June 28, 2005, was the deadliest day for American special operations forces since World War II. On July 8, 2005, at a memorial service for the eighteen known dead from Operation Red Wings, Captain Pete Van Hooser declared that their deaths would not go unanswered. What he knew, but could not say, was that Operation Red Wings was only part of the overall plan to rid the Korangal Valley of Taliban and al-Qaeda forces.
Captain Von Hooser’s words proved prophetic. Like the American bald eagle circling and stalking its prey, on August 11, 2005, U.S. and Afghan forces launched a devastatingly successful strike against the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in response to the killing of nineteen of America’s best, in what was called Operation Whalers. Coalition forces moved into position at one end of the valley and constructed a forward operating base (FOB) in a nearby cornfield. During the next forty-eight hours, Marines from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Marine Corps Base Hawaii trekked into the rugged terrain while numerous A-10 warplanes circled overhead. Over the next eleven days, the Marines endured twenty-nine separate Taliban and al-Qaeda counterattacks in their effort to wrest the valley from Shah’s control. During the operation, the Mountain Tigers were tamed and Shah himself was severely wounded. He managed to crawl his way back across the mountains into the safety of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier, known as Sarhad, the smallest of Pakistan’s four provinces.
Requiring only an occasional flap of its wings, the American eagle circled, knowing it was not a question of if its prey would appear, but only a question of when. The eagle circled and waited. On Tuesday, April 15, 2008, the prey reappeared. Afghan security forces opened fire on Mullah Ahmad Shah and those traveling with him after he failed to stop at a police checkpoint near the Afghan border. Shah and his men were killed as they were attempting to smuggle a kidnapped Afghan day laborer back to an al-Qaeda hideout on the Afghan side of the border.
While Mullah Ahmad Shah and his Mountain Tigers no longer prey on the Afghan people and U.S. forces, the memory of Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, U.S. Navy SEAL, remains permanently immortalized in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.
Michael P. Murphy was not perfect. He certainly made his share of mistakes—in one case, a mistake that cost a SEAL teammate his career. An extraordinary man, Michael P. Murphy was instilled with the seeds of greatness derived from his ethnic background, family legacy, community, and a faith learned in the arms of a loving mother and at the knee of a wise father. Consistent with his faith, he possessed an inner belief of always putting others ahead of self. He also possessed the innate sense of leadership and determination that allowed him to overcome obstacles that would stop those less motivated or determined.
Marcus Luttrell, Michael’s SEAL teammate and the lone survivor of Operation Red Wings, gave the following tribute to his friend: “If they built a statue of him as big as the Empire State Building, it would not be big enough for me.”
Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy’s character, compassion, determination, and leadership resulted in his receiving this nation’s Medal of Honor on earth and a place of honor serving in the Army of the Lord in the world eternal. His earthly legacy continues to grow. Newsday’s Legacy.com Web page for him continues to average two to three new posts per week from around the globe nearly four years after his death.
While political and military leaders change, our trust and commitment toward those who volunteer to wear this nation’s uniform must never change. All who put themselves into harm’s way in defense of freedom, as well as the families who endure their absence, deserve our unwavering gratitude and support. While we all cannot be Michael P. Murphy, we all can be patriots.
May God continue to comfort those of us who grieve, bless and watch over those who defend freedom, and continue to bless the United States of America.