**Sgt Russell E Murphy "AKA "The KID". . . *** 50th MIssion for R.E. was Thursday 16 Sept. 1943 ALSO noted as 22 Sept. 1943 as his 50th….

PURPLE HEART for injury recieved between arriving in Mar. 1943 and May to August, 1943

Sunday, 1 August 1943
447th BS War Diary: A holiday for the entire group. We celebrated our first birthday today. The Group and squadron have been activated just one year. There was a group meeting this morning and Col. Knapp expressed his satisfaction for the accomplishments achieved during our first year.

General Ridenour also gave a little talk and congratulated us on the fine work don in this theatre. The Purple Heart was awarded the men in the
group who have earned it. Five men in our squadron received the award from Col. Knapp. They were: Capt. Manly, Lt. McCone, Lt. Tate, S/Sgt. Jensen and S/Sgt. R.E. Murphy. The colonel also presented the squadron commanders with Air Medals and clusters to be awarded the combat men in their respective squadrons. After the gathering at group all the officers of our squadron went to the Bellevue Hotel located at Ain Draham for dinner. Special arrangements had been made by Capt. Gale and Maj.
Sampson to take over the dining room for the occasion. We had steak and French fried potatoes—all we could eat and champagne was available for those who wanted it at $16 a bottle. The party was a big success. The enlisted men had a feast of their own at the squadron area. They had fresh meat and free beer---and the day off to spend in any way they liked. Maj. Sampson expressed his appreciation to both the enlisted men and the
officers for a job well done during the past year.

447th BS Special Account: The squadron celebrated its first birthday on this date. Col. Knapp took the occasion to call all the squadrons together and express his appreciation for the outstanding accomplishments of the squadrons in one short year. General Ridenour, the Wing Commander, was also present and made a short speech in which he said that no other Group in the Air Force in a year’s time had received as thorough a
training program and completed as many missions against the enemy as our Group had. Up to that date our Squadron had participated in 78 of the Group’s 99 missions. During the ceremony Purple Hearts were awarded the following men in this squadron: Capt. Manly, Lt. McCone, Lt. Tate,S/Sgt. Jensen, and S/Sgt. R.E. Murphy. Air medals and
other awards were presented to the squadron commanders to be passed on to the men who had earned them in their respective organizations. After the ceremonies free beer and a gala feast was served the enlisted men. The officers took over the dining room in one of the hotels in the mountains (Bellevue) and had a banquet. Steak and French fried
potatoes were the big items on the menu. Champagne was available for those who wanted it. The holiday was enjoyed by one and all.

Jensen, Aage E., S/Sgt, gunner
Manly, Robert W. "Horse", Capt, intelligence
McCone, Walter G. 2Lt, bombardier
Murphy, Russell E., S/Sgt, gunner
Tate, Roy W., 2Lt, bombardier
Knapp, Robert D., Col, pilot, 321st BG Commander
Ridenour, Carlyle H., Brig Gen, 47th Wing, Commander

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938 - 1946
ARMY SERIAL NUMBER 15071039
NAME MURPHY RUSSELL E   RESIDENCE: STATE   OHIO : COUNTY; LICKING
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT; FT HAYES COLUMBUS OHIO    DATE OF ENLISTMENT 04 Nov. 1941
GRADE: Private     BRANCH: AC# Air Corps    Air Corps
SOURCE OF ARMY PERSONNEL   Civil Life   NATIVITY   INDIANA     YEAR OF BIRTH 1922
RACE AND CITIZENSHIP   White, citizen   EDUCATION   2 years of high school
CIVILIAN OCCUPATION Unskilled occupations in laundering, cleaning, dyeing, and pressing apparel and other articles
MARITAL STATUS Single, without dependents
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ohio Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007
Name: Russell E Murphy Birth Date: 1922   Birth State: Indiana   Birth Country: United States Gender: Male
Race: White   Residence City: Columbus   Residence County: Franklin   Residence state: Ohio    Residence Country: United States   Death Date: 7 Nov 1982    Hospital of Death: Home   City of Death: Columbus (Pt)   County of Death: Franklin   Certificate: 078878   Age at Death: 60   Certifier: Coroner   Autopsy: Yes, used for certification
Social Security Number: 286-16-5498   Marital Status: Divorced    Census Tract: 8322
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Social Security Death Index   Name: R. E. Murphy   SSN: 286-16-5498   Born: 15 Oct 1922   Died: 7 Nov 1982
State (Year) SSN issued: Ohio (Before 1951)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ancestry.com Russell Eugene Murphy     Birth: 1922-10-15 (15 Oct 1922) - New Haven, Allen, Indiana
Marriage: 1953 - Ohio   Death: 1982-11-07 (7 Nov 1982) - Columbus, Franklin, Ohio      Parents: Charles Cleveland Murphy, Lulu May Roe
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Newark Advocate, The | Newark, Ohio | Wednesday, July 25, 1945 | PACIFIC THEATRE?