The Story of U.S. Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy

Date of Incident: June 28, 2005
Location: Kunar Province, Afghanistan
Operation: Red Wings

Lieutenant Michael Murphy was the leader of a four-man Navy SEAL team sent on a mission to locate a Taliban leader in a remote, mountainous region. The team—Murphy, Danny Dietz, Matthew Axelson, and Marcus Luttrell—was soon discovered and surrounded by a large force of Taliban fighters.

The SEALs were outnumbered—about four against 30 to 40 insurgents. A fierce firefight erupted in the steep terrain. Under relentless attack, the team tried to escape, sustaining severe injuries. Realizing they were in danger of being completely wiped out and unable to call for help due to poor signal, Murphy made a decision that would cost him his life.

He knowingly exposed himself to enemy fire by climbing into an open area to get a satellite signal and call for reinforcements. While being shot at, he calmly gave their coordinates, requested help, and ended the call with “Thank you.”

He was shot multiple times but returned to the fight to continue defending his teammates until he succumbed to his injuries.

Out of the four SEALs, only Marcus Luttrell survived, rescued days later. Eight additional Navy SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers also died in the rescue attempt when their helicopter was shot down.

In 2007, Michael Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the first U.S. service member to receive it for actions in Afghanistan.

To honor him, the Navy named a warship in his memory: the USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112). His story was also part of the bestselling book and film “Lone Survivor.”