At one point he was shot in the back causing him to drop the transmitter. He calmly provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force while requesting immediate support for his team. While continuing to be fired upon, Murphy made contact with the SOF Quick Reaction Force at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance. This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy. Moving away from the protective mountain rocks, he knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire. Murphy, intent on making contact with headquarters, but realizing this would be impossible in the extreme terrain where they were fighting, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own life moved into the open, where he could gain a better position to transmit a call to get help for his men.

But before he could, he was shot in the hand, the blast shattering his thumb.ĭespite the intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates. Approximately 45 minutes into the fight, pinned down by overwhelming forces, Dietz, the communications petty officer, sought open air to place a distress call back to the base. Trying to reach safety, the four men, now each wounded, began bounding down the mountain’s steep sides, making leaps of 20 to 30 feet. The firefight continued relentlessly as the overwhelming militia forced the team deeper into a ravine. They launched a well-organized, three-sided attack on the SEALs. The SEAL mission was compromised when the team was spotted by local nationals, who presumably reported its presence and location to the Taliban.Ī fierce firefight erupted between the four SEALs and a much larger enemy force of more than 50 anti-coalition militia. Under the assumed name Muhammad Ismail, Shah led a guerrilla group known to locals as the “Mountain Tigers” that had aligned with the Taliban and other militant groups close to the Pakistani border. Quartermaster 2nd Class (SEAL) James Suh, 28, of Deerfield Beach, FL Hospital Corpsman Second Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell Machinist Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Eric S. Axelson, 29, of Cupertino, CA Information Systems Technician Senior Chief (SEAL) Daniel R. From left to right: Sonar Technician – Surface 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew G. Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, Land) operating in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Service: a navy seal at war