Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, fondly referred to byfriends and family as “Murph,” was born on 7 May 1976 in Smithtown, New York,and grew up in the New York City commuter town of Patchogue, New York, on LongIsland.

LT Murphy grew up active in sports and attendedPatchogue’s Saxton Middle School. In high school, he took a summer lifeguardjob at the Brookhaven town beach in Lake Ronkonkoma—a job he returned to eachsummer through his college years. He graduated from Patchogue-Medford HighSchool in 1994.

LT Murphy attended Penn State University, where he was anexceptional all-around athlete and student, excelling at ice hockey andgraduating with honors. He was an avid reader; his reading tastes ranged from theGreek historian, Herodotus, to Tolstoy’s War and Peace. His favorite book wasSteven Pressfield’s Gates of Fire, about the Spartan stand at Thermopylae. In1998, he graduated with a pair of Bachelor of Arts degrees from Penn State inPolitical Science and Psychology.

Following graduation, LT Murphy was accepted to severallaw schools, but instead he changed course. Slightly built at 5 feet 10 inches,he decided to attend SEAL mentoring sessions at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academyat Kings Point with his sights on becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL. He accepted anappointment to the Navy’s Officer Candidate School at Pensacola, Florida, inSeptember 2000.

LT Murphy was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy on 13December 2000 and began Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in Coronado, California, in January 2001, graduating with Class 236. BUD/S is a 6-month training course and the first step to becoming a Navy SEAL.

Upon graduation from BUD/S, LT Murphy attended the ArmyJump School, SEAL Qualification Training, and SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV)school. He earned his SEAL Trident and checked on board SDV Team (SDVT) 1 inPearl Harbor, Hawaii, in July 2002. In October 2002, he deployed with FoxtrotPlatoon to Jordan as the Liaison Officer for Exercise EARLY VICTOR.

Following LT Murphy’s tour with SDVT-1, he was assignedto Special Operations Central Command in Florida and deployed to Qatar insupport of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. After returning from Qatar, he was deployedto the Horn of Africa, Djibouti, to assist in the operational planning offuture SDV missions. In early 2005, LT Murphy was assigned to SDVT 1 asAssistant Officer in Charge of Alpha Platoon and deployed to Afghanistan insupport of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

On 28 June 2005, LT Murphy was the officer-in-charge of afour-man SEAL element in support of Operation RED WING tasked with finding akey anti-coalition militia commander near Asadabad, Afghanistan. Shortly afterinserting into the objective area, the SEALs were spotted by three goat herderswho were

initially detained and then released. It is believed thegoat herders immediately reported the Seals ‘presence to Taliban fighters. Afierce gun battle ensued on the steep face of the mountain between the SEALsand a much larger enemy force. Despite the intensity of the fire fight andsuffering grave gunshot wounds himself, LT Murphy is credited with risking hisown life to save the lives of his teammates. LT Murphy, intent on makingcontact with headquarters, but realizing this would be impossible in theextreme terrain where they were fighting, unhesitatingly and with completedisregard for his own life, moved into the open, where he could gain a betterposition to transmit a call to get help for his men.

Moving away from the protective mountain rocks, LT Murphy knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire. This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy. While continuing to be fired upon, he made contact with the Special Operations Forces Quick Reaction Force (QRF) at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance. He calmly provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force while requesting immediate support for his team. At one point, he was shot in the back, causing him to drop the transmitter. LT Murphy picked it back up, completed the call, and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in. Severely wounded, he returned to his cover position with his men and continued the battle.

As a result of LT Murphy’s call, an MH-47 Chinookhelicopter, with eight additional SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers aboard,was sent in as part of the QRF to extract the four embattled SEALs. As the Chinookdrew nearer to the fight, a rocket-propelled grenade hit the helicopter,causing it to crash, and killing all 16 men aboard.

On the ground and nearly out of ammunition, the fourSEALs continued to fight. By the end of a two‑hour gunfight that careenedthrough the hills and over cliffs, LT Murphy, Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL)Danny Dietz, and Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson had fallen.An estimated 35 Taliban were also dead. The fourth SEAL, Hospital Corpsman 2ndClass (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell, was blasted over a ridge by a rocket-propelledgrenade and knocked unconscious. Though severely wounded, the fourth SEAL andsole survivor, Luttrell, was able to evade the enemy for nearly a day, afterwhich local nationals came to his aide, carrying him to a nearby village wherethey kept him for three more days. Luttrell was rescued by U.S. Forces on 2July 2005.

By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, andinspirational devotion to his men in the face of certain death, LT Murphy wasable to relay the position of his unit, an act that ultimately led to therescue of Luttrell and the recovery of the remains of the three who were killedin the battle. LT Murphy was buried at Calverton National Cemetery less than 20miles from his childhood home. His personal awards include the Purple Heart,Combat Action Ribbon, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and MarineCorps Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon, and National Defense

Service Medal. On 22 October 2007, he was posthumouslyawarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

LT Murphy is survived by his mother, Maureen Murphy;father, Dan Murphy; and brother, John Murphy. Dan and Maureen Murphy, who weredivorced in 1999, remain close friends and continue to live in New York. Theirson, John, serves in a law enforcement capacity in the state of New York.