Michael P. Murphy | Timeline

Source: US Navy

Michael Patrick "Murph" Murphy (May 7, 1976 – June 28, 2005) was a United States Navy SEAL officer who was awarded the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the War in Afghanistan. He was the first member of the United States Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War. His other posthumous awards include the Silver Star Medal (which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor) and the Purple Heart. (Intro from Wikipedia)

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

BUD/S Class 236
Michael Murphy on the far left side
of the back row (source: US Navy)

in attendance, Michael Murphy receives his golden trident insignia

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,

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 27, 2005 - Sawtalo Sar, Kunar Province, Afghanistan - A CH-47E Chinook helicopter, "Turbine 21" inserts four SEALs at Sawtalo Sar, altitude +9,000 feet: Lieutenant Michael Murphy, Petty Officer Second Class Matthew G. Axelson, Petty Officer Second Class Danny Dietz and Navy Hospital Corpsman Second Class Marcus Luttrell

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)

Chris Kyle | Timeline

Christopher Scott "Chris" Kyle (April 8, 1974 − February 2, 2013) was a United States Navy SEAL and the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, with over 160 kills officially confirmed by the Department of Defense. Kyle served four tours in the Iraq War and was awarded several commendations for acts of heroism and meritorious service in combat. He received two Silver Star Medals, five Bronze Star Medals, one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and numerous other unit and personal awards. (Wikipedia)

April 8, 1974 - Odessa, Texas - Christopher Scott Kyle is born

January(?) 1(?), 1992 - Midlothian, Texas - Chris completes High School

January(?) 1(?), 1996 - Odessa, Texas - Chris goes to a recruiting station, but is disqualified when his physical reveal that he had pins in his arm from a rodeo accident

January(?) 1(?), 1997 - Colorado - Chris accepts a job as a rancher in Colorado

January(?) 1(?), 1998 - Odessa, Texas - Returns to the ranch in Texas

February 1(?), 1999 - Coronado, California - Chris Kyle starts BUD/S - Basic Underwater Demolition/Scuba selection and training

April 1(?), 2001 - San Diego - Chris Kyle is assigned to SEAL Team 3 based at Coronado. Meets future wife Taya =(START)

September 11, 2001 - San Diego - During the terrorist attack to the World Trade Center, Kyle is in San Diego. He is urgently summoned to the SEAL base

September 1(?), 2002 - Camp Doha, Qatar - Sent to the Persian Gulf. First missions boarding and searching ships

December 10, 2002 - 600 miles off Yemen - NATO warships intercept a ship carrying SCUD missiles. SEALs secure the ship

December 25, 2002 - Ali Al-Salem, Kuwait - Chris Kyle goes to Kuwait

January 25, 2003 - Iraq-Kuwait border - Kyle's rotation back to the US is near and he worries that he might not participate in the coming war

March 20, 2003 - Al-Faw, Iraq - At nightfall, Kyle seats at the gunner's chair of a Desert Patrol Vehicle, transported into Iraq inside a MH-53 Pave Low Helicopter. The mission is to secure oilfields

March(?) 23(?), 2003 - Nasiriyah, Iraq - The Battle of Nasiriyah begins

April(?) 1(?), 2003 - Shat-al-Arab - Reconnaisance of the River that separates Iraq from Iran

April(?) 15(?), 2003 - Ali Al-Salem, Kuwait - Returns to Kuwait

April 31(?), 2003 - Nasiriyah - Kyle kills his first enemy soldier

July(?) 1(?), 2003 - Coronado - Sniper school all Summer

September 1(?), 2004 - Baghdad - Kyle arrives in Baghdad for his second tour - Works with polish GROM as navigator

November 7, 2004 - Fallujah - Operation Phantom Fury: with the marines - sets up sniper positions in buildings outside the city

November 15(?), 2004 - Fallujah - Kyle saves the lives of several marines in close quarters combat

December 1(?), 2004 - Habbaniyah, East of Fallujah - Operations with the 506th parachute infantry regiment "Band of Brothers"

July 4, 2005 - Midlothian, Texas - Kyle spends the 4th of July in Texas, anguished with the loss of 19 fellow SEALs in Afghanistan (Operation Red Wings) on June 28th, and for his friend Marcus Luttrell, who was missing in action

November(?) 1(?), 2005 - Baghdad - Back in Baghdad with the polish GROM

December 1(?), 2005 - Baghdad - Operations in Baghdad and in the infamous Haifa Street

April 1(?), 2006 - Baghdad - Returns to Iraq, directly from the US

April 5(?), 2006 - Ramadi - Arrival in Ramadi. Operations in the east of the city

June 17, 2006 - Ramadi - A large offensive begins in Ramadi

August 2, 2006 - Ma'laab district, Ramadi - Block-clearance operation: Ryan Job is hit in the face by a sniper. Later that day, Marc Lee is killed

August 27, 2006 - Ramadi - With 91 confirmed kills from April to 27/8, Kyle is awarded the Silver Star

September 1(?), 2006 - Ramadi - Receives the news that his daughter had leukemia. Authorized to go to the US

September 5(?), 2006 - Kuwait - Charter flight

September 7(?), 2006 - Atlanta, United States - Charter flight

October 12, 2006 - San Diego - Chris Kyle attends Mike Monsoor's funeral (fellow SEAL awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor in Iraq)

April 1(?), 2007 - Tennessee - Kyle is involved in a fight and is arrested

April 1(?), 2008 - Sadr City, Iraq - Operations in Sadr City

August 30(?), 2008 - Sadr City - Chris Kyle departs to the US

November 4(?), 2008 - San Diego(?) - Chris Kyle retires from the Navy

November 6, 2008 - Midlothian - Back in Texas

January(?) 1(?), 2009 - Midlothian - Kyle's Family moves to Midlothian. "Craft International" is established

January 10(?), 2009 - Outside Dallas, Texas - Kyle shoots dead 2 carjackers that pointed guns to him demanding his truck

January 2, 2012 - New York City - Kyle's autobiography "American Sniper" is published

January 5(?), 2012 - New York City - Kyle is interviewed for the TV show "Opie and Anthony". Defamation lawsuit

January(?) 10(?), 2012 - Midlothian - Back in Texas

February 2, 2013 - Chalk Mountain, Erath County - Kyle and a friend, Chad Littlefield, are shot and killed by Eddie Ray Routh, a man with PSTD they were trying to help, at the Rough Creek Ranch-Lodge-Resort shooting range in Erath County, Texas =(END)