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The History of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club
The original club was started at Fort Hood, Texas early in 1986. There were several key people at Fort Hood - officer, enlisted, civil service, and a Killeen civilian - who were instrumental in getting this club up and running. Leading the effort was Lieutenant General Crosbie Saint, then the III Corps commander; his Command Sergeant Major George L. Horvath; III Corps Awards Clerk Jean Crisp, who is now Test and Experimentation Command (TEXCOM) awards clerk, and Don Moore, a Killeen artist who assisted with designing the logo and club awards. In 1991, then III Corps Commander Lieutenant General Pete Taylor and Command Sergeant Major Richard B. Cayton expanded the Fort Hood installation club to include all of III Corps. This included Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Polk, Louisiana; and Fort Carson, Colorado. In 1993, CSM Cayton was voted into the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club by the membership and then became the Forces Command Sergeant Major. Soon thereafter, the club became Forces-Command (FORSCOM) wide, including the Reserves and National Guard. In 1994 at a Sergeant Major of the Army conference, the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club spread Army-wide, to all commands with installations retaining the selection process for their own NCOs. In 1998, it was estimated that the club membership was over 3000 soldiers and was steadilly increasing.
The crest was designed by one of the original organizers of the club, Mr. Don Moore, Illustrator of Killeen, Texas. The crest depicts the symbols of the majestic American Bald Eagle superimposed over the olive branch-wreath, saber, and lighting bolt. In front of the eagle are the U.S. Army staff sergeant stripes. The eagle firmly clutches in both claws a powder-blue banner, the color of the infantry. On the banner are displayed words Loyalty, Caring, Discipline, and Professionalism.
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