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.

Freedom isn’t Free.

Grey Team Joins #GivingTuesday

Grey Team Joins #GivingTuesday

Grey Team will participate in our first-ever #GivingTuesday on December 3, 2019 to raise funds to proceed with our new initiative Operation Liberate & Elevate.

This is Phase 1 of our mission directive. During this operation, we have instituted the build-out of our safe space for qualified veterans to gather and gain comfort from community. Additionally, they will have access to a full spectrum of on-site holistic health, wellness, and fitness services at no cost.

What Is GivingTuesday?

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.

GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past seven years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

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Matching Dollar for Dollar.

 To help raise awareness, Facebook is matching up to $7 million in eligible donations made on Facebook during GivingTuesday 2019.

Support Grey Team This #GivingTuesday

The Long Recovery. (A Soldier’s Fight Against PTSD)

Jaques (last name excluded for confidentiality purposes) was a US Army combat soldier who served in Afghanistan. He returned to the United States after an IED explosion went off, sending him flying over eight feet from where he was standing. As a result of that explosion, two of his fellow soldiers were not as lucky as Jaques, and were killed.

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