Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy

Remember Our Heroes

Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, New York.

Lt. Murphy died while conducting counter-terrorism operations in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. Coalition forces located the sailor while conducting a combat search and rescue operation July 4, 2005 in Kunar Province. Murphy’s whereabouts had been unknown since June 28, 2005. He was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

"Mike was an unbelievable, noble, polite gentleman and gave 110 percent of what he did," said friend Kristin Emmerich, also of Patchogue. "He was that type of guy. He went above and beyond. He was a protector."

Murphy was a member of a four-man SEAL team that was reported missing June 28 in Kunar province.

The military sent another of team of SEALs and Army Special Forces soldiers to rescue the four SEALS. But the transport Chinook helicopter they were in was shot down by a rifle-propelled grenade, killing the 16 troops aboard.

He was set to leave the Middle East in a few short months, then wed his fiancée in November and one day soon settle down far away from the war-torn mountains of Afghanistan.

Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue had laid out the blueprint for his dream life. And his parents, anxious to share his dream, had savored the October day when they would greet and hug their eldest son at the airport.

But their reunion turned out to be unbearably painful and much earlier than expected.

The Murphys described yesterday how they traveled to Dover (Del.) Air Force Base on Wednesday to witness the plane carrying the American flag-draped coffin, that held their son's body, touch ground.

"He's our hero, and I think he is everybody else's hero," said Maureen Murphy, whose 29-year-old son was killed last month during a counterterrorism mission in Kunar Province.

Michael's dad added, "He knew it was dangerous, but he told us if something should happen, to know he died doing what he loved."

Together with their other son, John, a college freshman, the Murphys spoke publicly yesterday about their pride and grief.

"Michael, the Protector," is how Maureen and Daniel Murphy want their son, a former lifeguard, to be remembered.

"He squeezed more life in 29 years than I will ever see," said Daniel Murphy, a war veteran injured in combat during Vietnam. "He's such a caring, respectful, kind and considerate person."

The last contact Michael Murphy had with his parents was a Father's Day E-mail message to his dad.

Maureen Murphy described how her son fell in love with a Penn State University classmate, Heather Duggan. Both were athletes and grew to be close friends during seven years together, she said.

For four months, Murphy carried an engagement ring in his pocket, until he proposed near the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in 2003.

Murphy's other love was the Navy, but he didn't want to make it his life. He hoped to work in the counterterrorism unit of the FBI, his father said.

Each time her son was deployed, an American flag made of tiny Christmas lights would light up the front window in the Murphy house. On Wednesday, the lights were out, as the Murphys made the mournful trip to Dover, but yesterday they were lighted again.

Maureen said she will keep her flag lit "till they [the troops] all come home, and pray they all walk off that plane."

Navy Lt Michael P. Murphy was killed in action on 06/28/05.