Our community gathered on Sunday, June 9th, to honor the memory of Private First Class Clifford Douglas Murray, Jr., at a flag-raising ceremony at the Veterans Memorial in Newtown Square.
You’ll recall that Private Murray was posthumously named our 2024 Newtown Square Friend & Neighbor of The Year in our June issue. Clifford went ashore with the first wave of invasion forces to Omaha Beach in Normandy on June 6th, 1944. He survived that horrific day, and eight more days to follow. On June 15th, Clifford and three others were sent in a Jeep to try to make contact with another battalion near La Chapelle. On the return trip, they were strafed by aircraft; two were wounded, and Clifford was killed. He was buried in the cemetery that was hastily created to bury the American and German dead as the invasion swept forward. After the war, these American troops were re-interred in the beautiful Normandy American Cemetery overlooking the beach where Clifford first came ashore.
Clifford was awarded the Purple Heart, and the flag that covered his coffin when he was reburied at Normandy was shipped back to his family in Newtown Square. The box containing the flag, along with pictures of Clifford serving overseas in Africa and Italy, newspaper accounts of his death, and the deaths of other area boys, were put in a box, which rested undisturbed until we met with Clifford’s family for last month’s feature.
After meeting with Clifford’s niece Marion Short and his great niece Karen Short, our History Spotlight Expert Doug Humes suggested that the Veterans Association might be able to arrange for the flag that once covered Clifford’s coffin to be raised in a formal ceremony to further honor his service and sacrifice.
The ceremony began promptly at 5pm under bright blue skies. Clifford’s great-niece, Karen Short was in attendance along with her sister, Debbie Peters, Debbie’s husband, retired USMC Caption, Chris Peters and Debbie’s son, Sean Thistlewood. The evening was made even more special because Sue and Bob Catlett, the couple who put Clifford’s story in motion, made the trip from Souderton to meet Karen and her family.
“This has been such an amazing experience,” Karen said. “To see my great-uncle’s flag flying high and to have his service and sacrifice recognized means everything to us.” Karen’s nephew, Sean, was selected to raise and lower the flag and take part in the flag folding ceremony, where each of the 13 folds represents the principles on which our country was originally founded. Sean also addressed the crowd, explaining that his family knew very little about Clifford before last month’s article. He thanked everyone for their support and expressed how much the community and the ceremony meant to his family.
Our History Spotlight Expert, Doug Humes, shared his thoughts on the ceremony. “I was so proud to be part of the events surrounding yesterday’s ceremony to remember and honor Clifford Murray. To stand next to his family members and see the flag that last saw the light of day on his burial in Normandy be raised, to hear his name and know that he is being remembered in his hometown, was a thrill,” he recalled. “I was reminded of the closing scene in Saving Private Ryan, when Ryan stood at the grave in Normandy of his captain, killed in the war, and tells him, ‘I’ve tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that, at least in your eyes, I’ve earned all that you have done for me.’ We should all ask that when we remember the sacrifices made by our soldiers that allow us to lead the lives we lead.”
PFC Clifford Douglas Murray, Jr. was remembered once again during our Marple Newtown 4th of July parade when our friends and neighbors brought copies of our hometown magazine honoring Clifford as our 2024 Newtown Square Friend & Neighbor of The Year to the celebration. On a day when we join together to celebrate our freedom and thank all members of our military, including PFC Clifford Douglas Murray, Jr., in our annual parade, furthered our community’s and magazine’s mission of Bringing People Together.