http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/10/navy_seal_moh_071011w/SAN DIEGO — Two years after his death in a harrowing firefight on an Afghanistan mountaintop, Lt. Michael Murphy, a SEAL from Long Island, N.Y., will receive the nation’s highest combat honor, the Medal of Honor, Navy officials have confirmed.
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The announcement of the Medal of Honor — the first awarded to a Navy officer or sailor for combat actions in Iraq or Afghanistan — was made Thursday during a White House briefing.
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Murphy, 29, was leading a four-man observation team in Afghanistan when they were spotted by Tali ban fighters. During intense fighting, he and two of his men were killed, and a fourth man, former Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Marcus Literal, was seriously wounded but managed to escape and was rescued days later.
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Following graduation, he was accepted to several law schools, but instead he changed course. Slightly built at 5 feet 10 inches, Murphy decided to attend SEAL mentoring sessions at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point with his sights on becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL. Murphy accepted an appointment to the Navy’s Officer Candidate School at Pensacola, Fla., in September, 2000.
On June 28, 2005, Lt. Murphy was the officer-in-charge of a four-man SEAL element in support of Operation Red Wing tasked with finding key anti-coalition militia commander near Ahmadabad, Afghanistan. Shortly after inserting into the objective area, the SEALs were spotted by three goat herders who were initially detained and then released. It is believed the goat herders immediately reported the SEALs’ presence to Tali ban fighters.
NY Vet comment- And the amazing thing is that, even knowing that they might be turned in to the Tali ban forces in the area, the team let these herdsmen go.
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