View Full Version : Audie Murphy crash site
Old Hillwalker
06-05-2007, 07:05
Anyone ever visit the Audie Murphy plane crash site near the AT in Virginia?
As a retired Army VietNam war vet I would like to stop there on my thru next year.
Lone Wolf
06-05-2007, 07:10
yup. seen it several times
Lone Wolf
06-05-2007, 07:38
yup. seen it several times
www.audiemurphy.com/roanoke.htm
Is there information on the site (directions from the trail, distance, etc.) in one of the guidebooks?
Right on the trail. Actually there are several other plane crash sites on the trail. I admired Audie and got great comfort when I stopped and took a break at his monument.
Creek Dancer
06-05-2007, 08:47
There is a short trail that leads to the site off the AT. I was there a couple of years ago. I was pleased to see small patriotic mementos around the memorial. I was disappointed to see that someone had splattered it with paint balls.
I am also a Vietnam vet and briefly stopped at the site on my hike in 2005. I was pleased to find that flowers and a couple of American flags had been placed around the monument by visitors. You can easily see the 3-4 foot high granite monument as it is only about 50 feet off the trail. It is definitely worth a few minutes reflection on your hike.
BlackCloud
06-05-2007, 09:04
Nice bench w/ a partial overlook too.
Good place to die, or take a rest
Chef2000
06-05-2007, 13:50
Yes, very cool site , worth the short side trip
firemountain
06-05-2007, 14:11
I stopped there last winter during my thru. The site was in excellent condition and had a nice rock cairn and memorial. This man was very a highly decorated war hero.
Old Grouse
06-05-2007, 14:48
He was the most decorated combat soldier in WW2.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy
My uncle flew p-51's for the Army Air Corp during WW II and when he came home and was deciding what to do he gave lessons out of the Roanoke airport. We were all down there sometime in the 80's for a reunion and I remember him saying how tricky the winds in those mountains are and how you had to be alert for down drafts. I imagine one caught up to Audie.
Pacific Tortuga
06-05-2007, 17:30
I have a 7th Calvery patch I want to place on it, still means a lot to me.
It is sad that many young hikers out here haven't a clue who he is and was.
God Bless our troops everywhere and it was wonderful to meet SGT.Rock
and family at Trail Days ............ you too FD.
superman
06-05-2007, 20:23
I filtered the water from the frog pond on the right hand side of the trail just before the trail to the crash site. The water tasted so bad after filtering I didn't drink it. I'm thinking the water still tastes bad there.
september issue of SOF(soldier of fortune)has a cool article about audie murphy in it on page #28. enjoy!
cavscout
07-24-2008, 23:34
Not to hijack the thread but since it is a relatively patriotic topic, I thought I'd chime in on this grass roots effort to provide comfort to wounded soldiers.
http://www.operationward57.org/default.aspx
Awesome spot. Without guys like Audie there probably wouldn't even be a trail.
Awesome spot. Without guys like Audie there probably wouldn't even be a trail.I'll second that. I want to see it myself, thanks for the links posted.
g8trh8tr
07-25-2008, 07:49
Indeed this is a great spot. My son and I stopped there a couple of years ago because I wanted him to see it 1st hand and discuss the man and his accomplishments/selfless service.
earlyriser26
07-25-2008, 08:29
Great spot for a break with overlook nearby.
To set the record straight regarding the crash:
"Just after noon on May 28 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_28), 1971 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971)[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy#cite_note-imdb-1)[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy#cite_note-ammem-2)[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy#cite_note-ANC-3) (during Memorial Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day) weekend), while on a business trip, and flying in bad weather with a pilot unqualified to fly on instruments, Murphy's private plane crashed into Brush Mountain (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brush_Mountain_%28Virginia%29&action=edit&redlink=1), near Catawba, Virginia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia), some 20 miles west of Roanoke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke).[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy#cite_note-ANC-3) The pilot, as well as Murphy and four other passengers, were killed."
Flying into poor visibility around these mountains will get you killed a lot quicker than the down drafts. I always give these mountains plenty of respect while flying, even in perfect weather. They are glorious to fly over though at any time of year.