Log in
Search
Latest topics
» my attempt at making an exhaust throttle for Cox .049by balogh Today at 12:07 am
» Testers Sprite engine swap
by Greenman38633 Yesterday at 9:32 pm
» Elfin 0.5cc (Arnie Hende replica)
by dan vincent Yesterday at 9:18 pm
» Introducing our Cox .049 TD Engines
by layback209 Yesterday at 9:10 pm
» Anderson Baby Spitfire - looking for the aft tank and gasket
by Boats13 Yesterday at 8:18 pm
» Fuel residue stain clening help
by akjgardner Yesterday at 7:53 pm
» Another of C.T. engines cleaned ---- Cox Tee Dee .09 --- Just today (3/26/2024) more Cox parts
by sosam117 Yesterday at 5:55 pm
» Cox powered boat litle shrimp hidroplane
by davidll1984 Yesterday at 2:52 pm
» Introducing the new - "QZ" RR-1
by roddie Yesterday at 1:08 pm
» STUKA bomb dimentions needed
by latole Yesterday at 9:36 am
» Indexing COX cylinders
by davidll1984 Yesterday at 7:56 am
» 1/2a Skyray plans?
by 944_Jim Wed Mar 27, 2024 10:14 pm
Audie Murphy's wife Pamela
Page 1 of 1
Audie Murphy's wife Pamela
This was forwarded by a friend in the CL community, then I found the actual article. It regards Audie Murphy's wife, Pamela. She certainly wasn't wimpish but caring, of very admirable stern stuff that stuck through the worst of Audie's PTSD prior to that becoming a diagnosis. If you recall, Audie was America's hero soldier for his selfless valiant actions during World War 2.
He died broke at an early age of 46, left her with debts from his gambling, errant carousing and bad investments. She found work, paid the debtors fully, started a career with the VA health system to become a strong advocate for Veterans until her death on April 8, 2010. You can follow her story by clicking on the link below or the spoiler tab below that.
LA Daily on 14 Apr 2010: Pam Murphy, widow of actor Audie Murphy, was veterans’ friend and advocate
He died broke at an early age of 46, left her with debts from his gambling, errant carousing and bad investments. She found work, paid the debtors fully, started a career with the VA health system to become a strong advocate for Veterans until her death on April 8, 2010. You can follow her story by clicking on the link below or the spoiler tab below that.
LA Daily on 14 Apr 2010: Pam Murphy, widow of actor Audie Murphy, was veterans’ friend and advocate
- After Audie died, they all became her boys. Every last one of them. (click here to read):
- Any soldier or Marine who walked into the Sepulveda VA hospital and care center in the last 35 years got the VIP treatment from Pam Murphy.
The widow of Audie Murphy – the most decorated soldier in World War II – would walk the hallways with her clipboard in hand making sure her boys got to see a specialist or doctor — STAT. If they didn’t, watch out.
Her boys weren’t Medal of Honor recipients or movie stars like Audie, but that didn’t matter to Pam. They had served their country. That was good enough for her.
She never called a veteran by his first name. It was always “Mister.” Respect came with the job.
“Nobody could cut through VA red tape faster than Mrs. Murphy,” said veteran Stephen Sherman, speaking for thousands of veterans she befriended over the years.
“Many times I watched her march a veteran who had been waiting more than an hour right into the doctor’s office. She was even reprimanded a few times, but it didn’t matter to Mrs. Murphy.
“Only her boys mattered. She was our angel.”
Last week, Sepulveda VA’s angel for the last 35 years died peacefully in her sleep at age 90.
“She was in bed watching the Laker game, took one last breath, and that was it,” said Diane Ruiz, who also worked at the VA and cared for Pam in the last years of her life in her Canoga Park apartment.
It was the same apartment Pam moved into soon after Audie died in a plane crash on Memorial Day weekend in 1971.
Audie Murphy died broke, squandering million of dollars on gambling, bad investments, and yes, other women.
“Even with the adultery and desertion at the end, he always remained my hero,” Pam told me.
She went from a comfortable ranch-style home in Van Nuys where she raised two sons to a small apartment – taking a clerk’s job at the nearby VA to support herself and start paying off her faded movie star husband’s debts.
At first, no one knew who she was. Soon, though, word spread through the VA that the nice woman with the clipboard was Audie Murphy’s widow.
It was like saying Patton had just walked in the front door. Men with tears in their eyes walked up to her and gave her a hug. “Thank you,” they said, over and over.
The first couple of years, I think the hugs were more for Audie’s memory as a war hero. The last 30 years, they were for Pam.
She hated the spotlight. One year I asked her to be the focus of a Veteran’s Day column for all the work she had done. Pam just shook her head no.
“Honor them, not me,” she said, pointing to a group of veterans down the hallway. “They’re the ones who deserve it.”
The vets disagreed. Mrs. Murphy deserved the accolades, they said.
Incredibly, in 2002, Pam’s job was going to be eliminated in budget cuts. She was considered “excess staff.”
“I don’t think helping cut down on veterans’ complaints and showing them the respect they deserve, should be considered excess staff,” she told me.
Neither did the veterans. They went ballistic, holding a rally for her outside the VA gates.
Pretty soon, word came down from the top of the VA. Pam Murphy was no longer considered “excess staff.” She remained working full time at the VA until 2007 when she was 87.
“The last time she was here was a couple of years ago for the conference we had for homeless veterans,” said Becky James, coordinator of the VA’s Veterans History Project.
Pam wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help some more of her boys.
Los Angeles Daily News photo.
GallopingGhostler- Top Poster
-
Posts : 5214
Join date : 2013-07-13
Age : 70
Re: Audie Murphy's wife Pamela
Moving story George. Thanks for sharing it.
I watched many of his movies, he had a nice soft cadence in his delivery that was easy to listen to. I thought his bio movie, "To hell and back" too much Hollywood and to little reality. I would like to see a remake.
I watched many of his movies, he had a nice soft cadence in his delivery that was easy to listen to. I thought his bio movie, "To hell and back" too much Hollywood and to little reality. I would like to see a remake.
rsv1cox- Top Poster
-
Posts : 10429
Join date : 2014-08-18
Location : West Virginia
Similar topics
» My wife...........
» Cox Top Gun
» *Cox Engine of The Month* Submit your pictures! -December 2023-
» A thank you from Rusty’s wife Holley Knowlton
» This is what you don't want to do to upset your wife.
» Cox Top Gun
» *Cox Engine of The Month* Submit your pictures! -December 2023-
» A thank you from Rusty’s wife Holley Knowlton
» This is what you don't want to do to upset your wife.
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum