A Memorial Day “Murph”

While doing research on US Navy SEAL Lt. Michael “Murph” Murphy for a Facebook post I wrote on the anniversary of his birthday, I learned about the "Murph,” a high intensity workout developed by the late Medal of Honor recipient.

Every Memorial Day, thousands of CrossFit fans and military personnel participate in the “Murph Challenge,” an event where people complete a "Murph," a workout that consists of a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another 1-mile run . . . all while wearing a 20-pound weight vest or body armor. Over the past six years the event has raised more than one million dollars for the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

After hearing more about the workout from Marine buddies, I decided to take the challenge. As a Marine veteran and long-time physical fitness nut, I wanted to be part of the event that pays tribute to Michael Murphy and all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. But I only had two weeks to prepare.

(PC: CrossFit Rockland)

I bought a 20-pound vest (I was determined to do it with the added weight even though I’m 56) and hit the gym. And despite the fact that I’ve spent most of my life running, doing push-ups and chin-ups, and trying to stay fit, the vest made things a lot more challenging than I had expected.

But I hung in there, literally (on the chin-up bar), finding inspiration in Lt. Murphy's story.

"The Protector"

Born on May 7, 1976, Michael P. Murphy, the son of Irish American parents Daniel and Maureen Murphy, graduated from Penn State, passed up on the opportunity to go to law school, and joined the Navy. By early 2005, he was a US Navy SEAL serving on the front lines of the War in Afghanistan.

On June 28, 2005, Lt. Murphy, leader of a four-man SEAL team on a mission to kill or capture a top Taliban leader, suddenly came under a hail of enemy gunfire.

Alone in the remote mountains of Afghanistan and under attack from up to 40 Taliban fighters, Murphy and his men took cover and returned fire. In the ensuing terrifying engagement, scores of insurgents were killed and all four Americans were hit.

Lt. Michael P. Murphy and Sonar Technician -- Surface 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson, 29, in Afghanistan. Both men were killed on June 28, 2005 (PC: US Navy).

Despite being shot in the stomach, the 29-year-old lieutenant, known as “The Protector” by his high school buddies because he always stood up for the less-popular kids, “ignored his wounds, continued to lead and encourage his men,” and repeatedly tried to radio for support.

"He was in a horrible position. He left himself open so he could move back and forth to each individual guy,” Marcus Luttrell, one of the four SEAL team members, recalled in a CNN interview.

Unable to contact his headquarters and realizing that he and his men were “facing almost certain death," Lt. Murphy, moved out into the open and began using his satellite phone.

The Last Time I Saw Him

Under intense enemy fire, the muscular, nearly six-foot tall Smithtown, New York native was struck in the back by enemy fire and collapsed. Before losing consciousness, he made contact with his headquarters and reported his team’s location. In the final moments of his short life, he signed off by saying “Thank you." 

"I looked back up at Mikey, and he took two rounds to the back and sat up and hung up the phone,” Luttrell remembered. "That was the last time I saw him.”

Lt. Murphy in Afghanistan (PC: US Navy)

Murphy's remains were found five days later by American forces and returned to the United States. Two of Murphy’s teammates were killed during the firefight and posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. The third team member, Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of the mission, was rescued by US forces and was also awarded the Navy Cross.

In addition to Lt. Murphy and his two teammates, Sonar Technician 2nd Class Matthew Axelson, 29, and Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz, 25, eight other Navy SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers were also killed when their helicopter was shot down by enemy fire while on its way to rescue the imperiled SEAL team.

June 28, 2005, was the worst single-day death toll for US Forces during Operation Enduring Freedom and the largest loss of life for the Naval Special Warfare community since World War II.

Lt. Michael Murphy’s final resting place at Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, NY (PC: findagrave).

Medal of Honor

For “his selfless leadership and for giving his life for his country and the cause of freedom,” Lt. Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on October 22, 2007, becoming the first member of the U.S. Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War.

Seven years after Lt. Murphy’s heroic actions, the USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer named in honor of Lt. Murphy, was commissioned in New York. A park and post office in his hometown were also named in his honor, and his high school renamed their campus the "Navy LT Michael P. Murphy Campus" in tribute to the school’s only Medal of Honor recipient.

The guided-missile destroyer Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Michael Murphy (DDG 112) makes its way through New York Harbor in preparation for commissioning on Oct. 6., 2012 (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Erik Swanson/Released).

And the Murph Challenge continues, with thousands of men and women in America and around the world participating in the event.

Postscript

Today, in honor of Lt. Murphy, “The Protector,” I completed the one-mile run, 300 squats, 200 push-ups, 100 chin-ups (the hardest part, by far!) and another mile run in 59 minutes. And I wore the vest the entire time (you can watch our 90-second motivational video here).

I was both humbled and motivated by “The Murph Challenge,” and I'm already looking forward to doing it again next year. Most importantly, the event was a great way to remember and honor Lt. Murphy and all the brave men and women who gave their lives for our country. We owe them so much.

Freedom isn't free.

Lt. Murphy (far right) and his SEAL team: Sonar Technician -- Surface 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson, 29, of Cupertino, Calif; Information Systems Technician Senior Chief Daniel R. Healy, 36, of Exeter, N.H.; Quartermaster 2nd Class James Suh, 28, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Hospital Corpsman Second Class Marcus Luttrell); Machinist Mate 2nd Class Eric S. Patton, 22, of Boulder City, Nev.; LT Michael P. Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y. With the exception of Luttrell, all were killed on June 28, 2005 in Afghanistan (PC: US Navy).

Maureen and Daniel Murphy, the parents of U.S. Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy, during his induction into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, Oct. 23, 2007 (PC: DOD, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A. Burgess).