Who was Michael Murphy? Michael Murphy was born on May 7, 1976 to Daniel

and Maureen Murphy in Smithtown, New York. He grew up in Patchogue, New York, and

worked as a lifeguard during his high school and college years. Michael went to Penn State

University, and earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in political science, and one in

psychology. Moving on to his personal life, Michael was nicknamed Murph. He loved to read,

and his favorite book was Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. In this essay, we will find out

why his greatest traits were selflessness, compassion, and inspiration to others.

Michael was compassionate even in his earlier years. In eighth grade, he protected

a special needs child when he was being bullied. The special needs child was being shoved into

the lockers by multiple bullies, and Michael would not stand for it, so he made the bullies run

away and never bother the kid again. Michael also once protected a homeless man. The homeless

mans cans of food had been scattered by some people and they would not let him have them, to

tease him and laugh at him. Michael not only chased off the attackers, but also helped the

homeless man pick up his cans. These incidents show how compassionate Michael was towards

the helpless and defenseless people. Michael Murphy is a compassionate person because not only

did he feel with people in peril, but he also did something about it.

Many knew that Michael was an amazing person and a very selfless one. This was

emphasized even more when he became a Navy SEAL. During Operation: Redwings Michael

gave his life to protect his teammates. Michael led a four-man team, consisting of him, Danny

Dietz, Marcus Luttrel, and Matthew Axelson. They were on a mountain, when a group of

sheepherders found them; the soldiers immediately captured the herders and did not know what

to do with them. They could not bear the idea of killing possibly innocent men, who were

definitely unarmed. Michael gave the order to let them go. Unfortunately, the herders told the

Taliban of the position of the SEALS. The four American men came under heavy fire and were

surrounded. There was no coverage on their radio so Michael decided to go to a spot where the

trees and rocks would not block their signal and call in reinforcements. But, with no trees and

rocks, he exposed himself to enemy fire. Knowing he would die, Michael leaped into the

crossfire and called in reinforcements on the phone. Before hanging up, Michael said: Thank

you. This further establishes that Michael was a true gentleman, even under fire. Then, he made

a last stand against the Taliban. This earned him the Medal of Honor. Michael was a very selfless

person because he gave his life for others. He thought of others before he thought of himself.

Michael also had the quality to inspire people, and because of that, they still

remember him after his death, so much so that people named several things in his honor. Michael

had a Navy destroyer ship named after him, the U.S.S. Michael P. Murphy (DDG-112). Michael

also had a combat training pool named in his honor, and a sea cadet unit as well. Outside of the

Navy, the Michael P. Murphy Memorial Park is named after him. It contains a black granite slab

with the names of those who gave their lives in Operation: Redwings. Finally, in the movie Lone

Survivor, Michael was acted by Taylor Kitsch. Michael is well remembered by society, and

though he may have been physically killed, his spirit, his memory, and his set of morals will

always live on in everything that is good. Inspirational people do not let their ideals become

clouded by the details of daily life. Michael did this by calling on the good and noble in each one

of us, even through death.

To end off, Michael Murphy has inspired many people to be their very best. He

possessed compassion, selflessness, and the power to inspire, these traits matter. They matter

because Michael inspires many people by having them. He makes people want to become like

him, and his spirit encourages them to be the best they can be. Michael also helps people through

their day with his good spirit. When people think of him, things become positive. Marcus, the

lone survivor of the mission that Michael gave his life on, is alive due to his selflessness. In a

world filled with evil, he feels for those affected by the evil and helps them. This is textbook

compassion. So finally, is Michael Murphy dead? Maybe physically, but his spirit of doing good

things can never be killed, no matter how dark, how desolate, how terribly hopeless the situation

is.

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