Headquarters, 9th Air Force, General Orders No. 48 (March 27, 1945)
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Colonel (Air Corps) John Richard Murphy (ASN: 0-24928), United States Army Air Forces, for gallantry in action while serving as Pilot of a Fighter Airplane with the 365th Fighter Group, NINTH Air Force, in action on 21 October 1944. On this date Lieutenant Colonel Murphy led three squadrons on a highly successful fighter sweep in the Bonn-Dusseldorf area. Under his skillful direction the squadrons engaged two formations of more than thirty enemy aircraft each; and in the course of each engagement Lieutenant Colonel Murphy destroyed one enemy aircraft. During the course of the two engagements under his brilliant leadership the group destroyed twenty-one enemy aircraft, probably destroyed one, and damaged an additional eleven. The extraordinary success of this mission reflects the highest credit upon Lieutenant Colonel Murphy, his organization and the Army Air Forces.