Lt. Michael Murphy
- 29 years old
- Male
- Born May 07, 1976
- Died Jun 28, 2005
- United States
About
Medal
WASHINGTON - President Bush publicly honored a fallen Navy SEAL Monday by presenting his grieving parents with the Medal of Honor — and privately honored their sacrifice by wearing a dog tag they'd given him moments before.
The president posthumously awarded the nation's highest military honor for valor to Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y. — the first given for combat in Afghanistan.
Before the emotional White House ceremony, Murphy's parents Dan and Maureen Murphy met with Bush and gave him a gold dog tag in tribute to their son.
"What we were most touched by was that the president immediately put that on underneath his shirt, and when he made the presentation of the Medal of Honor, he wore that against his chest," said the father.
After the ceremony, Dan Murphy said, Bush told the family: "I was inspired by having Michael next to my chest."
The father, who fought back tears during the ceremony, said they were "deeply moved" by Bush's gesture.
"It was very emotional on everybody's part," said Maureen Murphy.
Bush presided over a solemn ceremony honoring their son's battlefield decision to expose himself to deadly enemy fire in order to make a desperate call for help for his elite combat team.
"While their missions were often carried out in secrecy, their love of country and devotion to each other was always clear," Bush said. "On June 28, 2005, Michael would give his life for these ideals."
Murphy's parents both cried at points in the ceremony as they stood next to the president and listened to their son's heroism recounted. Vice President Dick Cheney also attended, as did a handful of previous recipients of the Medal of Honor.
"There's a lot of awards in the military, but when you see a Medal of Honor, you know whatever they went through is pretty horrible. You don't congratulate anyone when you see it," said Marcus Luttrell, the lone member of Murphy's team to survive the firefight with the Taliban.
by DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer
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Future of the SEAL program
eric cottrell Mar 29, 2011
R.I.P Lt. Michael Murphy hoo-yah
What Does it take to be a Navy SEAL?
Marie L'Etoile Oct 30, 2007
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/14/MNGOBIPSBK1.DTL
My Memory
Dana Oshiro Oct 23, 2007
About Navy Seals
Marie L'Etoile Oct 23, 2007
WHO ARE THEY: Elite Naval Special Warfare teams trained for specialized "Sea, Air and Land" missions.
NICKNAME: "Frogs."
MOTTO: "The only easy day was yesterday."
UNIFORM: Distinctive Trident insignia, showing Neptune's scepter crossed with the anchor and a pistol, an American eagle with its head bowed.
ORIGIN: Evolved from the Naval combat demolition units and underwater demolition teams that cleared obstacles at beaches for Allied invasions during World War II.
SPECIALTIES: Sabotage missions to destroy enemy bridges, roads, obstructions, communications lines, and what's known as "surgical application of force." Origins are in the water, from oceans to rivers, but also adept at clandestine reconnaissance and rescue operations on land.
GEAR: Rigid, inflatable boats; modified, miniature submarines called SEAL Delivery Vehicles or SDVs; explosives, including hand-held limpet mines that can be attached to a ship's hull underwater and detonated once a diver swims safely away. In the Persian Gulf War, they used Desert Patrol/Light Strike Vehicles, modified off-road racing vehicles, to race across the desert.
EXTREME TRAINING: To "drown-proof" the SEALs, they must learn to swim underwater with their hands and feet bound. With such training they're known as some of the best combat swimmers in the world.
WORKING GROUPS: Work 16-member platoons, but special missions can involve just a handful of men.
EXPERIENCE: Surveyed harbors in Cuba, 1962; Vietnam and Southeast Asia, 1962-1971; recovered astronauts from Gemini and Apollo missions, 1964-1970; Grenada, 1983; Panama, 1989; Iraq, 1991; Kosovo, 1999.
HOME BASES: Little Creek, Va; Coronado, Calif.
HOLLYWOOD'S VERSION: "Navy Seals," 1990; "G.I. Jane, 1997.
BOOKS: "Navy SEALs: A History of the Early Years," by Kevin Dockery, 2001; "First SEAL," by Roy Boehm and Charles W. Saaer, 1997; "Brave Men, Dark Waters," by Kelly Orr, 1992; "Combat Frogmen," by Michael Welhan, 1989.
— Scripps-Howard News Service.