Navy SEAL LT Michael P. Murphy was an exceptional person, and the most recent honor bestowed on him is the building of the LT Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum/Sea Cadet Training Facility on Suffolk County parklands in West Sayville, New York. He died five months before their wedding date. Michael and I had long talks about this, Mr. Murphy said. 6 subscribers Heather Dugan - @heatherdugan3801 "I'm already at Penn State," said Murphy. and i cant forget to mention that He called it Body Armour because He would always do it with the kevlar on.\r\rMarcus \"Doc\" Luttrell tells everyone one he meets that Mikey saved his life.\r\r\"But what I truly, truly miss the most, and this might shock some peopleis definitely his friendship.\"\r\r-Heather Duggan, Mikeys Fiance who was to be married to Him on November 19, 2005. For his fearless and value character, he was awarded with the Congress's medal of honor. Heather Duggan is comforted by her mother and Daniel and Maureen Murphy during funeral services for the Murphy's son, Michael Murphy, at Calverton. Didn't find what you were looking for? I look forward to those drives on I-80 with Kristen as I did with Michael. He was definitely not going to kill a 14-year-old boy who would have reminded him of his brother.. The Medal of Honor hangs where Daniel Murphy works as a clerk for a New York State Supreme Court justice in Riverhead. Lt. Michael Murphy - Born to Serve. Marcus Luttrell was the only American survivor of this battle. Second, he said, he never heard Michael use the term liberal media, nor did Michael think that way. There are those who have earned that supreme honor by killing their enemies, and deservedly so. Collect, curate and comment on your files. I could not have been more proud, but also worried since I had experienced war first-hand and had returned from Vietnam with bullet wounds and shrapnel in both legs and a 40-percent disability rating. Murphy dropped the satellite phone after being shot multiple times, but picked up the phone and finished the call. Michael Patrick Murphy was always known to his friends as "Murph," and he was also known as "The Protector" during his secondary education years. There also is the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Award in Geospatial Intelligence, which recognizes significant achievement by a Penn State graduate student who is serving or has served in the US Armed Forces or with the US Intelligence Community and demonstrated exceptional contributions to the discipline. Join Facebook to connect with Heather Duggan and others you may know. There are 40+ professionals named "Heather Duggan", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. He would forego the early Sunday morning bus that returned to State College so he could stay at home as long as he possible. Was I afraid of their possible buddies in the Taliban? In 1994, Murphy graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School. A new headstone is being cut to add the new honor. on 13 December 2000, Murphy was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy. The strictly correct military decision, Mr. Luttrell writes, was to kill them. In the Fall of 1994, Michael Murphy left home to attend The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). NYC PAPERS OUT; NO SALES TO DAILY MAIL; Social media use restricted to low res file. It worked. Heather Duggan- Navy SEAL Michael Murphy's Girlfriend December 10, 2013 by Melissa Nottingham Heather Duggan met Michael Murphy one summer through mutual friends in 1996, at a summer carnival on Long Island. Difficult economy and loneliness forces some retirees to move in with family. Michael knew and liked them, he said. As a freshman in 1994, he resided in Sproul Hall on the second floor. A Chinook helicopter flew to their aid. Nine days later, on 13 July 2005, eventual Medal Of Honor Awardee Michael Patrick Murphy. Hostile locals, possibly the goat herders that the four-man team had released, alerted nearby Taliban forces, who surrounded and attacked the small SEAL group. with their wedding nuptials and ceremony scheduled for November of 2005. Smoke Photos by Michael Williamson NEG#176022 12/30/05 -- WOMAN GETS A REWARD FOR HAVING QUIT SMOKING: Becky Balliet gets a one thousand dollar check. Because of the rigorous Seal training of the 196 candidates in Michaels class, only 28 made it to Seal the Murphys were hopeful about their sons chances. During his Penn State years, he toyed with the idea of joining the military and special operations, in particular, for both the experience and to protect and preserve the American dream. They came upon some goat herders, but rather than kill them, decided to let them go, risking having their secret mission exposed. Learn more in our Cookie Policy. Max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi. Smoke Photos by Michael Williamson NEG#176022 12/30/05 -- WOMAN GETS A REWARD FOR HAVING QUIT SMOKING: Becky Balliet gets a one thousand dollar check. / CBS. They never entirely go away, the could-haves, should-haves. Newsweek Stumped By Master Trolls, Academy Awards Crumbles Under Weight of Hollywood Hypocrisy, An Open Letter to Senator Heinrich from Jim Watkins. and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The morning after the teams arrival in Afghanistan the SEALs found themselves ambushed by scores of Taliban fighters they were trapped along a cliff face with a stream of gunfire pouring down from above. Michael Murphy is buried in Section 67, Grave Number 3710, at Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, New York, less than twenty miles from his childhood home in Suffolk County, New York. Murphy and his team were stationed at Kunar province, Afghanistan, as part of Operation Red Wings. #inline-recirc-item--id-a796ef6a-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { The White House, on 11 October 2007, announced that he would be presented the Medal of Honor, awarded posthumously, during an official ceremony. He would be there at Bagram Air Force base when the coffin containing the body of Michael Murphy was brought back down from the mountain. Market data provided by Factset. or redistributed. Marcus Luttrell saw him take a bullet in the back, with blood spurting from his chest, and heard his commanding officers last words on the phone: Roger that, sir. So when his parents, Daniel and Maureen, accepted the Medal of Honor from President Bush today, it was public recognition of what they had always known, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric reports. I said, There are mountains in Iraq.. Every time you turned around this fall, there they were being interviewed on network and cable news shows, by Matt Lauer and Katie Couric, and in the major newspapers, telling Michaels story: How he and three fellow Seals were helicoptered in behind enemy lines to hunt a Taliban leader and how they were ambushed, yet managed to kill dozens of Taliban fighters before being overwhelmed. I got angry Oh, this isnt fair. Pride that Michael put himself on the line. Since combat began in Afghanistan and Iraq, the families of about 4,300 American servicemen and servicewomen have had the visit. Facebook gives people the power. Then Mr. Murphy, an insomniac, would head straight back home, shower and go to work. He was interested in a law school education. Murphy, a Long Islander who achieved his childhood dream of becoming a SEAL only to be killed last month in Afghanistan, had carried the Tiffany engagement ring in his pocket for four months. And so, with the wounded members of his team at his side, Murphy calmly walked out to meet certain death to make the call. What really scared him was popping the question to his girlfriend of five years, Heather Duggan. Hed done two tours in Iraq, so I assumed. Lieutenant Murphy could never say where he was, but days before he had e-mailed a photo of his Seal team to his parents. He was equally sharp when it came to his education. Michaels story is well known now thanks largely to the best-selling story Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell and the Universal blockbuster movie of the same name starring Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins of Friday Night Lights fame) portraying Michael in the movie. They were at the time scouting Ahmad Shah, the terrorist leader working alongside the Afghanistan Taliban. Sadly, sixteen American Special Operations Forces (SOF) soldiers were killed when their helicopter was shot down while attempting to extract the four-man SEAL Team from the hostile combat zone in such inhospitable terrain. As an aside, in the picture directly above, the very distressed young lady holding the military-fold American flag is Heather Duggan, the fiance of Michael Murphy. What's in U.S. foods that Europe deems unfit for human consumption? The Murphys did not know it then, but that helicopter was answering their sons call for help, and when it crashed after being struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, eight soldiers and eight Seals died. His parents, Dan and Maureen Murphy, accepted the award at a White House ceremony led by President George W. Bush. One such ship was named this weekend, the USS Michael P Murphy. May God Almighty Rest This Good, Decent Man's Soul, And Bring Some Form Of Peace To His Surviving Family Members And The Duggan Family! This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Michael Murhy was engaged to be married to Heather Duggan in November 2005, just 4 months after he died. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. display: none; He was then transferred to SECCONT which is headquartered in Florida. Tap into Getty Images global-scale, data-driven insights and network of over 340,000creators to create content exclusively for your brand. All, that is, except Luttrell who escaped death when a grenade blew him off the edge of the ridge and down the mountainbut not before he watched his commanding officer and friend die. Lt. Michael P. Murphy was laid to rest after a hero's funeral on a gloomy summer day. Those who sail in the destroyer named after him will, and will remember that legacy of selfless sacrifice of Navy SEALs that makes protecting your buddies and bringing them home, as important a measure of valor as getting the mission done. During an event at Penn State thereafter, when Michael was being honored as a distinguished alumni of Penn State, I related this story to the audience, which included Michael Pilato, who created the mural on Hiester Street that includes Michaels image. A double major in political science and psychology, he could have picked from a list of great law schools, but his heart was set on becoming a Navy SEAL. Every few months, something else is named for their son: Lt. Michael P. Murphy Post Office Building in Patchogue; Michael P. Murphy Beach at Lake Ronkonkoma; Navy Seal Lt. Michael P. Murphy North Patchogue-Medford Youth Athletic Club Ballfield No. As for Michaels times at Penn State as a student, I know that he enjoyed taking his younger brother, John, who was 10 years younger at the time, to the campus because, as John told us, Michael used to refer to his brother as a chick magnet. John, at 8 and 9 years of age when on campus, drew a lot of attention. But it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing all 16 on board. At the time Feb. 28, 1970 Mr. Murphy was in a combat hospital recovering from his wounds, and a few weeks later would return to the battlefield. He might let them think they were making the call, as long as they agreed with the decision he intended to make. (Mikey carried His engagement ring around literally wherever He went while He was in afstan)\r\r*MADE IN NY, NY* Please enter valid email address to continue. Merchant Marine Academy, and opted to choose SEAL (United States Navy, Air and Land) mentoring sessions. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Operation Red Wings was a counter-insurgent mission in Kunar province, Afghanistan. Michael P. Murphy was a U.S. Navy SEAL lieutenant who laid down his life in service of the nation during the War on Afghanistan. His brother, Jon, works in Law Enforcement. LinkedIn and 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and (except on the iOS app) to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. ", "That was the day he was buried I got that message that never came like three months before," Maureen Murphy said. Many civilian and military assets have been named after Michael P. Murphy, including a rigorous workout called the Murph Challenge. Menu Michael P. Murphy was a lieutenant of the American Navy Seal that puts her life to the service of the nation during the war in Afghanistan. Murphy was engaged to be married to Heather Duggan. Murphy died while conducting counter-terrorism operations in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. Those are some extremely shitty people, if it's true. While attending Saxton Middle School, he was a regular feature in youth soccer and football teams. They have also lived in New Haven, CT and Danbury, CT. Heather is related to William F Duggan and Pilliam E Sherwood as well as 3 additional people. Up until the 2011 incident where a helicopter was shot down, this was the largest loss of Navy SEAL lives since the war on Vietnam. Remember Michael P. Murphy. The governments standard white marble markers stick out of the ground only 26 inches, and it was hard fitting in all Lieutenant Murphys information. He graduated from Penn State University in 1998, with a double degree in psychology and political science. Last years awardee was Sue Paterno, and this years award went to Tom Cali. The family of the Medal of Honor winner, who has now offered a cash reward for any information leading to the identification of the vandals who desecrated the monument, issued a statement: The family is heartbroken by the damage to this beautiful monument to our son and the men of Operation Red Wings.,