Murphy, Michael Patrick
Male
Verified U.S. Navy Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, New York, was killed in action on June 28, 2005, during a reconnaissance mission in the mountains of Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Michael Patrick Murphy was born on May 7, 1976, in Smithtown, New York, and grew up in Patchogue. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1998 and was commissioned as a naval officer. Murphy later earned his SEAL Trident in 2000 and was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE (SDVT-1) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
On June 28, 2005, Lieutenant Murphy was leading a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team, call sign "Red Wings," in the Hindu Kush mountains near Asadabad, Kunar Province. Their mission was compromised when local goat herders encountered their position. After releasing the herders, the team was ambushed by a much larger force of Taliban fighters. According to official accounts, Murphy knowingly exposed himself to hostile fire in an attempt to get a clear satellite signal to call for help, making contact and requesting immediate support for his team.
Operation Enduring Freedom was the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. The conflict involved counter-insurgency operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda forces, with intense fighting in the country's eastern mountainous regions, such as Kunar Province, where Murphy's team was operating.
Murphy's actions during the firefight were later recognized with the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration, awarded posthumously on October 22, 2007. The rescue attempt for his team resulted in the loss of 16 service members when their helicopter was shot down, marking one of the deadliest single incidents for U.S. forces in Afghanistan at that time.
A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer, USS *Michael Murphy* (DDG-112), was commissioned in his name in 2012. His story was also depicted in the book and film *Lone Survivor*, which detailed the events of Operation Red Wings.
Explore Further
Michael Patrick Murphy was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
