Lt. Michael P. Murphy

 The matter of what a person will do in the face of danger is something that anybody can speculate about. Anybody can say they will put their life at risk in order to save the people they are with, but if they actually do what they say is a whole different story. This is why Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy is my hero. He managed to look death in the face and keep pushing on to save the lives of the other three members in his special reconnaissance team no matter what it would take. His father said, "If he is awarded it (the Medal of Honor), it will be a reflection of what we already know about Michael: his bravery, his focus, his determination, his spirit of never give up" (Murphy). This dedication, selflessness, and absolute courage are exactly what I think a hero should posses.

BUD/S Graduating Class 236 (http://www.navy.mil/moh/mpmurphy/images/image003.jpg)

Michael Murphy grew up in Suffolk County, New York under the eye of his parents Maureen and Daniel Murphy. He played football throughout his high school years at Patchogue-Medford High School until he decided to go study at Penn State University. He graduated from Penn State with a degree in Political Science and decided that he was going to become a Navy SEAL. After passing all of the required training, Michael Murphy was deployed to Afghanistan in April of 2005. His most remembered mission came when he, Marcus Luttrell, Danny Dietz and Matthew Axelson went to the Pakistani border and conducted a mission which involved killing a prominent Taliban figure. This mission, Operation Redwing, went horribly wrong when the squad let two local men go free after they had discovered the SEAL's location. Very quickly the SEALs were surrounded by Taliban soldiers. The men fought with unmatched bravery, but they were not succeeding. Eventually, Michael Murphy went into high, open ground and made a call asking for backup to come immediately. While he was making this call he was shot and wounded several times, but still managed to say thank you at the end and return to his men until he would eventually die from the fight. 

Michael Murphy in Afghanistan (http://www.navy.mil/moh/mpmurphy/pg.html)

The reason I find Michael Murphy a personal hero of mine is that he displays all the characteristics I think a hero must possess. The main characteristic that Michael Murphy shows is the willingness to put the well being of others over his own. This was demonstrated to the extreme during Operation Redwing when he eventually paid the ultimate price for his actions, but in the process saved another man and extended the lives of a few others for a short time. Selflessness is something that almost everybody claims to possess and in theory it can be talked about easily. But when you see your close friends being shot, and you run into an open field for them knowing it will most likely mean your death, that is something very few people can actually do.