ABC News Channel 10 Visits Grey Team

WPLG News Health and Wellness visits Grey Team to learn how U.S. Military Veterans are healing themselves without government support.

You will here from veterans currently undergoing Grey Team’s Operation Phoenix protocol, our founder Cary Reichbach, and Dr. Alan J. Bauman Grey Team’s Medical Director.

Watch the full length video right here on www.greyteam.org

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Hard Charging K9 Soldiers

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Dogs of War have been used since before recorded history. We know that Alexander the Great employed them in his world-conquering armies, as did Julius Caeser in the Roman Empire.
 
Throughout time, different breeds of dogs were utilized for this task as some breeds are better suited for certain jobs. climate, conditions, and the tasks expected of the dog also play a role in the decision. And not all dogs of war are expected to engage with enemy combatants, many are used for explosives detection, search and rescue, courier work, hauling medical supplies in difficult terrain, etc.

But when it does come to deploying dogs for the specific task of enemy engagement, today’s modern U.S. Military utilizes of two closely-related breeds, the Belgian Malinois and the Dutch Shepherd.
 
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Typically the Malinois are lighter, Fawn colored dogs, and the Dutchies are darker, often brindle colored. These breeds have been interbred so frequently that the differences are mostly just color at this point. And although some German Shepherds still get utilized for this, their numbers are smaller by percentage. 
 
Military K9’s are typically “harder” dogs than what your average civilian is capable of living with, day-in-day-out. They are supplied by a few specialty vendors that breed dogs for one thing only; their Working Ability. Conformation (the dog’s shape), looks, pedigree and registration numbers, kennel clubs, etc do not matter to the soldiers these dogs get deployed with. The only thing important is that the dog is capable of being calm when necessary, has a desire to work, has a stable temperament, and possesses an “On-Off Switch”.. And when it’s switched ON, it’s GO TIME. These dogs have to be able to function through pain, fear, gunfire, explosions, and distractions that would terrify most other dogs as well as humans. They need to accomplish their mission no matter what and do it regularly, day after day, shift after shift, often working until they are physically exhausted. But they love their work and form tight bonds with their human handlers, often becoming inseparable after a few combat experiences.
 
Since the US military has a budget much larger than any Police Dept, they often get the first choice when new dogs with promise become available. Typically these dogs run about $20,000 to $25,000 each, but to the soldiers deployed with them, they are priceless. 
By Dale Ironwood

Michael “Murph” Murphy

Born on May 7, 1976, Michael “Murph” Murphy became a US Navy SEAL, deployed to Afghanistan, and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . . .

On June 28, 2005, Lt. Michael P. Murphy, leader of a four-man SEAL team on a mission to kill or capture a top Taliban leader in the remote mountains of Afghanistan, suddenly came under a hail of enemy gunfire.

Under attack from up to 40 Taliban fighters, Murphy and his men took cover and began returning fire. In the ensuing bloody engagement, scores of insurgents were killed or wounded and all four Americans were hit.

Despite being shot in the stomach, the 29-year-old lieutenant, known as “The Protector” by his high school buddies because he always looked out for the less-popular kids, “ignored his wounds, continued to lead and encourage his men,” and repeatedly tried to call in support.

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“He was in a horrible position. He left himself open so he could move back and forth to each individual guy,” Marcus Luttrell, one of the four SEAL team members, recalled in a CNN interview.

Unable to contact his headquarters and realizing that he and his men were “facing almost certain death,” Lt. Murphy, moved out into the open and began using his satellite phone.

Under intense enemy fire, the muscular, six-foot-tall Smithtown, New York native was struck in the back by enemy fire and collapsed. But before losing consciousness, he made contact with his headquarters, reported his team’s location, and continued to fire on the Taliban fighters.

“I looked back up at Mikey and he took two rounds to the back and sat up and hung up the phone,” Luttrell remembered. “That was the last time I saw him.”

For “his selfless leadership and for giving his life for his country and the cause of freedom,” Lt. Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the first member of the U.S. Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War.

Murphy’s remains were found five days later by American forces and returned to the United States. Two of Murphy’s teammates were killed during the firefight and posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. The third team member, Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of the mission, was rescued by US forces and was also awarded the Navy Cross.

Postscript:
Seven years later, on October 6, 2012, the USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer named in honor of Lt. Murphy, was commissioned in New York.

Every Memorial Day, thousands of CrossFit fans and military personnel participate in the “Murph Challenge,” an event where people complete a “Murph,” a workout that consists of a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another 1-mile run (all while wearing a 20-pound weight vest or body armor).

Over the past six years, the event has raised more than one million dollars for the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

Today we pay tribute to Lt. “Murph” Murphy, his family, and all US Navy SEALs who have served, sacrificed, and died during the War on Terror.

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