Veteran of the Month – Staff Sergeant Ralph Murphy

• Name: Ralph G. Murphy
• Date of Birth: 7/24/1919
• Town: New York City, NY (Bronx)
• Military Branch of Service: Army
• Enlisted, Commissioned, or drafted?: Drafted
• Service Dates: August 1941 – September 1945 (allowed to finish his final semester at Fordham University before reporting)
• Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
• Military Job: Artillery Sargent/Sea Coast Antiaircraft
• Duties: Plotting/spotting
• Unit, Division, Battalion, Group, Ship, Etc.: Battery D, 1st Battalion, 196 Coast Artillery; Long Island Sound coast artillery
• War, Operation, or Conflict served in: World War II
• Locations of Service: Port Darwin, Australia; Milne Bay, New Guinea
• Battles/Campaigns: East Indies Campaign
• Decorations: WWII Victory Medal; Good Conduct
• Combat or service-related injuries: Several bouts of dengue fever
• Military Schools/Training: Coast Artillery School; Officer Candidate School (diverted to escort cargo via train to LA from which he was to return; then ordered to ship out to Australia because he was present and available); became attached to the Australian Royal Air Force

· Bio/Narrative:

Following the military, Murphy worked for a prestigious law firm on Wall Street in Manhattan while getting his law degree from Fordham University through the GI Bill. He was admitted to the Connecticut Bar on May 19, 1961 and moved to Connecticut to work at Sikorsky Aircraft in their legal/contracts department. In January 1963 he was appointed Assistant Attorney General for the State until his retirement in 1986, while under Joe Lieberman. For many years after that he served as a magistrate in the Judicial Department. He currently resides in Torrington with his wife. The two have been married for over 58 years and have four children: Marianne, Susan, Lillie and Jim.