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Murphy, Britt, Daly, and Ware.

Do those names sound familiar? Ring a bell? Probably not. And here in 2024, it would be an unrealistic expectation, being that those names were prominent, greatly so, in a long passed era.

Now, before I continue, let me acknowledge, admit, that I write too often about people, places, and events that transpired just before, during, and after World War II. My intention is to veer away from that subject (except, possibly, for the one or two such columns already written but not yet published). That is my intention. We shall see.

So. Let me put just a little, only an identifying bit about each of the aforementioned names, all of whom became iconic figures in WWII.

Maurice “Footsie” Britt, a former college and pro football player, became the very first American to receive every award for valor in a single war.

Michael Daly was a West Point dropout who risked his life over and over to keep his men alive.

Keith Ware would one day become the first and only draftee in history to attain the rank of general, before serving in Vietnam. In WWII Ware owed his life to a baby-faced Texan, the “finest soldier he ever commanded,” by the name of Audie Murphy.

In the campaign to liberate Europe each soldier would gain the ultimate honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

These four men were the most decorated soldiers of World War II. Theirs is the story of heroism. Britt, Daly, Murphy, Ware.

As Lt. General Daniel P. Bolger (ret.) wrote, “ Nobody ‘wins’ the Medal of Honor, nor is it ‘awarded.’ It is earned under fire, often at the cost of one’s life and always in the face of hostile resistance.”

If, just on the very slight possibility, any of you might even consider learning more about these men, and many others of the fabled U. S. Army Third Infantry Division, whose men garnered more awards for valor than any other unit in American military history, then let me recommend “ Against All Odds,” by Alex Kershaw.

Your range of emotions will be across a very wide spectrum. This I guarantee.

Note – The legend of Audie Murphy continued to grow, well past the war, as he became a movie star, mostly in westerns.