Charles Murdoch wore the same hat practically everywhere.
The inscription read: "First from above. Nov. 8, 1942, Operation Torch. First U.S. combat jump."
Occasionally people would approach the veteran and inquire about his role as a U.S. Army paratrooper during World War II. It was a short-lived experience. The Atlanta native's legs were broken and an ankle shattered in the early days of the U.S.-British invasion in North Africa.
The injury left him with a permanent limp that required a cane, brace and walker as he got older. Just like he seldom talked about his military experience, he never complained about the injury, said a stepson, Joseph Michael Baldesare of Lilburn.
"He never brought attention to it," he said. "These kinds of people -- and there aren't that many of them left anymore -- they fought for this country. They are American heroes."
Saturday, Charles Lee Murdoch Jr. of Lilburn died of natural causes at Embracing Hospice in Snellville. He was 89. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Horis A. Ward Stone Mountain Chapel.
In 1941, Mr. Murdoch was employed as an assistant manager at a local theater when he joined the Army and underwent basic training at Macon's Camp Wheeler. He volunteered to become a paratrooper, and after training, joined the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Operation Torch was the name of the British-American invasion of French North Africa during World War II. The 509th carried out the first U.S. combat drop in that campaign. Mr. Murdoch was injured in Tunisia when his troop was fired upon by Vichy French soldiers. His injuries led to an honorable discharge in 1942.
Charles Lee Murdoch III, the eldest son who lives in Bradenton, Fla., was a teen when he learned about his father's war days.
"Growing up, he really didn't talk that much about it," he said. "He served his country and served under tough circumstances based on the fact he jumped into foreign theater during combat."
Said his stepson: "He had no idea when he entered the service that he would be in the war that quick and that soon. He was an average soldier who put his life on the line and did what he was told to do, and he never complained."
After the military, he returned to metro Atlanta and worked 40 years as a credit manager for Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. As a Shriner, he drove dune buggies, motorcycles and antique cars in parades.
Mr. Murdoch loved old movies featured on Turner Classic Movies and AMC. Vivien Leigh was one of his favorite actresses. He was a whiz at crossword puzzles, too, until his mind weakened.
Peggy Eberhart Murdoch, his wife of 36 years, died in 2001.
Additional survivors include six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
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