roles and responsibilities of the contemporary NCO. Over the course of what many would consider an extraordinary life, Sergeant Audie Murphy had a humble beginning as the son of a sharecropper and became America’s most decorated World War II veteran. He also took advantage of this status to become an accomplished movie star, composer, and poet. Despite his death in 1971, Sergeant Murphy has continued to influence those who have come since then, and his accomplishments are still celebrated today.

From his hometown’s annual Audie Murphy Day to his induction into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Sergeant Audie Murphy’s life is still celebrated in a variety of ways. Sergeant Murphy’s name also appears in memory at a Veterans Administration hospital in Texas, as well as on numerous roads and highways throughout the state. Staff Sergeant Audie Murphy overcame many obstacles that prevented him from joining the military. After joining the United States Army in June 1942, he meticulously distinguished himself, above his peers, by receiving all the awards the United States bestows for bravery. After his death in May 1971, his legacy of training, leadership and mentoring of soldiers was adopted as the training doctrine instilled in every soldier who earns the rank of sergeant today.

There are several styles of effective leadership; however, three styles in particular are common in today’s military. The Leave Faire style, from the French for “hands off”, minimizes the amount of leadership and time required to train and lead soldiers effectively. Therefore, this leadership style is most effective when working with highly trained and motivated subordinates, such as Special Forces. One downfall of this leadership style is that one can appear aloof or disinterested in the roles and responsibilities of a noncommissioned officer. Furthermore, subordinates tend to lack discipline and a general sense of responsibility. The autocratic leadership style is fundamentally based on an authority figure, in this case, the NCO. This style is especially effective when used during real world war missions or in crisis situations. Most of the NCOs chose this style of leadership; however, it has many flaws. An autocratic NCO runs the risk of losing the respect and trust of his soldiers because unit morale declines as a result of the NCO’s authoritarian nature. Additionally, the unit may develop passive-aggressive subordinates who contribute little or nothing to the unit or military service.

The participatory leadership style incorporates aspects of both the permission and autocratic styles. Participatory leaders instill purpose, motivation, and direction in every soldier. This eliminates the “remote” aspect of a NCO using the Licensed Leadership style because the NCO is actively involved in the training and leadership of soldiers. The participatory style also removes the all-or-nothing authoritarian style of the autocratic leadership style by encouraging opinion and feedback from each team member. Sergeant Murphy’s leadership style was an effective combination of participatory and autocratic. This unique combination of leadership style is taught to every NCO who attends a career development class like the Warrior Leaders Course. By providing purpose, motivation, and direction, while maintaining a professional relationship with the soldiers, Sergeant Murphy was an effective leader and mentor.

Sergeant Murphy’s integrity and commitment to mentoring young soldiers led to the establishment of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club at Fort Hood, Texas in 1986. “By 1994, this club had spread throughout the Army to all commandos with facilities that they retained the selection process for their own NCOs. ”(Sergeant Audie Murphy Club, 2009) Admission to the distinguished Sergeant Audie Murphy Club is highly competitive as its members represent less than 1 percent of contemporary NCOs. Since 1986, the club It has produced several distinguished NCOs who have become influential members both in their community and in the United States Army.

Military bearing is a concept instilled in every service member upon entering the military. The ability to conduct yourself with decorum, discipline, and adhere to the highest standards of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal worth in all that one does is critical to all men and women in the military. Military bearing is not only taught to all service members from day one, it is reinforced throughout the length of service in the military. Sergeant Murphy’s military bearing, his ability to conduct himself with professionalism and honor in all that he did, directly influenced his performance of combat duty in the face of various obstacles. Despite being shunned by the Marines, Paratroopers, and the Navy due to his small constitution and young age, Sergeant Murphy persisted in his goal of joining the United States Army. “After being accepted into the United States Army in 1942, Staff Sergeant Murphy quickly rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant, received a ‘battlefield’ commission as Second Lieutenant, was wounded three times, fought in 9 major campaigns across Europe Theater, and survived the war “(Audie Murphy Research Foundation, 2006).

Sergeant Murphy’s military bearing was evident in his ability to overcome previous setbacks that prevented him from fulfilling his combat duty. By continuing to conduct himself in a professional manner and adhere to the values ​​of duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage, Sergeant Murphy achieved his goal and was ultimately sent to Maryland for advanced infantry training. After this training, Sergeant Murphy continued to persevere and exemplify the Army’s Core Values. After an assignment to North Africa, he would continue to participate in campaigns in Sicily, Italy and France. Sergeant Murphy’s drive, Army core values, and discipline were evident in the honors and accolades he received. Military bearing is an important aspect of the contemporary NCO’s roles and responsibilities, which should never be forgotten.

The Congressional Medal of Honor is the United States’ highest military award for Valor. “The Medal of Honor is awarded to those who are conspicuously distinguished by courage and fearlessness in risking their lives beyond the call of duty while engaging in action against an enemy of the United States” (United States, 2006 ). On January 26, 1945, Staff Sergeant Murphy, while deployed to France during World War II, achieved this high honor. “In the 138-year history of the award, there are only 3,448 recipients to date” (Congressional Medal of Honor Society, 2010). Although his unit had an ineffective force of 19 out of 128 soldiers, he led his troops to the rear while remaining in position, at his own risk, to engage the Germans. After exhausting all available rifle ammunition, he continued his attack commanding an abandoned 50 caliber machine gun. After being wounded in the leg during this exchange, he comfortably continued combat operations for another hour. Upon the arrival of reinforcements, Sergeant Murphy organized a precise and effective counterattack. This counterattack eventually turned the tide of battle in favor of the Allied forces. These heroic actions forced the enemy to retreat, driving the Germans away from Holtzwihr and securing the position. By remaining firm in his position, continuing to fight at all costs after being wounded, and then turning from a defensive posture to mount a counterattack, he conspicuously distinguished himself. These undeniable examples of Sergeant Murphy’s gut toughness directly resulted in him being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. By the end of World War II, Sergeant Murphy had received 33 medals from the United States, along with five medals from France and Belgium, making him the most decorated United States Soldier in history. It is also because of these actions of courage and determination that he positively influenced the roles and responsibilities of the contemporary NCO.

In conclusion, Staff Sergeant Audie Leon Murphy’s unique combination of leadership style, unprecedented military bearing, and gut strength positively influenced the roles and responsibilities of the contemporary NCO. Both as a soldier and as a role model, Sergeant Murphy was a tremendous influence not only while serving in the United States Army, but also positively reflected the Army’s Core Values ​​as a civilian. Proof of this is his successful film and music career, as well as the annual celebrations that commemorate his many achievements in life. His legacy contributed to a new sergeant training doctrine instilled in every soldier upon reaching the rank of sergeant. NCOs are responsible not only for providing purpose and motivation, but also guiding young soldiers to train and lead them effectively. The role of the noncommissioned officer is to direct the soldiers, take action to accomplish the mission, and promote good order and discipline. Sergeant Audie Murphy became the epitome of what it takes to become a NCO, and his legacy positively influenced all who followed him.

References:

Audie Murphy Research Foundation. (2006). Biographical sketch. Retrieved from audiemurphy.com/biography.htm

Congressional Medal of Honor Society. (2010). Archive statistics. Retrieved from cmohs.org/medal-statistics.php

Sergeant Audie Murphy Club. (2009). US Army – Sergeant Audie Murphy Club, Fort Knox Chapter, Fort Knox Kentucky. Retrieved from knox.army.mil/samc/history.asp

United States (2006). Military Reports, Army Regulations 600-8-22, Washington, DC: Headquarters, Dept. of the Army.

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