Arriving in northeastern
France in October 1944, Murray was assigned as a replacement
platoon leader to
Company C of the
30th Infantry Regiment,
3rd Infantry Division. The division had landed in
Saint-Tropez on the southern coast of France months earlier and was pushing northward towards
Germany. On December 8 of that year, Murray became company commander. Early on December 16, Company C crossed the Weiss River in the northern
Vosges Mountains and established a defensive position atop Hill 512, just south of the village of
Kaysersberg. Later that morning, Murray, by then a
first lieutenant, led a platoon-sized group on a
reconnaissance mission to the southeast, towards
Ammerschwihr. Descending the
vineyard-covered hill along a winding footpath, the group noticed German soldiers in a sunken road, about away, firing on an American hilltop position. Creeping forward to a point from which he could see the German unit, about 200 men strong, Murray made a radio call for
artillery support. When the artillery landed slightly off target, he attempted to call for a range correction but the radio went dead. Not wanting to send his patrol against the much larger German force, he retrieved
rifle grenades from his men and returned to his vantage point to begin a single-handed attack on the position. Although his fire alerted the Germans to his location, he continued to shoot grenades and later an
automatic rifle into the German unit. As the soldiers attempted to withdraw, he disabled a truck which was carrying out three
mortars. Members of his patrol brought up their own mortar, and Murray directed its fire until the Germans had scattered towards Ammerschwihr. Continuing on the footpath, he and his men captured ten German soldiers. An eleventh soldier approached him with his helmet off and his arms raised. When Murray turned to shout orders, the soldier tossed a grenade; the explosion knocked Murray to the ground and sent eight pieces of shrapnel into his left leg. After getting back to his feet, he stopped his men from killing the prisoner. Only after organizing the patrol into a defensive position did he turn over command of the company and find an aid station. After receiving medical treatment, Murray rejoined his unit on December 28, 1944. He learned that he had been recommended for the Medal of Honor in March of the next year and, per Army policy, was soon removed from combat. He remained with his division and was in
Salzburg,
Austria, on May 7, 1945, when a ceasefire was declared. The next day, Germany's surrender was finalized and the war in Europe was over. Murray was issued the Medal of Honor on August 1, 1945, eight months after the fight near Kaysersberg. It was formally presented to him during a ceremony in Salzburg, with the entire 3rd Infantry Division in attendance. He arrived home in Wilmington in September to a hero's welcome, but later returned to Europe and served four years of
occupation duty. During this time, he was stationed in Salzburg and became the head U.S.
intelligence officer in that city. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Murray received three
Silver Stars, two
Bronze Stars with
Valor devices, a
Purple Heart, and the
Combat Infantryman Badge for his World War II service. ==Later life==