Navy SEAL Earns Medal Of Honor

President Bush Presents Soldier's Family With First Medal Of Honor For Combat In Afghanistan

(CBS/AP)  The first Medal of Honor awarded for combat in Afghanistan was presented Monday to the weeping parents of a Navy SEAL from Long Island, who gave his life to make a radio call for help for his team.

President Bush presented the nation's highest military honor for valor to the family of Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y., who died when his elite combat team was surrounded high in the mountains of Afghanistan.

"While their missions were often carried out in secrecy, their love of country and devotion to each other was always clear," President Bush said. "On June 28, 2005, Michael would give his life for these ideals.

Murphy's father Dan, and mother Maureen, both cried as they stood next to the president and listened to their son's heroism recounted.

"There's a lot of awards in the military, but when you see a Medal of Honor, you know whatever they went through is pretty horrible. You don't congratulate anyone when you see it," said Marcus Luttrell, the lone member of Murphy's team to survive the firefight with the Taliban.

Murphy, Luttrell and two other SEALs were searching for a terrorist when their mission was compromised after they were spotted by locals, who presumably alerted the Taliban to their presence.

An intense gun battle ensued, with more than 50 anti-coalition fighters swarming around the outnumbered SEALs.

Although wounded, Murphy is credited with risking his own life by moving into the open for a better position to transmit a call for help.

Still under fire, Murphy provided his unit's location and the size of the enemy force. At one point he was shot in the back, causing him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in.

He then returned to his cover position with his men and continued the battle. A U.S. helicopter sent to rescue the men was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing all 16 aboard.

By the end of the two-hour gunfight, Murphy and two of his comrades were also dead. An estimated 35 Taliban were also killed. Luttrell was blown over a ridge and knocked unconscious. He escaped, and was protected by local villagers for several days before he was rescued.

"We look at these guys and say, 'What heroes,"' said Dan Murphy. "These guys look at themselves and say, 'I'm just doing my job.' That's an understatement, but that's the way they view it, and that was Michael's whole life."

Dan Murphy served in the army in Vietnam and won a Purple Heart, reports CBS' The Early Show anchor Harry Smith.

When Murphy's mother Maureen learned that her son Michael and his fellow SEALS were trapped 10,000 feet up a mountain, she had a thought that menopausal women might make the best rescuers, she told Smith, since no mountain would be too high for them to climb in order to help their children.

Murphy, who died before his 30th birthday, is the fourth Navy SEAL to earn the award and the first since the Vietnam War. Two Medals of Honor have been awarded posthumously in the Iraq war: to Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, who was killed in 2004 after covering a grenade with his helmet, and to Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, who was killed in 2003 after holding off Iraqi forces with a machine gun before he was killed at the Baghdad airport.

Murphy's heroics have been widely recognized on Long Island, where he graduated in 1994 from Patchogue-Medford High School.

To his fellow SEALs, he was known as "Murph," but as a child, his parents nicknamed him "The Protector," because of his strong moral compass. After the 2001 terror attacks, that compass eventually led him to Afghanistan, where he wore a patch of the New York City Fire Department on his uniform.

"He took his deployment personally. He was going after, and his team was going after, the men who planned, plotted against and attacked not only the United States, but the city he loved, New York," said his father. "He knew what he was fighting for."

[thunderhead100grn]

This is the 1st i`ve ever wrote anything in response here but i read marcuss lutrell`s book and those seals are 2nd to none. I`m proud to be on the same side of the line with men like that. If you think this war is for nothing you probly think WW1 & WW2 AND ALL CONFLICTS AGAINST RADICAL visious tyrants was for nothing. Read the book. Educate yourself if possible. I would happily contribute to your plane fare to afganistan if you are seriuos about talking peace with taliban. good luck.

[jdrasher]

if you wish to learn more about Lt. Murphy, and the other two that gave their lives, Matthew Axelson and Danny Dietz, there fellow seal Marcus Lattrell found it as his duty to write their story so that others might understand their bravery. He wrote a book about it. not sure if i can say the name so ill leave it out. its not to hard to find. I have no words to descibe the story Marcus tells.

[stopthewarrr]

***** Stop The War & Corporate Corruption *****

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The corporate media will not give Ron Paul any Exposure. Because, NBC is owned by GE. GE is one of the world''s largest war-makers. They make things that go boom. They make $Billions on war. A Ron Paul administration would be bad for business. CNN is owned by AOL. Majority share holder is Saudi Royal Talal who is also partners with GHWBush in The Carlyle Group. Another major warmaker. And on and on. You get the picture. This is why they are doing a Media Blackout on him. Because they don''''t WANT YOU TO KNOW THE TRUTH!

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Again No EXPOSURE!

Who Owns The Media: http://www.mediaowners.com

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[DDouville]

I know the usual lets run home with our tail between our legs and the president''s a liar and I''m sure you could do a better job as president. I''m sure a genius like you could solve all our problems in five minutes. WE HAVE TO FIGHT THE ENEMY IRAQ WAS OUR ENEMY JUST LIKE IRAN. If you think for a minute their not you need your head examined. Out.

[Krazcarl]

sonatso,,Whispyeyes....Do us a favor hit the poetry blogs use the restroom jump off a bridge I know you got a new stash and think your intelligent you can''t see the forest through the trees, Get a life was it your life ambition to be a troll on a news blog. Tired of failure lower your standards.

[sonotso]

'' ... maybe edible algae and mushroom knick knack artwork could store and possibly even lever or multiply water molecules and microbes ... maybe since we can turn acorns into atomic stars, we can turn acorns into atomic stomachs and forego all the consumption anyways ... ''

[sonotso]

'' ... war rapes babies, u.s. spends more on domestic war than most countrys together spend globally on war ... ''

'' ... u.s. farmers were taught to make folk pay for lunch and nearly all u.s. farms were forclosed on or sold to avoid forclosure ... ''

'' ... u.s. business refused to feed starving africans and south americans and asians for the 3rd world had no money, yet taught them to speak english and play capitalist to exploit cheap labor / goods markets .. nations gladly gave up their languages and religions and cultures so not to starve to death and thanked the u.s. for shipping each dollar and operation overseas, and for even picking up the tab to do so ... ''

'' ... most folk most time dance get well feed world songs rallied round hundreds millions sick beds drifting tens millions spore bloom weed dragon trail fickle first aid lunch farm cottage studio trail crossing yseedsberry trail groups (33 sick beds @ 33 villages of 300 for 3.3 cents to $1.00 in swapped tips per sick bed / village) ... and still find time 20 mins per night for hike naked dance dressed get sick tax world porno ... ''

'' ... of course you have options, you have the option to invest all your money and votes in baby raping warfare ... ''

[jonesforch]

MyIDonCBS

LOL you got them going again...lord you are pathetic

[myidoncbs]

hds0816, I''m not so sure it''s a bad thing that Black people are underrepresented in the news stories about heroics in Iraq and Afghanistan. It''s my understanding that Black people have recently been less interested in signing up for endless tours of military duty to fight Bush''s war on humanity, so fewer of them are dying in these senseless wars. If true, then that is a GOOD thing!

[myidoncbs]

big_family1 says, "at least I know that [Bush] won''t loot the White House upon his departure like his predecessor did."

The Clinton''s did NOT loot the White House. They also did NOT remove all the W''s from the typewriters and computers. Those are LIES made up by Karl Rove! You Bushies never learn, do you? You repeat all the lies you''ve been fed, and ignore the truth if someone challenges your "facts".

It is truly, horribly, sad that ANYONE still believes Bush/Cheney/et.al. They tell one lie after another, after another. Every time they get caught lying, they just make up a new one: WMDs, liberators, piece of cake, 6 months maximum, "mission accomplished", giving freedom and democracy, we''ll stand down when they stand up, failure is not an option, etc. Every single thing they''ve said about this war is a LIE.

Soldiers who serve in Iraq and Afghanistan are either brave or stu/pid. Let''s give them all the benefit of the doubt and say they are truly brave. Still, No Thanks! You are NOT making us safer. Your blind servitude to the chimp in chief will destroy us all. Please stop it now!

A truly brave man is one who knows the truth and is willing to risk everything to serve the cause of truth. Thus, those who resisted participating in the crime against humanity are the truly brave. Anyone who blindly follows a madman may be brave, but he is most assuredly stu/pid.

If you want to support the troops, then END THE WAR AND BRING THEM HOME! Anything less just condemns them to death.