SEAL of Honor Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

  Foreword

  Acknowledgements

  Introduction

  CHAPTER ONE - The Knock on the Door

  Tuesday, June 28, 2005, Kunar Province, Afghanistan

  Tuesday, June 28, 2005, Patchogue, New York

  Wednesday, June 29, 2005, Long Island, New York

  Wednesday, June 29, 2005, Naval Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM), ...

  Long Island, New York

  Assembling the Support Network

  CHAPTER TWO - Vigil for the Valiant

  Thursday-Friday, June 30-July 1, 2005

  Saturday, July 2, 2005

  Sunday, July 3, 2005

  Monday, July 4, 2005

  The Inevitable

  Tuesday, July 5, 2005, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware

  Peace Be with You ... and Also with You

  Michael’s Revenge

  Wednesday, July 6, 2005

  Sunday, July 10, 2005

  Honoring a Hero

  Clayton Funeral Home

  CHAPTER THREE - Funeral for the Fallen

  Funeral Preparations

  Visitation: Monday, July 11, 2005

  Arrival of the SEALs

  Visitation: Tuesday, July 12, 2005

  Family Prayer Service, Wednesday, July 13, 2005

  Mass of Christian Burial

  Placing of the Funeral Pall

  Replacing the Flag

  Funeral Procession

  Military Honors

  The Meaning of a Folded Flag

  On Behalf of the President of the United States . . .

  Home . . . Finally

  A Final Message from Michael

  On Permanent Station

  CHAPTER FOUR - Seeds of Greatness

  Canaan Elementary School

  Saxton Middle School

  CHAPTER FIVE - “The Protector”

  Patchogue-Medford High School

  Penn State University

  CHAPTER SIX - Prep Schools for SEALs

  Prep School for SEALs

  History of the SEAL Recruiting District Assistance Council (RDAC)

  RDAC Standards

  Saturday, January 16, 1998

  Saturday, February 20, 1998

  Saturday, April 24, 1998

  Spring of 1998

  Saturday, May 16, 1998

  Saturday, June 19, 1998

  Waiting for Good News

  Success Breeds Success

  CHAPTER SEVEN - Officer Candidate School

  The Power of Persistence

  Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida

  Indoctrination Week

  Week Two

  Week Three

  Week 4

  Weeks 5-6

  Graduation

  CHAPTER EIGHT - BUD/S: The Price of Admission

  Indoctrination Course (Indoc)

  First Phase

  Second Phase

  Third Phase

  Graduation

  CHAPTER NINE - Agoge: Earning the Trident

  Army Jump School: The “Air” in Sea, Air, Land (SEAL)

  Junior Officer Training Course (JOTC)

  Range Safety Officer Course

  Dive Supervisor Course

  Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE)

  SEAL Qualification Training (SQT)

  SQT Graduation

  Cold-Weather Training—Kodiak Island, Alaska

  SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Training

  CHAPTER TEN - Warrior Community and Structure

  Overview

  Mission

  Structure

  Primary or Core Missions

  SEAL Missions

  SEAL “Community”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN - Deployment Work-up

  Professional Development (PRODEV)

  Unit Level Training (ULT)

  Squadron Integration Training (SIT)

  The Dangers of SEAL Training

  CHAPTER TWELVE - Operation Enduring Freedom

  At War

  The Global War on Terror (GWOT)

  The Final Visit Home

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN - Afghanistan—Home of al-Qaeda

  Afghanistan: An Overview

  Afghanistan in the Wake of the 9/11 Attacks

  Naval Special Warfare Reorganization

  April 26, 2005, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan

  General Orientation Briefing

  On the Move

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN - When Character Met Circumstance: Operation Red Wings

  Kunar Province

  Operation Red Wings: Planning

  Operation Red Wings: The Mission

  Father’s Day

  The Reconnaissance Element

  The Plan

  Bagram Airfield, Sunday, June 26, 2005

  Operation Red Wings: Execution

  The Battle for Murphy’s Ridge

  “Iron-Souled Warrior”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN - Rescue Mission

  The Loss of Turbine 33

  Rescue to Recovery

  July 3, 2005

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN - Answering the Call

  Erik S. Kristensen, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy

  Michael M. McGreevy Jr., Lieutenant, U.S. Navy

  Daniel R. Healy, Senior Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy

  Eric Shane Patton, Petty Officer Second Class, U.S. Navy

  Jeffrey Allen Lucas, Petty Officer First Class, U.S. Navy

  Jacques Jules Fontan, Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy

  Jeffrey Scott Taylor, Petty Officer First Class, U.S. Navy

  James E. Suh, Petty Officer Second Class, U.S. Navy

  Stephen C. Reich, Major, U.S. Army

  Chris J. Scherkenbach, Chief Warrant Officer 4, U.S. Army

  Cory J. Goodnature, Chief Warrant Officer 3, U.S. Army

  James W. “Tre” Ponder III, Master Sergeant, U.S. Army

  Michael L. Russell, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army

  Marcus V. Muralles, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army

  Shamus O. Goare, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army

  Kip Allen Jacoby, Sergeant, U.S. Army

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - No One Left Behind

  July 3, 2005

  July 4, 2005

  July 5, 2005—Ramp Ceremony

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - In the Presence of Warriors

  July 8, 2005: Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Virginia

  July 11, 2005: National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

  CHAPTER NINETEEN - Memorials to a Hero

  Little League Baseball Fields, April 29, 2006

  Lake Ronkonkoma, May 7, 2006

  Navy Memorial, September 16, 2006

  Continuing to Wait

  Patchogue Federal Post Office, October 24, 2006

  January 30, 2007

  January 31, 2007

  February 1, 2007

  Additional Memorials and Honors

  CHAPTER TWENTY - Of Service and Sacrifice

  Quick Travel Preparations

  FDNY to Washington, D.C.

  Another Round of Media Interviews

  Washington, D.C.—October 21, 2007

  Arlington National Cemetery—October 21, 2007

  Wreath-laying Ceremony for Michael’s Teammates

  Tomb of the Unknowns

  The Capitol Building—October 22, 2007

  The White House—October 22, 2007

  Reception

  Dinner with Admiral Roughead

  The Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes—October 23, 2007

  Induction to the Hall of Heroes

  Medal of Honor Flag Ceremony, Navy Memorial

  Medal of Honor Flag

  United States Naval A
cademy, Annapolis, Maryland—October 24, 2007

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - Growing Legacy

  A Time of Tribute and Ceremony

  The Power of a Legacy

  Michael Murphy Memorial Trophy

  The Nature of a Legacy

  Postscript

  Epilogue

  APPENDIX - Naval Special Warfare Community Support Groups

  SOURCES

  INDEX

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Copyright Page

  To my father, Richard A. Williams, a decorated Korean War veteran who instilled in his children a near-reverent respect for those who wear our nation’s uniforms.

  And to all those who went to war to defend our nation’s freedom, but never returned.

  ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

  ACLS Advance cardiac life support

  ACM Anticoalition militia

  AF Assault force

  AFB Air Force Base

  AOIC Assistant officer in charge

  AOR Assistant operations officer

  ASDS Advance SEAL Delivery System

  BATS Bleeding, airway, tension pneumothorax, and shock

  BUD/S Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL

  CACO Casualty Assistance Calls Officer

  Candi-O Candidate officer

  CAO Civil affairs operation

  CENTCOM Central Command

  CERTEX Certification training exercise

  CFC-A Combined Forces Coalition-Afghanistan

  CIA Central Intelligence Agency

  CJSOTF-A Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force- Afghanistan

  CJTF Combined Joint Task Force

  CJTF-HOA Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa

  CNO Chief of naval operations

  CP Counterproliferation

  CPO Chief petty officer

  CQD Close Quarters Defense

  CSAR Combat search and rescue

  CSC Combat Swimmer Course

  CSST Combat Service Support Team

  CT Counterterrorism

  CTF Coalition Task Force

  CTT Combat Training Tank

  DA Direct action

  DEVGRU Naval Special Warfare Development Group

  DI Drill instructor

  DMV Department of Motor Vehicles

  DOR Drop on request

  DUSTWUN Duty Station Whereabouts Unknown

  DZ Drop zone

  EOD Explosive ordnance disposal

  FDNY New York City Fire Department

  FID Foreign internal defense

  FLIR Forward-looking infrared

  FOB Forward operating base

  FRIES Fast rope insertion/extraction system

  FTX Field training exercise

  GPA Grade point average

  GWOT Global War on Terror

  HAHO High-altitude, high-opening

  HALO High-altitude, low-opening

  HLZ Helicopter landing zone

  HQ Headquarters

  IAD Immediate-action drill

  IBS Inflatable boat, small

  Indoc Indoctrination Course

  IO Information operation

  IRS Internal Revenue Service

  J-bad Jalalabad, Afghanistan

  JCET Joint/Combined Exchange Training

  JOTC Junior Officer Training Course

  LAR Lung-activated rebreather

  LDA Lateral drift apparatus

  LPO Leading petty officer

  LUP Layup position

  LZ Landing zone

  MAS Military assault suit

  MSC Mission Support Center

  MOPH Military Order of the Purple Heart

  MTT Military training test

  NAS Naval air station

  NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization

  NATTC Naval Air Technical Training Center

  NAVCENT Naval Forces Central Command

  NAVSPECWARCOM Naval Special Warfare Command

  NOMI Naval Operational Military Institute

  NR Naval Reserve

  NROTC Naval Reserve Officers Training Course

  NSA Naval Support Activity

  NSC National Security Council

  NSW Naval Special Warfare

  NSWDG Naval Special Warfare Development Group

  NSWF Naval Special Warfare Foundation

  NSWG Naval Special Warfare Group

  NYU New York University

  O-course Obstacle course

  OCS OCS Officer Candidate School Officer Candidate School

  OIC Officer in charge

  PACOM Pacific Command

  PC Patrol Coastal

  PCU Protective combat unit

  PEPSE Personal environmental protection and survival equipment

  PFA Physical Fitness Assessment

  PI Personnel inspection

  PJs Pararescue jumpers

  POW Prisoner of war

  PRK Photorefractive keratectomy

  PRODEV Professional development

  PRT Physical Readiness Test

  PSD Personnel Support Detachment

  PST Pacific standard time; Physical Screening Test

  PSU Penn State University

  PSYOPS Psychological operations

  PT Physical training

  QRF Quick-reaction force

  RDAC Recruiting District Assistance Council

  RIS Rail interface system

  RLI Room and locker inspection

  ROEs Rules of engagement

  RPG Rocket-propelled grenade

  RSO Range safety officer

  RTC Recruit Training Command

  SATCOM Satellite communications

  SBR Special Boat Squadron

  SBU Special Boat Unit

  SDV SEAL Delivery Vehicle

  SDVT SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team

  SEAL Sea, air, land

  SERE Survival, evasion, resistance, escape

  SETAF Southern European Task Force

  SF Special Forces (Green Berets)

  SFO(D) Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta

  SIT Squadron Integration Training

  SLT Swing landing trainer

  SOAR Special Operations Aviation Regiment

  SOC Special operations commander

  SOCOM

  SOF Special operations forces

  SOMPE-M Special Operations Mission Planning

  Environment-Maritime

  SOP Standard operating procedure

  SPIE Special Purpose Insertion/Extraction

  SPOTC Senior Petty Officer Training Course

  SQT SEAL Qualification Training

  SR Special reconnaissance

  SWCC Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen

  TCCC Tactical combat casualty care

  TIC Troops in contact (or combat)

  UAE United Arab Emirates

  UBA Underwater breathing apparatus

  UDT Underwater Demolition Team

  ULT Unit Level Training

  UN United Nations

  USMMA United States Merchant Marine Academy

  USN United States Navy

  USO United Service Organizations

  USSOCOM United States Special Operations Command

  UW Unconventional warfare

  WMD Weapons of mass destruction

  FOREWORD

  Of the four Navy SEALs who inserted into the Hindu Kush Mountains, Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on that terrible day in June 2005, I personally knew three: Matt Axelson, Marcus Luttrell, and Danny Dietz. The one SEAL I did not know was Michael Murphy. Now, thanks to Gary Williams’ fine portrayal of Michael Murphy in SEAL of Honor, I know them all.

  While I did not previously know Michael, my sense is that Gary’s assessment of this SEAL leader rings true. He seems very much like Tom Norris and Bob Kerrey, SEAL officers I do know well and who share that singular distinction as Medal of Honor recipients. Both Norris and Kerrey are humble, understated, introspective, and physically average. Both struggled in SEAL training, and once in the SEAL teams, took their duties seriously. Both
came from families and communities who raised these future heroes with a strong sense of personal accountability and responsibility. And Tom Norris and Bob Kerry are both humble in light of their battlefield accomplishments, almost to the point of embarrassment, and invariably seek to deflect praise from themselves to others who served with them. Had he lived, I think Michael Murphy would have been much the same.

  Michael Murphy also shares that quality of selfless devotion to his duty and to his brother SEALs as did two other “Mikes” who were awarded the Medal of Honor. Mike Thornton and Mike Monsoor both risked all in deadly combat to go to the aid of their teammates. In the case of Mike Monsoor, he too gave his life so that others would have a chance to live.

  In the words of William Holden in the closing scenes in of the movie The Bridges of Toko-Ri, “Where do we find such men?” The great American poet Carl Sandburg once said, “Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.”

  Major Dick Winters, of Band of Brothers fame, when asked by his granddaughter if he was a hero, answered, “No, but I served in the company of heroes.” I also feel that I have known some heroes from my generation who fought in Vietnam to the current generation of special warriors in the field today. They come from a variety of educational backgrounds and physical gifts; there is no prototype and no common trait save that of character. Like Robert Holden’s character in Bridges, I’ve often wondered where, indeed, do we find such men. SEAL training, so ably documented in this work, may refine the character of a hero. However, they don’t train men to be heroes, nor does SEAL training select men who are predisposed to heroic acts. It is my belief that those who perform such acts of valor are so inclined long before they enter military service or put on a uniform. With respect to Carl Sandberg, I believe this gift of valor is somehow imparted to our most gallant warriors by their families and their role models, and by the extended communities that help to raise them. Our military, and especially the Navy SEAL teams, have simply been blessed with young men who have been reared in an environment that stresses the Navy’s core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.