SEAL of Honor (36 page)

With those words spoken, he returned to his seat. The silence was deafening. In a few moments of deep introspection and verbal eloquence, he had given the complete story of the Navy SEALs and the events on June 28, 2005. He had told the story. He had told it well. The only thing left to do was to be seated. He did.

Three days later, Admiral Maguire found himself at another memorial ceremony, this time at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii—the Punchbowl.

Few national cemeteries can compete with the dramatic natural setting of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, located in the center of Honolulu. Also known as Punchbowl, the cemetery lies in the middle of Puowaina Crater, an extinct volcano. It was officially dedicated on September 2, 1949, on the fourth anniversary of V-J Day. Of all the national cemeteries, this one has been described as the most beautiful and the most moving.

Members of the SDVT-1 SEAL community gathered at Punchbowl to honor the sacrifices of their teammates on June 28, 2005. The welcoming remarks were offered by Lieutenant Commander Alec Mackenzie, the executive officer of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One. He was followed by Rear Admiral Joseph Maguire. Afterward, the families of the honored dead or their representatives were presented shadow boxes.

Ideally, a shadow box serves not only as a reminder of achievements and accomplishments, but also as a summation, a culmination, of a career. An American flag was placed inside each shadow box to symbolize the country that has benefited
from a lifetime of faithful service. An American flag was flown over the USS
Arizona
memorial on Independence Day to honor those who gave their lives on June 28, 2005, as did so many before them, so that we could be free. The shadow boxes were presented to the families of Operation Red Wings with these words: “On behalf of your fellow teammates, we present you with this shadow box. Within the shadow box lie a sailor’s most honored and cherished possessions, including the flag of the United States of America, representing a lifetime of valiant and faithful service.”

Eulogies were given for each of the dead, followed by remarks by Commander Todd DeGhetto, the commanding officer of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One, and Governor Linda Lingle of Hawaii. Standing with his fellow SEALs from SDVT-1, listening to their words, Lieutenant Andy Haffele was overcome with emotion. The shooting incident several years before had effectively ended his SEAL career just as it began and resulted in an initial intense anger and lingering frustration. Now Haffele realized that the shooting incident had saved his life. He knew that had the shooting not occurred he would have been on Sawtalo Sar instead of Michael—and if not on the mountain, without question he would have been on the downed helicopter.

Governor Lingle’s remarks were followed by the haunting two-bell ceremony, then by a moment of silence. The performance of “Amazing Grace,” the firing of a twenty-one-gun salute, and the playing of “Echo Taps” preceded the Benediction, given by Chaplain David Stroud, which concluded the solemn ceremony.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

—MATTHEW AXELSON, U.S. Navy SEAL, handwritten inscription on back of photograph in private collection of Daniel J. Murphy

 

 

 

I
n the summer of 2005, Brookhaven town supervisor Brian X. Foley and Councilman Timothy Mazzei began efforts to create and name a park at the Brookhaven town beach at Lake Ronkonkoma in honor of Michael Murphy. Dan Murphy and Tim are longtime friends from when both served in the Suffolk County district attorney’s office in the 1980s.

Soon after Michael’s funeral, Tim approached Dan about doing something to commemorate Michael’s life and achievements, and suggested a small piece of ground at the intersection of two streets near Lake Ronkonkoma for the placing of a monument. After further consideration, it was decided that the location was not suitable, because of its inaccessibility. Councilman Mazzei subsequently approached Dan about plans to create a memorial park at the lake. With Dan’s support the project grew, and as the concept became more widely known, local businesses and organizations pledged support with labor, supplies, and donations. The plans settled upon were ambitious and would require time, expense, and effort. As word of the project spread, other efforts were launched.

On October 7, 2005, the first annual Patrick Henry Open Golf Outing, sponsored by the Suffolk County Prosecutor’s Association, was conducted with the proceeds going to fund the newly created LT. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

On October 20, 2005, Representative Timothy Bishop (NY-1), along with twenty-eight cosponsors, introduced United States House of Representatives Resolution (HR) 4401, “To designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 170 East Main Street in Patchogue, New York, as the ‘Lieutenant Michael P.
Murphy Post Office Building.’” Identical legislation was introduced in the Senate by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

With the Murphy family’s blessing, Lance Marquis and his wife, Brenda, neighbors of Maureen Murphy, began efforts to rename the Little League baseball fields where Michael played and his father coached in honor of Michael. Their efforts were successful. On April 29, 2006, hundreds of players, former players, coaches, parents, family members, and friends gathered at the ball fields, which were renamed and dedicated in Michael’s honor. The Murphy family was there, with Dan dressed in a blue jersey, Maureen in a white one, and John in a red jersey, each with “LT Murphy 1” on the back.

The bipartisan efforts to honor Michael Murphy in the town where he once was a lifeguard were successful. On what would have been Michael’s thirtieth birthday, local leaders, the media, family members, friends, and Navy officials gathered at Lake Ronkonkoma to dedicate the Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Park. One of the speakers was Rear Admiral Joseph Maguire.

In his remarks, he provided the most public accounting of the details of Operation Red Wings to date. He stated that satellite reconnaissance had shown that a group of about eighty Taliban fighters had been coming across the border from Pakistan. Having never seen such a large concentration of fighters in one location, CJTF commanders believed they must be guarding a high-level Taliban or al-Qaeda operative. As a result, Michael’s team had been inserted behind the fighters to perform reconnaissance on the large group. This revelation was news to everyone in attendance as well as the Murphy family.

Admiral Maguire also revealed that Michael’s “award was being reviewed and upgraded.” Given Maguire’s disclosure of both the mission details and the upgrading of Michael’s award, coupled with a previous news release that the secretary of the navy had already approved the awarding of the Navy Cross to Michael’s teammates, the Murphy family assumed that their son would also be receiving the Navy Cross.

Naturally, this created a lot of speculation in various Internet blogs. The conjecture was widespread that while Michael’s actions on June 28, 2005, were certainly worthy of the Medal of Honor, his award was being delayed by red tape. The Medal of Honor approval process involved a two-year investigation into the circumstances surrounding the action in question and required supportive testimony
from at least two eyewitnesses. The latter was potentially a problem in Michael’s case. Marcus Luttrell was certainly qualified to be one eyewitness, but with no other survivors available, could the video images of the firefight taken from the Predator drone be used in their stead?

Additional honors for Michael continued. On May 31, 2006, the Patchogue-Medford High School Father’s Club honored Michael as its Person of the Year for 2005.

No further information or activity regarding military honors occurred until the Oval Office Ceremony on July 18, 2006, in which the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest award for valor, was awarded to Petty Officer Second Class Marcus Luttrell.

The efforts of Representative Bishop and his cosponsors in the House of Representatives, along with those of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer in the Senate, paid off on August 1, 2006, when both houses of Congress passed Public Law 109-256, which would rename the Patchogue Post Office as the Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy Post Office Building.

Dedicated on October 13, 1987, the 212th birthday of the U.S. Navy, the Navy Memorial honors the men and women of the United States Navy. Located on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (between Seventh and Ninth streets), it features an outdoor plaza, towering masts with signal flags, fountain pools and waterfalls, and the Naval Heritage Center. The plaza, known as the Granite Sea, is a round ceremonial amphitheater paved in granite to form a one-hundred-foot-diameter map of the world. A symbolic statue,
The Lone Sailor
, stands watch near the edge of the plaza.

Presenting the Navy Cross to the families of Matthew Axelson and Danny Dietz was the secretary of the navy, Dr. Donald C. Winter. At the ceremony, James Gordon Meek, the Washington correspondent for the
New York Daily News
, approached Dan. He said, “You know there’s a rumor going around here in Washington that Michael is up for the Medal of Honor.” This statement caught Dan completely off guard. His only response was “Huh?” Meek continued: “Don’t you think it odd that you’re here for a Navy Cross ceremony for Dietz and Axelson, Luttrell has already received it, and Michael’s not mentioned?” Dan dismissed Meek’s speculation and probing, saying, “We’ve really never thought much about it; we just think that Michael’s review process is just taking longer than the others, that’s all.”

After the conversation with Meek, while Dan returned to Maureen, he began seriously thinking about the reporter’s comments, as well as the conversation he had had with the Navy officer who invited them to the event. Several questions came to Dan’s mind. If Michael was indeed being considered for the Navy Cross,
why hadn’t that been mentioned before then, or at least that day? Certainly Rear Admiral Maguire was not mistaken in his remarks on May 7 last year? What if Meek was correct?

After returning to Maureen, he said, “You know, Maureen, all three of Michael’s teammates have received the Navy Cross. The Navy Cross is the second-highest award given for valor. Now, either Michael’s review is just taking longer or he is up for a higher award. The only award higher than the Navy Cross is the Medal of Honor. Michael may be considered for the Medal of Honor.” Maureen scoffed and responded, “Yeah, right.” Dan was not so sure. The matter was dropped, but his questions remained.

After returning home
,
Dan began monitoring the military blogs much more closely and noticed there was increased speculation regarding Michael and the Medal of Honor. Dan was also doing research and due diligence on the medal’s requirements and review process. The blogs continued to speculate on the second of the two required eyewitnesses and the distinct possibility that the Navy at the highest levels was considering using the photographic and video images from the circling Predator drone, as well as radio communications.

Dan, like everyone else, could only speculate and wait for the review process to play itself out.

On October 24, Main Street in Patchogue was blocked off, and a huge white tent stood erect before the Post Office Building. A full representation from the U.S. Navy, including Rear Admiral Maguire, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Representative Timothy Bishop joined the Murphy family and hundreds of local officials, relatives, and friends to officially rename the Post Office Building, the oldest federal building on Long Island.

After the ceremony, Representative Bishop took Dan off to the side and confided, “Dan, I was just approached by Admiral Maguire and the Navy asking if Michael was awarded the Medal of Honor, would I be the sponsor. I told him I would be honored.” It was then that Dan really began to believe that his oldest son, Michael P. Murphy, was being considered for the Medal of Honor.

During the preceding five months, Dan and the rest of the Murphy family had been cooperating with
Newsday
reporter Martin C. Evans on a multipart series entitled
Born to Serve
about Michael to be published sometime around May 7, Michael’s birthday. Dan received a telephone call from a reporter at the
Washington Post
asking if she could come to Patchogue and interview the family. Dan promised to get back to her on the arrangements.

Shortly after arriving at his office at 8:30 AM, Dan received a telephone call from
Newsday
deputy Long Island editor Steve Wick, a longtime friend dating back to when Steve was a crime reporter and Dan was in the Suffolk County district attorney’s office. Steve inquired whether there was any news regarding Michael’s medal upgrade. When Dan denied knowing anything new, Wick responded, “Oh well, I was just wondering because we are hearing rumors, and would you keep us posted?” Dan assured him that when the family knew, Steve would know.

Wick continued by saying that
Newsday
wanted to do a follow-up story on Michael and have something ready in case it was announced that he would receive the Medal of Honor. During the conversation Dan informed Wick of the previous day’s telephone call from the
Washington Post
who wanted to interview the family. Wick, concerned, then asked, “Did they say why?” Dan replied negatively, stating that he thought she just wanted to do a follow-up on the Born to Serve series. Wick replied, “That’s very strange.” Dan agreed, then added, “We don’t know anything. They are there in Washington, maybe they have some contacts and maybe they are hearing something, and that’s why they want to come up.” Wick ended the conversation by stating that he was going to do some checking and would get back to Dan.