America
Remembers introduces the Audie Murphy Tribute .45 Pistol. This commemorative
firearm acknowledges Audie Murphy's heroism. It was an
unlikely beginning for a hero. Raised in poverty on a Texas
farm, he hardly looked old enough to be wearing the uniform
of a United States infantryman. But even before he
celebrated his 21st birthday, he had won every decoration
for valor that this nation could bestow. In two years of
frontline duty, almost constantly in harm's way, Audie
Murphy earned the title of "The most decorated combat
soldier of World War II." Audie Murphy was
the quintessential soldier, a master of the tools and
tactics of ground warfare. He literally wrote the book
on military valor, an autobiography entitled, "To Hell and
Back." During his military career, he effectively employed a
wide variety of weapons, ranging from the .50 caliber
machine gun to the .30 caliber M-1 rifle and carbine to the
Government Issue .45 caliber Colt service pistol. It is
through the medium of this classic handgun, America's
stalwart service sidearm for three quarters of a century,
that America Remembers now honors the memory of Audie
Murphy, G.I., author, movie actor and American hero.
On March 29, 1911, the Colt automatic pistol, caliber .45 was officially
approved by Jacob M. Dickinson, Secretary of War, as America's official
service sidearm. Powerful, rugged and impervious to abuse, it immediately
started proving its worth in combat. From the jungles of Nicaragua to the
choking dust of the Mexican border to the frozen trenches of France, the
Colt ®
Government Model®
earned
its battle stars. Today, even years after its official "retirement from
active duty," it is still one of the most respected and most copied handgun
designs.
Although the G.I. Colt .45 went on to serve our
country in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, it is a fact that Colt shipped
its last order of pistols to the military on September 18, 1945. In 1991,
however, Colt resumed production of the old parkerized warhorse, with the
serial number range running consecutively from Colt's last batch in 1945. It
is based on this series, the Model 1991A1, built by Colt craftsmen in
Hartford, Connecticut, that we have created our Audie Murphy Tribute.
At America Remembers, we spared no effort in
creating an appropriate and lasting tribute to a gallant fighting man. Here
is a real, firing Colt Government Model .45, with the solid, hand-filling
heft that veterans will remember from their tour of duty. This pistol has
the traditional standard military parkerized finish on the frame, and fitted
with a flat main spring housing in keeping with the original Model 1911.
Each pistol is decorated by craftsmen specifically commissioned for this
project by America Remembers. The slide is highly polished and embellished
in genuine 24-karat gold.
The concept and design of the Limited Edition
Audie Murphy Tribute .45 has been officially authorized by the family of
Audie Murphy, whose invaluable counsel, input, and advice we gratefully a
knowledge.
Audie Murphy served in Sicily, at Anzio, in France and Germany. On January
26, 1945, a the edge of a forest in France, Murphy's company was pinned
down, outnumbered and faced annihilation by a column of German tanks
supported by infantry. Ordering his men to retreat into the forest, Murphy
commandeered the .50 caliber machine gun on a burning tank destroyer. While
directing American artillery over his field telephone, Audie Murphy swept
the German tanks with deadly fire. Shells bursting and bullets ricocheting
all around him, and the tank destroyer threatening to explode at any moment,
Audie Murphy continued to fire until the enemy force broke and ran.
For this incredible act of bravery and daring, Audie Murphy received the
Congressional medal of Honor. The accompanying citation reported fifty
German soldiers killed or wounded and stated, "Lieutenant Murphy's
indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his
company from possible encirclement and destruction and enabled it to hold
the woods which had been the enemy's objective."
When the war was over and America's victory parades were done, Audie Murphy
went to Hollywood and built an enduring career as a screen actor. He'll long
be remembered for such films as The Red Badge of Courage, The Quiet
American, his autobiographical war movie To Hell and Back, and of course for
dozens of high -action westerns. His untimely death in 1971 plane crash
saddened everyone who remembered a quiet, self-effacing American hero, the
kid from Texas, Audie Murphy.
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