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| Source: US Navy |
The story of the men of "Operation Red Wings" deeply impacted me. This timeline is the first tribute I will pay to their memories. Any authorized details you might contribute to enrich Lieutenant Murphy's timeline, specially during years 2003 and 2004, will be greatly appreciated, and your name will be on my frontpage thankslist.
May 7, 1976 - Smithtown, New York - Michael Patrick Murphy is born
December 1(?), 1978 - Brookhaven, Long Island, New York - Murphy family moves to a new house on Old Medford Avenue
July(?) 1(?), 1979 - Brookhaven - Michael begins showing natural diving/swimming habilities in their neighbour's pool
January(?) 1(?), 1991 - Patchogue, Long Island, New York - Enrolls in Patchogue-Medford High School as an honor student
January(?) 1(?), 1993 - Patchogue - After his uncle dies of cancer, his three female cousins come to live with the Murphys
May(?) 1(?), 1994 - Brookhaven - Graduates from Patchogue-Medford High School and begins a first job with the Brookhaven parks department picking up litter and doing general maintenance
October(?) 1(?), 1994 - University Park, Pennsylvania - Enrolls in Pennsylvania State University in the fall
November 1(?), 1997 - University Park - Michael begins researching the Navy SEALs and visits ex-SEAL team Two commanding officer Ryan J. McCombie for a conversation. McCombie is impressed with Michael and gives him the contact of Captain Andrew Bisset, the Recruiting District Assistance Council (RDAC) district coordinator in Stamford, Connecticut, who coordinated a SEAL training and mentorship program at the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York
November 9, 1997 - University Park - Michael contacts Navy SEAL Captain Andrew Bisset, who invites him to attend the RDAC mentorship and training program from January 1998
January 16, 1998 - Kings Point, Long Island, New York - Michael Murphy reports to the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York
February 20, 1998 - Kings Point - Michael Murphy reports to the US Merchant Marine Academy for the February session
April(?) 1(?), 1998 - Bisset partners with a local outreach agency called Rebuilding Together, to assist low-income elderly veterans or widows of veterans who needed home maintenance and repairs. Bisset invites Michael to get involved in the project in his quality of Navy Officer candidate, so he could demonstrate his organizational and leadership qualities to RDAC aswell
April 15(?), 1998 - University Park, Pennsylvania - Michael is accepted into St.John's, Fordham and the University of Tennessee
April 24, 1998 - Kings Point, Long Island, New York - Michael Murphy reports to the US Merchant Marine Academy for the April session
May 1(?), 1998 - Ronkonkoma, Long Island, New York - Graduates from Penn State University with academic honors and with degrees in political science and psychology. After graduation he resumes his position as the supervising lifeguard at Lake Ronkonkoma and other beache and begins working at Hartcorn Plumbing and Heating in Ronkonkoma as a plumber's assistant
May 10(?), 1998 - Ronkonkoma - Michael is rejected into the New York University. He decides to join the SEALs as a Navy officer =(START)
May 16, 1998 - Kings Point - Michael Murphy reports to the US Merchant Marine Academy for the May session
June 19, 1998 - Kings Point - Michael Murphy reports to the US Merchant Marine Academy for the June session
July 26, 1998 - While in Ronkonkoma(?) - RDAC SEAL mentor Lieutenant Barry McCabe sends a letter to the US Navy Officer Recruiting Station in New York, praising Michael Murphy
November 1(?), 1998 - Michael undergoes a photorefractive keratectomy in his eyes
March(?) 1(?), 2000 - While in Ronkonkoma(?) - Michael receives official notification that he had been accepted into Officer Candidate School, after which he would enter BUD/S training
June 1(?), 2000 - Pier 86, New York - Participates in the annual program/demonstration on the flight deck of the USS Intrepid, after which he swears the oath of enlistment, thereby becoming a member of the Navy
September 1(?), 2000 - While in Ronkonkoma(?) - Murphy accepts an appointment to the US Navy's Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida
September 11, 2000 - Kings Point, Long Island - Michael attends his last RDAC session
September 15(?), 2000 - Pensacola, Florida - Michael Murphy arrives at the US Navy's Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida
December 13, 2000 - Pensacola - Commissioned as an ensign in the Navy
December 15(?), 2000 - Patchogue, Long Island, New York - Returns to Patchogue
January 7(?), 2001 - Patchogue - Departs to Coronado for his next assignment - BUD/S
January 10(?), 2001 - Coronado, California - Begins BUD/S training with class 236
September 11, 2001 - Coronado - Ensign Michael Murphy and his BUD/S classmates are conducting a morning PT session when one of the instructors calls them to the classroom. There, on the television, they see New York under terrorist attack
October 18, 2001 - Coronado - Signs his Fitness Report and Counseling Record for BUD/S
October 19, 2001 - Coronado - Graduation Ceremony for BUD/S Class 236. With his parents
in attendance, Michael Murphy receives his golden trident insignia
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| BUD/S Class 236 Michael Murphy on the far left side of the back row (source: US Navy) |
October 20(?), 2001 - Patchogue, Long Island - Returns home for a week of leave
October 28(?), 2001 - Fort Benning, Georgia - Ensign Murphy reports to the Army Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia, to begin jump school
November 16(?), 2001 - Coronado, California - After finishing Jump School and earning his golden wings, Michael Murphy reports back to Navy Special Warfare Center at Coronado to attend the Junior Officer Training Course (JOTC)
April 4, 2002 - Coronado - Signs his Fitness Report and Counseling Record for SEAL Qualification Training
April 6, 2002 - Kodiak Island, Alaska - 48 hours later he arrives in Kodiak Island for 28 days of Cold-Weather training
May 4(?), 2002 - Coronado, California - Returns to Coronado
May 8(?), 2002 - Panama City, Florida - Murphy begins an intensive 3-month program at the NSW Command Detachment SDV in Panama City, Florida, to learn how to operate the MK-16 mixed-gas dive rig and to pilot and navigate the MK-8 SEAL delivery submarine vehicle
July 1, 2002 - Panama City - Murphy graduates from SDV training and signs for his fitness report and Counseling record. He is promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade)
July 3, 2002 - MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida - Deploys to Central Command (CENTCOM) as an assistant operations officer, for 7 days
October 6, 2002 - Jordan - Murphy is deployed in Jordan with Foxtrot Platoon as the liaison officer for Exercise "Early Victor", a special operations command Central exercise involving 1,400 special operations forces training with Jordanian, British, Omani and Kuwaiti troops
October 29, 2002 - Jordan - End of the Exercise "Early Victor" 2002
January(?) 1(?), 2003 - Qatar - Deploys to Qatar as one of the 250 SEALs assigned to support Operation Iraqi Freedom
May(?) 1(?), 2003 - Djibouti - Deploys to Djibouti to assist in SDV mission planning (*) - We don't know the date, but Camp Lemonier was opened in Djibouti in May
December 25, 2003 - Patchogue, New York - Christmas with family
December 26, 2003 - Rockefeller Center, New York - Michael bends his knee and proposes marriage to his girlfriend Heather at Rockefeller Center
March 18, 2004 - Schofield Barracks, Honolulu, Hawaii - Alpha Platton conducts live-fire immediate-action drills. Lieutenant Murphy shoots another SEAL in an unfortunate accident. Corpsman Marcus Luttrell, the "lone survivor" himself, saves the life of the soldier.
December 25, 2004 - Patchogue, New York - Christmas with family and Fiancée Heather
January 1, 2005 - West Coast of the US - Michael Murphy is promoted to Lieutenant and goes on a training mission to the West Coast of the US before deploying to Afghanistan
March 16, 2005 - Patchogue - Murphy returns home for a well-deserved leave
March 31, 2005 - LaGuardia Airport, New York - Murphy departs to Hawaii
April 1, 2005 - Honolulu, Hawaii - Murphy joins his SDVT-1 teammates in Hawaii
April 4, 2005 - Manama, Bahrain - Murphy and his SDVT-1 teammates deploy to Naval Support Activity Bahrain, 96-hours after leaving New York
April 25(?), 2005 - Al-Udeid AB, SW of Doha, Qatar - Murphy's squad boards a C-130 for Afghanistan
April 26, 2005 - Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan - SEAL Team 10 arrives at Camp Ouellette,
Bagram Air Base, with reinforcements from SDVT-2 (from Virginia), one of them Danny Dietz
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| From L to R: Matthew Axelson, Dan Healy, James Suh, Marcus Luttrell, Shane Patton Lt.Michael Murphy |
Bagram Air Base, with reinforcements from SDVT-2 (from Virginia), one of them Danny Dietz
May 8, 2005 - Bagram Air Base - Murphy sends an e-mail to his mother, including with it a picture of his team holding a cardboard sign that read, “Happy Mother’s Day.”
May 20, 2005 - Northeast Afghanistan - On mission. Murphy is photographed studying a land-navigation chart
June 10, 2005 - Bagram Air Base - Commander Paro is unexpectedly and temporarily reassigned and command of the unit is assumed by Lieutenant Commander Erik Kristensen
June 17, 2005 - Bagram Air Base - E-mail to his family
June 18, 2005 - Bagram Air Base - Departs to another mission in the Northeast Afghan mountains
June 26, 2005 - Bagram Air Base - Air mission briefing at the 160th SOAR planning center
June 28, 2005 - Sawtalo Sar - The patrol is stumbled upon by a herd of sheep and 3 shepherds. They cut them loose, but later they warn the taliban. Meanwhile the team retreats to a fallback position. After one hour, they are attacked by Shah and his men, armed with AK-47s, RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenades, RPK machine guns and an 82mm mortar. During the firefight, communications couldn't be established. After a while, the four SEALS are wounded. Dietz, gravely wounded but still fighting, is hit with a mortal bullet. Murphy decides to leave his cover position and goes to a clearing away from the mountains, exposing himself to a hail of gunfire in order to get a clear signal to contact the headquarters. He is shot multiple times, drops the phone but picks it up again and finishes the call, saying "Thank you" before dying. For this selfless action he was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous). He was 29 years old =(END)
Bibliography
LUTTRELL, Marcus | ROBINSON, Patrick - Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
WILLIAMS, Gary - SEAL of Honor: Operation Red Wings and the Life of LT. Michael P. Murphy (USN)
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