On January 26, 1945,  2nd Lieutenant Audie Murphy climbed atop a burning tank destroyer and held 2 companies of German infantry and 6 tanks at bay, with only a mounted machine gun and field telephone to direct artillery fire, until a counter attack could be mounted.  This is just one of several narratives describing his actions which earned him the Medal of Honor.  

Just six months earlier then-Sergeant Murphy had earned the Distinguished Service Cross.

…Staff sergeant Murphy started toward them. They met him with small arms fire and threw two hand grenades at him, but couldn’t stop him. Finally, all five of them suddenly surrendered…

Statement given by Staff Sergeant Norman Hollen, describing the actions Sergeant Audie L. Murphy took to singlehandedly clean out an entire enemy position on August 15, 1944.

Then-Staff Sergeant Audie L. Murphy received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on August 15, 1944 in the south of France during World War II.  He would later be promoted to Second Lieutenant and go on to earn the Medal of Honor 6 months later.