HOW DID THE AUDIE MURPHY AWARD COME ABOUT AND HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED IT?”
World War II hero Audie Murphy died in a plane crash May 28, 1971, at the top of Brush Mountain. The award originated in Decatur Alabama and is given at the The Spirit of America Festival in Decatur, Alabama on the 4th of July each year. The award is presented annually to an “outstanding American patriot” or “an outstanding group of individuals who most exemplify the true ‘Spirit of America.’” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy Past recipients of the Audie Murphy Patriotism Award include: Vietnam Prisoner of War Charles J. Plumb, Brigadier General Hallett D. Edson, General Omar Bradley, Alabama Governor George C. Wallace, U.S. Senator James C. Allen, U.S. Senator John Sparkman, U.S. astronaut John Young, Olympic track star Jesse Owens, entertainer Johnny Cash, U.S. Congressman Bob Jones, Secretary of State Alexander Haig; Vietnam veteran U.S. Senator Jeremiah A. Denton, U.S. Senator Strom Thurman, Iranian hos
