Michael Murphy

While deployed, Murphy was known for wearing the patch of FDNY Engine Co. 53, Ladder Co. 43 ("El Barrio's Bravest") in remembrance of the terrorist attacks on September 11th and an FDNY friend of his who had died that day.

Shortly before deploying to Afghanistan, Murphy had asked for several patches from a close friend of his who had been assigned to the station.

Operation Red Wings was a counter-insurgent mission in Kunar province, Afghanistan, involving a four man special reconnaissance team of United States Navy SEALs.

Murphy and two other SEALs in the team, Danny Dietz and Matthew Axelson, were killed in the fighting, in addition to 16 other U.S. special operations members, who were killed when their helicopter was shot down while attempting to extract the SEAL recon team.

Michael Patrick Murphy (May 7, 1976 – June 28, 2005) was a United States Navy SEAL officer who was awarded the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the War in Afghanistan.

He was the first member of the United States Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War.

His other posthumous awards include the Silver Star Medal and the Purple Heart.

Michael Murphy was born and raised in Suffolk County, New York.

He graduated from Pennsylvania State University with honors and dual degrees in political science and psychology.

Murphy was born on May 7, 1976, in Smithtown, New York, to Irish American parents Maureen and Daniel Murphy, a former assistant Suffolk County district attorney and a wounded veteran of the Vietnam War.

He was raised in Patchogue, New York.

He attended Saxton Middle School, where he played youth soccer and pee-wee football, with his father serving as his coach.

In high school, he continued playing sports, and took a summer job as a lifeguard at the Brookhaven town beach in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York.

He returned to the job every summer throughout his college years.

Murphy was known to his friends as "Murph" and as "The Protector" in his high school years.

In 8th grade, he protected a child with special needs who was being shoved into a locker by a group of boys, ending with Murphy physically pulling the attackers away from the child.

This was the only time the school principal had to notify Murphy's parents of a 'disciplinary' issue; his parents later reported that they "couldn't have been prouder".

He also protected a homeless man who was being attacked while collecting cans.

He chased away the attackers and helped the man pick up his cans.

In 1994, Murphy graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School and left to attend The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State).

He graduated in 1998 with a double major in political science and psychology.

In September 2000, he accepted an appointment to the U.S. Navy's Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida.

On December 13 of that year, he was commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy and began Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in Coronado, California, in January 2001, eventually graduating with Class 236 in November 2001.

Upon graduation from BUD/S, he attended the United States Army Airborne School, SEAL Qualification Training, and SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) school.

After college he accepted a commission in the United States Navy and became a United States Navy SEAL in July 2002.

Murphy earned his SEAL Trident and checked on board SDV Team ONE (SDVT-1) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in July 2002.

In October 2002, he deployed with Foxtrot Platoon to Jordan as the liaison officer for Exercise Early Victor.

Following his tour with SDVT-1, Murphy was assigned to Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) in Florida and deployed to Qatar in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After returning from Qatar, he was deployed to Djibouti to assist in the operational planning of future SDV missions.

After participating in several War on Terrorism missions, he was killed on June 28, 2005, after his team was compromised and surrounded by Taliban forces near Asadabad, Afghanistan.

The U.S. Navy ship USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) and several civilian and military buildings have been named in his honor.

Murphy was engaged to his college sweetheart, Heather Duggan, and their wedding was scheduled for November 2005.

After graduating from Penn State, Murphy applied and was accepted to several law schools, but decided to attend SEAL mentoring sessions at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

In early 2005, Murphy was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE as officer in charge of Alpha Platoon and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Prior to a helicopter being shot down in 2011, Operation Red Wings was both the largest loss of life for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the invasion began and the largest loss for the SEALs since the Vietnam War.

Murphy was the commander of the four-man reconnaissance team made up of himself, Danny Dietz, Matthew Axelson, and Marcus Luttrell.

The team was tasked with conducting surveillance on a top Taliban leader, Ahmad Shah (code name Ben Sharmak), who commanded a group of insurgents known as the "Mountain Tigers," west of Asadabad.

They were dropped off by helicopter in a remote, mountainous area east of Asadabad in Kunar Province, near the Pakistan border.

After an initially successful infiltration, local goat herders stumbled upon the SEALs' location.

Unable to verify any hostile intent from the herders, the team cut them loose.