Lt. Michael Murphy entered the dangerous mountain range of Hindu Kush between Afghanistan and Pakistan with his three fellow U.S. Navy SEALs in search of Ahmad Shah, a known terrorist. Murphy and his comrades were given up to the Taliban by local nationals, which resulted in the worst single-day U.S. Forces death toll day since Operation Enduring Freedom began. The SEALs were severely outnumbered in rough mountain terrain that did not allow radio contact with their base. Gunner’s mate 2nd Class, Danny Dietz was wounded while trying to transmit a call for help to Begram Air Base.
Lt. Murphy risked his own life by leaving cover and exposing himself to enemy fire to call for help for his men. While trying to contact his reinforcements, Murphy was shot in the back, but he continued, picked the transmitter back up and completed his call. This phone call led to the eventual rescue of fellow SEAL, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell 10 days later.
Lt. Murphy made his way back to his unit, severely wounded, and continued to fight alongside his comrades. The fighting continued for two hours leaving three out of the four SEALs mortally wounded. Three of the Navy SEALs, including Lt. Murphy, as well as the rescue Chinook helicopter that responded to Murphy’s call carrying sixteen men, all died fighting the Taliban in one of the most dangerous places in the world.
Luttrell was severely wounded but traveled seven miles on foot to a nearby village where the villagers took him in and refused to give him up to the Taliban. One villager reported Luttrell’s location to a Marine outpost and U.S. forces launched a rescue mission on July 2 that brought him home.
Lt. Murphy’s selfless, heroic act was honored by President Bush on October 22, 2007, by presenting the Medal of Honor to Dan and Maureen Murphy, parents of Lt. Michael Murphy. This is the first Medal of Honor received by a Navy service member for actions in the Global War on Terror and the first Medal of Honor to be awarded for actions in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Official Medal of Honor Citation
FOR SERVICE AS SET FORTH IN THE FOLLOWING
CITATION:
FOR
CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY AT THE RISK OF HIS LIFE ABOVE AND
BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY AS THE LEADER OF A SPECIAL RECONNAISSANCE
ELEMENT WITH NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE TASK UNIT AFGHANISTAN ON 27 AND 28
JUNE 2005. WHILE LEADING A MISSION TO LOCATE A HIGH-LEVEL
ANTI-COALITION MILITIA LEADER, LIEUTENANT MURPHY DEMONSTRATED
EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN THE FACE OF GRAVE DANGER IN THE VICINITY OF
ASADABAD, KONAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN. ON 28 JUNE 2005, OPERATING IN AN
EXTREMELY RUGGED ENEMY-CONTROLLED AREA, LIEUTENANT MURPHY’S TEAM WAS
DISCOVERED BY ANTI-COALITION MILITIA SYMPATHIZERS, WHO REVEALED THEIR
POSITION TO TALIBAN FIGHTERS. AS A RESULT, BETWEEN 30 AND 40 ENEMY
FIGHTERS BESIEGED HIS FOUR-MEMBER TEAM. DEMONSTRATING EXCEPTIONAL
RESOLVE, LIEUTENANT MURPHY VALIANTLY LED HIS MEN IN ENGAGING THE LARGE
ENEMY FORCE. THE ENSUING FIERCE FIREFIGHT RESULTED IN NUMEROUS ENEMY
CASUALTIES, AS WELL AS THE WOUNDING OF ALL FOUR MEMBERS OF THE TEAM.
IGNORING HIS OWN WOUNDS AND DEMONSTRATING EXCEPTIONAL COMPOSURE,
LIEUTENANT MURPHY CONTINUED TO LEAD AND ENCOURAGE HIS MEN. WHEN THE
PRIMARY COMMUNICATOR FELL MORTALLY WOUNDED, LIEUTENANT MURPHY
REPEATEDLY ATTEMPTED TO CALL FOR ASSISTANCE FOR HIS BELEAGUERED
TEAMMATES. REALIZING THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF COMMUNICATING IN THE EXTREME
TERRAIN, AND IN THE FACE OF ALMOST CERTAIN DEATH, HE FOUGHT HIS WAY
INTO OPEN TERRAIN TO GAIN A BETTER POSITION TO TRANSMIT A CALL. THIS
DELIBERATE, HEROIC ACT DEPRIVED HIM OF COVER, EXPOSING HIM TO DIRECT
ENEMY FIRE. FINALLY ACHIEVING CONTACT WITH HIS HEADQUARTERS, LIEUTENANT
MURPHY MAINTAINED HIS EXPOSED POSITION WHILE HE PROVIDED HIS LOCATION
AND REQUESTED IMMEDIATE SUPPORT FOR HIS TEAM. IN HIS FINAL ACT OF
BRAVERY, HE CONTINUED TO ENGAGE THE ENEMY UNTIL HE WAS MORTALLY
WOUNDED, GALLANTLY GIVING HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY AND FOR THE CAUSE OF
FREEDOM. BY HIS SELFLESS LEADERSHIP, COURAGEOUS ACTIONS, AND
EXTRAORDINARY DEVOTION TO DUTY, LIEUTENANT MURPHY REFLECTED GREAT
CREDIT UPON HIMSELF AND UPHELD THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED
STATES NAVAL SERVICE.
SIGNED GEORGE W. BUSH
