Medal of Honor Presentation to Michael Murphy

ladies and gentlemen the President of the United States let us pray the twenty-fourth Psalm reads who may ascend the hill of the Lord who may stand in his holy place he who has clean hands and a pure heart who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false he will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior Lord we are thankful today that the last hill your servant lieutenant Michael Murphy ascended was not in Kunar province Afghanistan but was in fact the holy hill that leads to your eternal presence we will always be grateful for your gift of Michael to us and we will never forget his courage in life as well as in death bless Michael's family O Lord Daniel marine John as we thank and honor them for sharing with us such an extraordinary young man we pray for the entire seal community today especially for the families of those who lost their own heroes on the events of 27 and 28 June 2005 bless this ceremony and all those who have worked so hard to rightly recognize the indomitable spirit and inspirational courage of lieutenant Michael Murphy amen please be seated good afternoon and welcome the White House the Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration that a president can bestow it recognizes gallantry that goes above and beyond the call of duty in the face of an enemy attack tradition awarding this honor began during the Civil War and many of those who have received the medal have given their lives in the action that earned it today we add lieutenant Michael Murphy's name to the list of recipients who have made the ultimate sacrifice deep in the mountains of Afghanistan this brave officer gave His life in defense of his fellow Navy SEALs two years later the story of a sacrifice humbles and inspires all who hear it and by presenting Michael Murphy's family with the Medal of Honor that he earned a grateful nation remembers the courage that this proud Navy SEAL I welcome the vice president senator Ted Stevens Senator Chuck Schumer from lieutenant Murphy's home state I appreciate very much the fact that congressman Tim Bishop from lieutenant Murphy's district as with us today welcome thank you all for coming I appreciate the fact that deputy secretary Gordon England has joined us Secretary Pete Geren of the army secretary Don winner of the Navy secretary Mike Wynn of the Air Force Admiral Mike Mullen chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Gary rough head Chief of Naval Operations and all the we're the nation's uniform welcome I appreciate the fact that we've got Barney Barnum Tom Kelly Tommy Norris and Mike Thornton Medal of Honor recipients with us today we do welcome Dan Murphy and marine Murphy father and mother of Michael Murphy John Murphy his brother and other family members that are with us today smiler welcome all the friends and comrades of lieutenant Michael Murphy here to the White House and I want to thank chaplain Bob Burt chief of chaplains for his opening prayer looking back on his childhood in Patchogue New York you might say that Michael Murphy was born to be a Navy SEAL seals get their name from operating by sea air and land and even as a toddler Michael could find his way to any obstacle when he was just 18 months old he darted across a neighbor's yard and dove into the swimming pool by the time his frantic parents reached him Michael had swum the other side with a big smile on his face as he grew older Michael learned to swim from one side of a nearby lake to the other he developed into a talented all-around athlete but beyond his physical strength Michael Murphy was blessed with a powerful sense of right and wrong this sentence came from devoted parents he told him to love his neighbor and defend those who could not defend themselves Michael took these lessons to heart one day in school he got into a scuffle - a scuffle sticking up for a student with a disability it's the only time his parents ever got a phone call from the principal and he couldn't have been prouder Michael's passion for helping others let him become a caring a brother a tutor a lifeguard and eventually a member of the United States Armed Forces Michael's decision to join the military what an easy one for his family as a Purple Heart recipient during Vietnam Michael's father understood the sacrifices that accompany a life of service he also understood that his son was prepared to make these sacrifices after graduating from Penn State with honors Michael accepted a commission in the Navy and later set off for seal training fewer than a third of those who begin this intense training program graduate to become Navy SEALs there's little doubt about the determined lieutenant from New York and in 2002 Michael earned his Navy SEAL Trident Michael also earned the respect of his men they remember a wisecracking friend who went by Mikey or Murph they remember a patriot who wore a New York City Fire House patch uniform in honor of the heroes of 9/11 and they remember an officer who respected their opinions in ledum with an understated yet unmistakable sense of command together Michael and his fellow seals deployed multiple times around the world in the war against the extremists and radicals and while their missions were often carried out in secrecy their love of country and devotion to each other was always clear On June 28 2005 Michael would give his life for these ideals while conducting surveillance on a mountain ridge in Afghanistan he and three fellow seals were surrounded by a much larger enemy force their only Escape was down the side of a mountain and the seals launched a valiant counter attack while Kowski cascading from cliff to cliff but as the enemy closed in Michael recognized that the survival of his men depended on calling back to the base for reinforcements with complete disregard for his own life he moved into a clearing where his phone would get reception he made the call and Michael then fell under heavy fire yet his grace and upbringing never deserted him though severely wounded he said thank you before hanging up and returned to the fight before losing his life unfortunately the helicopter carrying the reinforcements never reached the scene it crashed after being struck by a rocket-propelled grenade and in the end more Americans died in Afghanistan On June 28 2005 than on any other day since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom the state of tragedy also has the sad distinction of being the deadliest for neighbors Navy Special Warfare forces since World War two one of Michael's fellow seals did make it off the mountain ridge he was one of Michael's closest friends petty officer marcus luttrell of Texas author of a riveting book called lone survivor put it this way Mikey was the best officer I ever knew an iearned sould warrior of colossal and almost unbelievable courage in the face of the enemy for his courage we award lieutenant Michael Murphy the first Medal of Honor for combat in Afghanistan and with this medal we acknowledge a debt that will not diminish with time and can never be repaid our nation is blessed to have volunteers like Michael who risk their lives for our freedom we're blessed to have mothers and fathers like Maureen and Dan Murphy who raised tons of such character and courage and we're blessed with the mercy of a loving God who comforts all those who grieve and now I ask Michael's parents to join me on stage and the military egg will read the citation the President of the United States of America and the name of Congress takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor to lieutenant Michael P Murphy United States Navy for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as the leader of a special reconnaissance element with Naval Special Warfare task unit Afghanistan on 27 and 28 June 2005 while leading a mission to locate a high-level anti-coalition militia leader lieutenant Murphy demonstrated extraordinary heroism in the face of grave danger in the vicinity of Asadabad Kunar province Afghanistan on 28 June 2005 operating in an extremely rugged enemy controlled area lieutenant Murphy's team was discovered by anti-coalition militia sympathizers who revealed their position to Taliban fighters as a result between 30 and 40 enemy fighters besieged his four member team demonstrating exceptional resolve lieutenant Murphy Murphy valiantly led his men in engaging the large enemy force the ensuing fierce firefight resulted in numerous enemy casualties as well as the wounding of all four members of his team ignoring his own wounds and demonstrating exceptional composure lieutenant Murphy continued to lead and encourage his men when the primary communicator fell mortally wounded lieutenant Murphy repeatedly attempted to call for his Census assistance for his beleaguered teammates realizing the impossibility of communicating in the extreme terrain and in the face of almost certain death he fought his way into an open terrain to gain a better position to transmit a call this deliberate heroic act deprived him of cover exposing him to direct enemy fire finally achieving contact with his headquarters lieutenant Murphy maintained his exposed position while he provided his location and requested immediate support for his team in his final act of bravery he continued to engage the enemy until he was mortally wounded gallantly giving his life for his country and for the cause of freedom by his selfless leadership courageous actions and extraordinary devotion to duty whoo ten Murphy reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service let us pray as we depart this ceremony Lord we are reminded how brief life can be and the importance of sacrifice and service to God and country we leave here knowing that Michael Murphy's life and death has not only impacted the Navy and its seal community but also an entire nation his unselfishness humility and devotion to duty duty to his country duty to the Navy duty to his family and duty to God are an inspiration to all of us and we will challenge our young and it will challenge our young service members for generations to come now unto you O Lord Almighty our Creator and eternal King the honor and glory forever and ever amen

Channel: USA Patriotism!

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Keywords: Navy, SEAL, Lieutenant, Michael, Murphy, Medal, of, Honor, hero, SEALs, America, USA, United, States, fallen, ultimate, sacrifice, war, terror, President, George, Bush

Id: aM2tC5wMkoQ

Length: 14min 19sec (859 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 15 2011