He, too, could have been buried at Arlington but instead opted for the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California. With my adult understanding of what he did in the defense of our country, I can only regard him as a hero.
| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan |
| Navy SEAL to be awarded Medal of Honor |
| 2007-10-12 |
| The White House announced Oct. 11 that the family of U.S. Navy SEAL, Lt. Michael P. Murphy will be presented the U.S. Navy Medal of Honor, awarded posthumously, during a ceremony at the White House Oct. 22. The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Murphy’s father, Daniel, will accept the award on behalf of his son. Murphy will receive the award for his extraordinary, selfless heroism and steadfast courage while leading a four-man, special reconnaissance mission deep behind enemy lines east of Asadabad in the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan June 27 to 28, 2005. “We are thrilled by the President’s announcement today, especially because there is now a public recognition of what we knew all along about Michael’s loyalty, devotion and sacrifice to his friends, family, country, and especially his SEAL teammates,” the Murphy family said in a statement. “The honor is not just about Michael, it is about his teammates and those who lost their lives that same day.” Murphy was the officer-in-charge of the SEAL element, which was tasked with locating a high- level Taliban militia leader to provide intelligence for a follow-on mission to capture or destroy the local leadership and disrupt enemy activity. However local Taliban sympathizers discovered the SEAL unit and immediately revealed their position to Taliban fighters. The element was besieged on a mountaintop by scores of enemy fighters. The firefight that ensued pushed the element farther into enemy territory and left all four SEALs wounded. The SEALs fought the enemy fearlessly despite being at a tactical disadvantage and outnumbered more than four to one. Understanding the gravity of the situation and his responsibility to his men, Murphy, already wounded, deliberately and unhesitatingly moved from cover into the open where he took and returned fire while transmitting a call for help for his beleaguered teammates. Shot through the back while radioing for help, Murphy completed his transmission while returning fire. The call ultimately led to the rescue of one severely wounded team member, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell, and the recovery of the remains of Murphy and Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz and Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson. Eight more SEALs and eight Army “Nightstalker” special operations personnel comprising the initial reinforcement also lost their lives when their helicopter was shot down before they could engage the enemy. The entire battle, the culmination of Operation Redwing, resulted in the worst single day loss of life for Naval Special Warfare personnel since World War II. The sole surviving SEAL, Marcus Luttrell, wrote a book about the battle after he departed the Navy this summer. In his book Luttrell credited all three of his teammates for their heroism, including Murphy’s sacrificial act that eventually led to his rescue. Murphy will be inducted into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon during a ceremony scheduled Oct. 23. His name will be engraved beside the names of some 3,400 other service members who have also been awarded the nation’s highest honor. |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #24 Nope, no Arlington for me - they can throw my ashes in the wind. I've only done my job, definitely nothing special. Just glad no one I was in charge of ever got killed. Hopefully that doesn't change over the next 10 yrs or more. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2007-10-12 22:37 |
| #23 Reader Neal Baumann writes: A Navy Seal will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and the story is receiving little coverage. President Bush announced it yesterday. The story is in section B, page 3 of our local paper (The Journal News). Unbelievable! News 12 Long Island, the local home town cable news channel and web news service for the SEALÂ’s home area has no reference to the story. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-10-12 19:55 |
| #22 Andersonville - also an excellent song by Dave Alvin (about the prison camp)....Dave's a fav of mine, a Downey, CA native |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-10-12 19:50 |
| #21 USN, if it's in anyway handy, Andersonville. I can come and visit you. It has a weird something to it. :) |
| Posted by: Thomas Woof 2007-10-12 19:41 |
| #20 I have known but one MOH winner. His name was Hulon B. Whittington, a WWII vet. I met him in the early 1960s. He was an ordinary man but uncommon in his bravery. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetary. He died in 1969 at age 47. The MOH site describes his heroism. Lt. Murphy was a brave man. "Thanks MOH winner Murphy. You gave all for your team mates and your country. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-10-12 18:10 |
| #19 Zenster, your Grandfather qualifies as a hero in my book as well. Thank you for sharing. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-10-12 17:32 |
| #18 That's a damn good question, USN, Ret. I'm not a veteran but I do know that my grandfather singlehandedly stormed a German machine gun nest and used his sidearm to shoot several enemy soldiers at close quarters. His medical discharge came after suffering permanent pulmonary damage during a mustard gas attack at the Argonne Forest in France. He, too, could have been buried at Arlington but instead opted for the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California. With my adult understanding of what he did in the defense of our country, I can only regard him as a hero. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-10-12 16:30 |
| #17 To many visits to Arlington. To many memories lost there. Save the space for the real heroes. Besoeker: I don't understand your comment. Seems you think we are medal happy this time. Nothing compared to 'nam. I think we have only given out 2 MoH's and both posthumously. Also, SEAL mission was a common recon on high value target. SEAL are a SFO that does this mission rep quite frequently. They were well covered and quiet. It as only a freak chance encounter with a goat herd that compromised the mission. They let the kid go instead of killing him, knowing retrospectively that they probably sacrificed their lives for their western Christian values. Go ahead, investigate and report but unless you change the RoE and muzzle the Jack Murtha's of the world - you still make these missions "personal" decisions regardless of rank. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2007-10-12 16:20 |
| #16 I have never had the honor to meet a MOH awardee, but this reminds me of an argument my wife and i have repeatedly: she insists on having me buried in Arlington Cemetery. I insist it is a special place and should be reserved for the real heros, of which the good Lt. is one, and not just for run of the mill Vets like myself. I am not even qualifed to carry Lt. Murphy's jock strap, much less be buried @ Arlington. How do the rest of the Burg Vets feel about Arlington? |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-10-12 15:54 |
| #15 Col Wes Fox is a MOH recipient whose still around IIRC. We met him at PI some yrs back when I was stationed there. That was a big deal when I was there as it should be. I served w/his son-in-law (another active duty Marine officer) prior to that. Talk about awe or honor having your father-in-law also be a true war hero. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2007-10-12 15:32 |
| #14 "Murph" For time: 1 mile Run 100 Pull-ups 200 Push-ups 300 Squats 1 mile Run In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it "Body Armor". From here on it will be referred to as "Murph" in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is. Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it. Post time to comments. |
| Posted by: Glurong Hatfield6493 2007-10-12 15:24 |
| #13 RIP, Michael. BTW; We, in the crossfit community, perform a workout "Murph" named in his honor. |
| Posted by: Heriberto Glomoth2455 2007-10-12 14:59 |
#12 And it was to our utter humiliation, that at Sky Harbor Airport, he was stopped by Homeland Security personnel who refused to let him board an aircraft, saying he might have used his Medal Of Honor as a weapon, to commit a terrorist act. I hope someone lost their job and pension over that. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-10-12 14:57 |
| #11 Remember that a military decoration is not given as just a personal tribute, but to honor that person's family, their community, their State and the nation itself for having produced them and their honorable peers. They remind us all of heroism personified. Within two miles of my home in Arizona, there is a street named after Joe Foss, though his real home was South Dakota. He is honored here as well, not because of his charitable donations in our State, but because *we* were honored by his presence for a while. Because he was a hero, and a Medal Of Honor recipient. He had to carry the Medal Of Honor with him wherever he traveled, because it was demanded of him by his nation, by everyone who met him. It was and is a symbol of national pride. And it was to our utter humiliation, that at Sky Harbor Airport, he was stopped by Homeland Security personnel who refused to let him board an aircraft, saying he might have used his Medal Of Honor as a weapon, to commit a terrorist act. He was a symbol of America, and belonged to all of us. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-10-12 14:29 |
| #10 yeah i think a good MOH recipient would be the guy who had the RPG round lodged in his body and lived or the medical team who removed it |
| Posted by: sinse 2007-10-12 11:04 |
| #9 Moose, the requirements for awarding the MOH are so strict that it frequently ends up being awarded posthumously. There has to be a living witness to the heroism in order for the medal to be awarded. If Marcus Luttal had died before being rescued, Lt. Murphy would not have gotten the the MOH, since no one would have known about his heroism. |
| Posted by: Rambler 2007-10-12 10:55 |
| #8 It is unfortunate that in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the Medal Of Honor has been reserved for posthumous decoration. While it is well deserved, our nation also needs living Medal Of Honor recipients, who can for many years hereafter, personify to our people those rarest of qualities. Why the hesitation in honoring living heroes? There are some among us who hate and fear heroes, and do everything in their power to despise and demean them, and to parade their human flaws. But as a nation, we should rise above the meanness of these bitter few, and hold up the living examples of people who deserve to be honored, for their service above and beyond the call of duty. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-10-12 09:45 |
| #7 A posthumous award in this particular case appears to indicate mission failure. Who failed? What failed? Why? How did we lose these brave warriors and how can we prevent it from happending again? I reckon that is what's being asked. And I suspect that we won't see the report, but the SEALs will see the effects. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2007-10-12 09:32 |
| #6 Thank you, Lt. Michael P. Murphy. Rest in honored glory. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2007-10-12 09:13 |
| #5 I just finished Marcus Luttrell's "Lone Survivor." Once I started the book, I couldn't put it down. According to Luttrell, the mountain was swarming with the taliban vermin, and he estimated there to be 300 of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's (was identified in book for security reasons as Ben Sharmak) finest. Those four heroes mowed down half of Gulbuddins' force, and Marcus said that 12 Seals could have defeated the whole force and come back with Hekmatyar's scalp. I thought Mike Murphy would get the Medal of Honor, when the Navy awarded Marcus, and the two fallen Seals, Danny Dietz and Michael Axelson, with the Navy Cross, and didn't give Mike Murphy the same award. Marcus Luttrell was saved by Pashtun tribesmen following the age old code of Pashtun conduct called Lokhay Pashtunwalli. This is what we're up against trying to shake binladen, zawahiri, and the rest of the alqaeda out of the Pashtun villages in the tribal lands. |
| Posted by: Galactic Coordinator Shins1195 2007-10-12 08:19 |
| #4 i think trailing wife said it best |
| Posted by: sinse 2007-10-12 07:33 |
| #3 I salute them and I am grateful for each of their sacrifices. I have no wish to start another Pat Tilman fiasco but like many old timers, I have become a bit skeptical about awards over the past yars. A full report on why 4 (Navy SEALS) were inserted into the AF mountains on this "recce" mission, prisoner snatch whatever, their instructions, ie, mission guidance/duration, equipment taken in, (equipment subsequently captured), communicaitons, contact plan, resupply, fire support plan, reinforcement plan, exfiltration plan, E&E/go to hell plan, etc, would make most interesting reading. Someone somewhere has surely had to answer some very, very, tough questions regarding this incident/mission. The "Blue Max" is wonderful gesture on the part of the White House and a grateful nation, no argument. A posthumous award in this particular case appears to indicate mission failure. Who failed? What failed? Why? How did we lose these brave warriors and how can we prevent it from happending again? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-10-12 06:37 |
| #2 Thank you. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-10-12 03:13 |
| #1 I am currently reading "The Commandos" by Douglas C. Waller. My respect for America's special forces has increased but particularly so for the SEALS. What they have to endure in training is simply beyond comprehension. The degree of motivation and dedication shown by these men is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Considering that, for the longest time, special forces have been the red-headed stepchild of America's military, we all have a profound debt of gratitude for the intense commitment shown by these courageous soldiers. It would be a privilege to shake hands with any of them. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-10-12 00:12 |