1943 – Enlisted in US Army. Attended Basic Training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia
Completed Parachute training at Camp Bragg, North Carolina.
Assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He missed the Tennessee maneuvers, but joined the unit as they were shipping out from New York City to their base in England.
1944 – Participated in the Normandy Campaign, jumping with the 101st on D-Day.
7 June 1944 – recommended/awarded the Bronze Star for actions near Ste. Marie du Mont, Normandy, France. Sustained a bullet wound to left shoulder; recommended/awarded the Purple Heart.
July 1944 – Unit received a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation for Normandy Campaign.
September 1944 - Participated in the Holland Campaign, jumping with the 101st north of Eindhoven near Son, Netherlands.
18 September 1944 – recommended/awarded Bronze Star with “V” for Valor for actions at Eindhoven, Netherlands. Recommended/awarded Purple Heart; sustained fragmentation injury to left buttocks.
December 1944 - Participated in combat operations around the city of Bastogne, Belgium in the Ardennes Forest.
19 December 1944 – recommended/awarded Silver Star for actions near Noville, Belgium. Recommended/awarded Purple Heart; sustained bullet wound to left hand – lost pinkie finger.
1 January 1945 – Promoted to Corporal
23 February 1945 – Unit received a second Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation for Bastogne Campaign.
3 January 1946 – re-enlisted US Army assigned to US Airborne School, Fort Benning, GA as an airborne instructor.
1 February 1946 – Promoted to Sergeant
28 February 1946 – qualified as Jumpmaster
31 March 1946 – qualified as Senior Parachutist
9 May 1949 – reassigned as Rifle squad leader, D Company, 27th Infantry Regiment (Wolfhounds), Japanese Occupation duty
July 1950 – deployed to Pusan, Korea to assist with holding back the North Korean invasion.
May 1951 – Promoted to Staff Sergeant
October 1951 – received battlefield commission to First Lieutenant for actions near the 38th Parallel. Recommended/awarded Silver Star. Recommended/awarded purple heart for bullet wound to left thigh.
1953 – 25th Infantry Division returns to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii at the conclusion of the Korean War.
8 November 1953 – 1LT Murphy reassigned to Company Command, B Company, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, Nuremburg, Germany
1 January 1954 – Promoted to Captain
1 January 1956 – Captain Murphy assigned as Special Staff officer to the Division Headquarters 10th Infantry Division in Wurzburg, Germany.
2 October 1958 – Assigned to Operations Officer, First Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, WA.
1 January 1959 – Promoted to Major
2 August 1961 – reassigned to Military Assistance Advisory Group, South Vietnam
21 July 1964 – reassigned to Department of the Army, Washington D.C.
1 January 1965 – Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
1 December 1966 – Assigned Battalion Command, 1st Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Central Highland, Vietnam
Military Awards/Decorations: Medal of Honor, 2x Silver Star, Bronze Star with “V”, Bronze Star, 4x Purple Hearts, 3x Army Commendation Medals, Army Good Conduct Medal (2 Oak leaf clusters), American Campaign Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal, World War II Occupation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Army Overseas Ribbon, United Nations Service Medal, United Nations Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign,
Combat Infantryman’s Badge (3x WWII, Korea & Vietnam)
Senior Parachutist Badge with 2 stars for jumps in Normandy and Holland
Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation - NORMANDY
Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation – BASTOGNE