05/07/2025
On this day, 20 years ago, on June 28, 2005, Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, age 29, led a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team deep into the mountains of Kunar Province, Afghanistan. The team’s mission was to locate and conduct surveillance on Ahmad Shah, a high-ranking Taliban leader responsible for attacks against U.S. and coalition forces. Murphy’s team consisted of Petty Officer Second Class Danny Dietz, Petty Officer Second Class Matthew Axelson, and Petty Officer Second Class Marcus Luttrell. Operating as part of Operation Red Wings, they were inserted by helicopter at night and began moving into a high-altitude observation position on the slopes of Sawtalo Sar mountain overlooking Shah’s suspected location.
On the morning of June 28, the team’s position was compromised by three unarmed local goat herders. Murphy made the decision to release the civilians in accordance with the rules of engagement. Roughly an hour later, an enemy force estimated between 30 to 50 fighters from Shah’s militia descended upon the SEAL position from higher ground. The attack began with small arms, machine guns, and rocket-propelled grenades fired from multiple directions. The enemy had numerical superiority, elevation advantage, and familiarity with the terrain. The SEAL team was outgunned, surrounded, and exposed on a steep mountainside covered with loose rocks and sparse vegetation.
Murphy coordinated a fighting withdrawal down the slope. He directed the team to leap off cliffs and ledges up to 30 feet high to escape the kill zone and find better cover, all while exchanging fire with the advancing enemy. During the descent, all four SEALs sustained gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries. The team was pinned down, bleeding, and under fire from three directions. Danny Dietz, the team’s communicator, attempted to call for help but was shot through the hand and unable to complete the transmission. The terrain blocked satellite signals, leaving the team cut off from support.
Recognizing the urgency, Murphy moved from cover and climbed uphill to an exposed rocky outcrop to get a satellite signal. He stood in open terrain while taking direct enemy fire. He placed a call to the Naval Special Warfare command post at Bagram Airfield. During the call he provided their exact location, the size of the enemy force, and requested immediate support and extraction. While transmitting the message, Murphy was shot in the back. He dropped the phone, picked it up again, completed the call, and returned to his team. He continued to engage the enemy with his rifle until he was killed by additional gunfire.
Murphy’s call triggered the deployment of a Quick Reaction Force composed of eight SEALs and eight Army Night Stalker crew aboard an MH-47 Chinook helicopter. The helicopter arrived near the fight without its armed es**rt due to urgency. At approximately 1600 hours, as the Chinook hovered near the extraction site, enemy fighters fired an RPG that struck the aircraft. It exploded in midair and crashed, killing all 16 personnel onboard.
Back on the ground, the remaining SEALs kept resisting. Dietz was killed by multiple gunshot wounds while continuing to fire. Axelson and Luttrell continued moving and engaging until Axelson was separated and later killed. Luttrell, though severely wounded, crawled away after being knocked down a slope by an RPG blast. He evaded capture and was eventually found and protected by local villagers before being rescued several days later by U.S. forces.
Murphy’s actions during the two-hour battle resulted in the only successful communication from the team. His decision to expose himself to enemy fire to send that call enabled a rescue effort to be launched. He fought until he was killed and was credited with saving the life of one teammate. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the first Navy recipient of the award for actions in Afghanistan. He was buried with full honors at Calverton National Cemetery in New York.
