thedrifter
10-03-06, 12:22 PM
October 09, 2006
Medal of Honor rumored for SEAL killed in 2005
By Gidget Fuentes
Staff writer
SAN DIEGO — Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy took his satellite radio, crept onto a ledge in Afghanistan’s rugged eastern mountains and called in the cavalry.
His actions in battle that morning in June 2005, far outnumbered and surrounded by enemy troops, are being reviewed and might be recognized with the Navy’s first Medal of Honor awarded since Vietnam.
The mountains on that summer day last year crawled with about three dozen Taliban fighters alerted to the presence of Murphy and the three men in his reconnaissance and surveillance team. The commandos were on the hunt for militia leader Mullah Ismail, operating at nearly 9,000 feet, when someone spotted them and alerted the militiamen.
For about 30 minutes, the four men fought perhaps the fiercest firefight of their lives, running low on ammunition as they faced off against a much larger enemy force that had them mostly surrounded, according to military officials.
With his three men shot and wounded but still fighting, Murphy decided to radio for a quick-reaction force to get them off that mountain.
The SEALs ignored their wounds and fought back as Murphy radioed for help. But the Taliban fighters pressed on, tightening the noose; as they closed in and the fight became a firestorm, one of the wounded SEALs provided covering fire to allow a teammate to scramble from the area.
It was at that moment that the lieutenant, a jovial, ruddy-faced 29-year-old from New York’s Long Island, was mortally struck down.
Two teammates — Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny P. Dietz, 25, from Littleton, Colo., and Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew G. Axelson, 29, from Cupertino, Calif. — died alongside him that day, June 28, 2005.
The fourth man, an enlisted SEAL whom officials haven’t named, got away and evaded Taliban fighters for several days, ended up in friendly hands and was later rescued by U.S. forces. Some 80 enemy fighters were killed in the battle.
The day the three SEALs died turned darker when a rocket-propelled grenade struck one of two MH-47 Chinook helicopters carrying the QRF Murphy had called for, a team of Navy SEALs and Army spec ops forces out of Bagram Air Base.
Eight SEALs and eight members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment aboard that helicopter perished in the ensuing crash. It was several days before U.S. troops recovered the lost SEALs. Murphy was found July 4.
Dietz, Axelson and the sole SEAL survivor were awarded the Navy Cross, a rare combat valor medal second only to the Medal of Honor.
Murphy, a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart, is being considered for the Navy Cross and possibly the Medal of Honor, his father said. He and other observers believe his actions warrant consideration for the Medal of Honor, which the Navy hasn’t awarded since the Vietnam War. Murphy would be the fourth SEAL to receive the award.
“There’s a lot of rumors,” said his father, Daniel Murphy. “It’s all over the blogosphere.”
While Navy officials have been mum, speculation has been swirling among some bloggers, including Matthew Dodd, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who pens “DefenseWatch” columns, and in postings on military blogs such as Blackfive, that Murphy’s actions may deserve the medal.
The family wants to stay somewhat neutral on the subject. “The Navy Cross is beautiful,” Daniel Murphy noted. “Mike isn’t one into medals. I am, and I would like him to see the highest. It doesn’t matter to me, really, but it would be a nice recognition for all that Mike did.”
Few details
Although the story of that tragic day on the mountain in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, which borders Pakistan and teems with Taliban fighters, has been recounted, minute details of the men’s final actions remain mostly off the public radar.
As they mourned the loss of their son, the Murphy family found solace in the embrace of the close-knit family of SEALs and their New York community. Murphy mostly grew up in Patchogue, but he worked at Lake Ronkonkoma and in the town of Smithtown.
They took comfort in learning that their son stayed true to himself, his team and his values through the end.
“Mike went through a lot as the man he was, and I want people to know that. He was an extraordinary man who lived life to the hilt,” his father said. “He was never afraid of life. … He did whatever was right.”
Ellie
Medal of Honor rumored for SEAL killed in 2005
By Gidget Fuentes
Staff writer
SAN DIEGO — Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy took his satellite radio, crept onto a ledge in Afghanistan’s rugged eastern mountains and called in the cavalry.
His actions in battle that morning in June 2005, far outnumbered and surrounded by enemy troops, are being reviewed and might be recognized with the Navy’s first Medal of Honor awarded since Vietnam.
The mountains on that summer day last year crawled with about three dozen Taliban fighters alerted to the presence of Murphy and the three men in his reconnaissance and surveillance team. The commandos were on the hunt for militia leader Mullah Ismail, operating at nearly 9,000 feet, when someone spotted them and alerted the militiamen.
For about 30 minutes, the four men fought perhaps the fiercest firefight of their lives, running low on ammunition as they faced off against a much larger enemy force that had them mostly surrounded, according to military officials.
With his three men shot and wounded but still fighting, Murphy decided to radio for a quick-reaction force to get them off that mountain.
The SEALs ignored their wounds and fought back as Murphy radioed for help. But the Taliban fighters pressed on, tightening the noose; as they closed in and the fight became a firestorm, one of the wounded SEALs provided covering fire to allow a teammate to scramble from the area.
It was at that moment that the lieutenant, a jovial, ruddy-faced 29-year-old from New York’s Long Island, was mortally struck down.
Two teammates — Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny P. Dietz, 25, from Littleton, Colo., and Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew G. Axelson, 29, from Cupertino, Calif. — died alongside him that day, June 28, 2005.
The fourth man, an enlisted SEAL whom officials haven’t named, got away and evaded Taliban fighters for several days, ended up in friendly hands and was later rescued by U.S. forces. Some 80 enemy fighters were killed in the battle.
The day the three SEALs died turned darker when a rocket-propelled grenade struck one of two MH-47 Chinook helicopters carrying the QRF Murphy had called for, a team of Navy SEALs and Army spec ops forces out of Bagram Air Base.
Eight SEALs and eight members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment aboard that helicopter perished in the ensuing crash. It was several days before U.S. troops recovered the lost SEALs. Murphy was found July 4.
Dietz, Axelson and the sole SEAL survivor were awarded the Navy Cross, a rare combat valor medal second only to the Medal of Honor.
Murphy, a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart, is being considered for the Navy Cross and possibly the Medal of Honor, his father said. He and other observers believe his actions warrant consideration for the Medal of Honor, which the Navy hasn’t awarded since the Vietnam War. Murphy would be the fourth SEAL to receive the award.
“There’s a lot of rumors,” said his father, Daniel Murphy. “It’s all over the blogosphere.”
While Navy officials have been mum, speculation has been swirling among some bloggers, including Matthew Dodd, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who pens “DefenseWatch” columns, and in postings on military blogs such as Blackfive, that Murphy’s actions may deserve the medal.
The family wants to stay somewhat neutral on the subject. “The Navy Cross is beautiful,” Daniel Murphy noted. “Mike isn’t one into medals. I am, and I would like him to see the highest. It doesn’t matter to me, really, but it would be a nice recognition for all that Mike did.”
Few details
Although the story of that tragic day on the mountain in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, which borders Pakistan and teems with Taliban fighters, has been recounted, minute details of the men’s final actions remain mostly off the public radar.
As they mourned the loss of their son, the Murphy family found solace in the embrace of the close-knit family of SEALs and their New York community. Murphy mostly grew up in Patchogue, but he worked at Lake Ronkonkoma and in the town of Smithtown.
They took comfort in learning that their son stayed true to himself, his team and his values through the end.
“Mike went through a lot as the man he was, and I want people to know that. He was an extraordinary man who lived life to the hilt,” his father said. “He was never afraid of life. … He did whatever was right.”
Ellie