Of the four Navy SEALs who inserted into the Hindu Kush Mountains, Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on that terrible day in June 2005, I personally knew three: Matt Axelson, Marcus Luttrell, and Danny Dietz. The one SEAL I did not know was Michael Murphy. Now, thanks to Gary Williams’ fine portrayal of Michael Murphy in SEAL of Honor, I know them all.
While I did not previously know Michael, my sense is that Gary’s assessment of this SEAL leader rings true. He seems very much like Tom Norris and Bob Kerrey, SEAL officers I do know well and who share that singular distinction as Medal of Honor recipients. Both Norris and Kerrey are humble, understated, introspective, and physically average. Both struggled in SEAL training, and once in the SEAL teams, took their duties seriously. Both came from families and communities who raised these future heroes with a strong sense of personal accountability and responsibility. And Tom Norris and Bob Kerry are both humble in light of their battlefield accomplishments, almost to the point of embarrassment, and invariably seek to deflect praise from themselves to others who served with them. Had he lived, I think Michael Murphy would have been much the same.
Michael Murphy also shares that quality of selfless devotion to his duty and to his brother SEALs as did two other “Mikes” who were awarded the Medal of Honor. Mike Thornton and Mike Monsoor both risked all in deadly combat to go to the aid of their teammates. In the case of Mike Monsoor, he too gave his life so that others would have a chance to live.
In the words of William Holden in the closing scenes in of the movie The Bridges of Toko-Ri, “Where do we find such men?” The great American poet Carl Sandburg once said, “Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.”
Major Dick Winters, of Band of Brothers fame, when asked by his granddaughter if he was a hero, answered, “No, but I served in the company of heroes.” I also feel that I have known some heroes from my generation who fought in Vietnam to the current generation of special warriors in the field today. They come from a variety of educational backgrounds and physical gifts; there is no prototype and no common trait save that of character. Like Robert Holden’s character in Bridges, I’ve often wondered where, indeed, do we find such men. SEAL training, so ably documented in this work, may refine the character of a hero. However, they don’t train men to be heroes, nor does SEAL training select men who are predisposed to heroic acts. It is my belief that those who perform such acts of valor are so inclined long before they enter military service or put on a uniform. With respect to Carl Sandberg, I believe this gift of valor is somehow imparted to our most gallant warriors by their families and their role models, and by the extended communities that help to raise them. Our military, and especially the Navy SEAL teams, have simply been blessed with young men who have been reared in an environment that stresses the Navy’s core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
A combat leader lives, and sometimes dies, by his ability to balance two often mutually exclusive duties: he must accomplish his mission and he must take care of his men. A great deal has been written about Operation Red Wings, and exactly what took place in those mountains on that fateful day we may never know. But we do know this: Mike Murphy did all in his power to accomplish his mission. When that became impossible, he did all in his power to take care of his men. In the face of impossible odds and mortally wounded, he fought and led until the moment he was killed. For those of us who have since learned of Michael Murphy’s courage in those last terrible hours, we marvel at such gallantry. For the Murphy family and the small community of Patchogue, New York, their unimaginable grief aside, he was simply one of their own, doing his duty in a manner that was consistent with how he was raised.
—DICK COUCH
SEAL (BUD/S) CLASS 45
UDT 22/SEAL TEAM ONE