Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Wallace Graham (W.G.) Murphy (Service Number 2018400) was born 07 December 1922 in Winchester, Middlesex, Massachusetts to Wallace Louden and Carrie Florence Butler Murphy.
LCDR Murphy entered the U.S. Navy on 09 December 1940 in Boston and was assigned to the U.S.S Louisville (CA-28) Heavy Cruiser on 06 February 1941 as a Chief Gunner’s Mate. He would go onto serve on this ship for the entirety of the War. History would show, the U.S.S. Louisville was involved in most of the major battles and troop landings in the Pacific Campaign. For this service, he was awarded 13 Campaign Stars for battles at such places like Guadalcanal, Attu Island, Saipan, Leyte, the Surigao Straight, Luzon, and Okinawa. The U.S.S. Louisville took torpedoes and many Kamikaze strikes during its service. The daughters remember a few stories he would tell of removing his fallen comrades from gun positions to stand in their place in order to protect the ship.
After the war, he married Ruth Doris Stinsman in Philadelphia in 1946. They had three daughters, Carol, Constance, and Beverly.
He also served in the Korea Conflict. I haven’t been able to find specific information for his service, but he did receive the Korean Campaign Medal with 4 Campaign Stars, the National Defense Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal for his participation.
He would later commission as a Naval Officer in 1962. For a short time, he was in command of the Naval Brig at the Philadelphia Naval Yard.
Hey served three tours in Vietnam as the Officer in Charge (OIC) of Task Force 115, a Mobile Riverine Force and was headquartered in Nha Trang. The United States Navy found itself embroiled in a war that was fought at first, off the coastal waters of South Vietnam, and then in the river deltas, smaller waterways and canals of the country. To combat North Vietnamese infiltration of men and supplies by sea, three Task Forces were formed. One of these was TF-115 called Operation MARKET TIME. This Task Force worked directly with the VNN to halt the infiltration of enemy troops and supplies into South Vietnam from Cambodia. Beginning in late 1968, riverine forces established new patrol barriers near the border of Cambodia and established a military and South Vietnamese government presence deep in the heart of the Mekong Delta. This campaign reduced overall Viet Cong activity in the Mekong Delta and deterred the enemy from launching a major offensive in the area during the 1972 Easter Offensive. They also worked directly with Special Operations (SEALS & Green Berets) conducting surveillance and infiltration missions. You will observe in one of his pictures, he is seen wearing a 5th Special Forces Beret. The Navy had a small group working within MACV.
LCDR Murphy would go onto pass on 15 January 1994.
His medals were returned to three daughters, 6 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren at the Vietnam Wall as a part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s annual Veteran’s Day ceremony.
