For the Cause of Freedom

Many may recognize the name of Navy SEAL Petty Officer 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell, whose 2005 team actions in Afghanistan were the subject of the book Lone Survivor and later film by the same title.

The story of the team’s leader is, perhaps, less known by the general public.

On June 28, 2005, a four-man SEAL recon and surveillance team, led by 29-year-old Lt. Michael “Murph” Murphy, included 25-year-old Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz, 29-year-old Sonar Technician 2nd Class Matt Axelson, and 30-year-old Hospital Corpsman PO1 Marcus Luttrell. Their counter-insurgent mission, code-named Operation Red Wings, was conducted in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The tragic outcome became a story of valor against overwhelming odds.

The team was dropped by helicopter at 10,000 feet in the Hindu Kush mountain range, deep into enemy territory near the Pakistan border. Their mission was to track down a Taliban terrorist, Ahmad Shah, leader of a guerrilla cadre known as the “Mountain Tigers.”

Soon after the drop, the SEAL team was discovered by local goat herders who alerted the Taliban. In the firefight that followed against more than 50 Taliban sympathizers, each of the SEALs was wounded.

Lt. Murphy deliberately exposed himself to intense enemy fire to reach an open position where he could call for the extraction of his team. Shot a second time in the back, he was able to successfully contact the SOF Quick Reaction Force (QRF) at Bagram Air Base. The QRF responded to the call on two MH-47 Chinook helicopters, one flown by eight Army Night Stalkers from the 160th SOAR with eight additional SEALs on board. The Chinooks were escorted in by heavily armored Army attack helicopters.

Once over the embattled SEALs on the ground, Red Wings 11, the Chinook with the SEALs and Night Stalkers, was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade—causing catastrophic airframe failure and a crash into the mountainside. All 16 on board were killed. On that fateful day, three of the four SEALs on the ground were also killed, bringing the total of Special Operations Forces who perished to 19.

It was the largest single-day loss of life in Operation Enduring Freedom and the worst loss for Naval Special Warfare operators since World War II. Only Marcus Luttrell, who was blown over a ridgeside by an RPG and rendered unconscious, survived. With a bullet wound to one leg, shrapnel embedded in both legs, and three vertebrae cracked, he managed to evade enemy combatants over the next four days—the last three of which he survived with the aid of sympathetic Afghan villagers. The Taliban confronted the villagers several times, but they refused to give him up. One villager took a note from him to a Marine outpost, and a massive operation was launched to successfully rescue him. Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross, the USN’s second-highest decoration under the Medal of Honor, and his teammates, Danny Dietz and Matt Axelson, posthumously received the same awards.

For his extraordinary heroism, Lt. Michael Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Lt. Murphy’s citation notes in part: “Demonstrating exceptional resolve, Lieutenant 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 the 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 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 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.”

Lt. Murphy’s service and sacrifice have also been memorialized in the name of the guided missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112). Commissioned on October 6, 2012, it is now homeported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Lt. Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum is now open in West Sayville, New York, near Murphy’s Long Island hometown.

About the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center
Opened in February 2020, the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center is situated in the heart of the birthplace of the Medal of Honor—Chattanooga, Tennessee. The 19,500 square-foot facility features life-sized, immersive exhibits that memorialize our nation’s highest military award for valor, honor its national heritage and recipients, and educate future generations of Americans about the six character traits embodied by the Medal of Honor and its recipients: Patriotism, Citizenship, Courage, Integrity, Sacrifice and Commitment. For more information, please visit www.MOHHC.org.

Steven Thomas

Steven Thomas is the Director of Operations for the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.