CALVERTON, N.Y. -- The U.S. Navy's newest warship will not be named for a former president, distinguished member of Congress or some historic figure from the past.
The USS Michael Murphy, a 510-foot destroyer, is being commissioned this weekend in New York City for a Long Island native and Navy lieutenant who became the first American awarded the Medal of Honor during the Afghanistan War when he was killed along with two fellow SEALs during an ambush in 2005. He was 29.
"Here is someone who is just like us," said Cmdr. Tom Shultz, the commander of the USS Michael Murphy and its crew of about 300. "We've seen his childhood photos and you look at those photos and in every single one of them we have that same photo of our childhood."
Already wounded, Murphy left a protected position and went to a clearing where he was exposed to gunfire to get a clear signal to contact Bagram Airfield for backup. He was killed along with 16 of his rescuers whose helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade on June 28, 2005. The only SEAL to survive has since written a book about the ordeal, "Lone Survivor," which is being made into a movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Taylor Kitsch.
more
USS Michael Murphy, Navy's Newest Destroyer, Pays Tribute To Slain SEAL From NY (PHOTOS)
The USS Michael Murphy, a 510-foot destroyer, is being commissioned this weekend in New York City for a Long Island native and Navy lieutenant who became the first American awarded the Medal of Honor during the Afghanistan War when he was killed along with two fellow SEALs during an ambush in 2005. He was 29.
"Here is someone who is just like us," said Cmdr. Tom Shultz, the commander of the USS Michael Murphy and its crew of about 300. "We've seen his childhood photos and you look at those photos and in every single one of them we have that same photo of our childhood."
Already wounded, Murphy left a protected position and went to a clearing where he was exposed to gunfire to get a clear signal to contact Bagram Airfield for backup. He was killed along with 16 of his rescuers whose helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade on June 28, 2005. The only SEAL to survive has since written a book about the ordeal, "Lone Survivor," which is being made into a movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Taylor Kitsch.
more
USS Michael Murphy, Navy's Newest Destroyer, Pays Tribute To Slain SEAL From NY (PHOTOS)