onPOINT

As we justly celebrate the heroic actions of our nation’s most elite warriors, let us also take this opportunity to remember the ultimate sacrifices of the Navy SEALs who have been killed in the Global War on Terror:

Afghanistan:

Iraq:
Marc A. Lee                  
Michael A. Monsoor      
Joseph C. Schwedler     
Jason D. Lewis              

Many thanks to our new Twitter Page Administrator Jo Lombardi and of course, a big Hooyah to Kim Wolfert our incomprable Facebook Page Administrator. 

Have a question about our Navy SEALs?  Do you want to know more about our nation’s most elite warriors?  The SEAL of Honor website has all the answers and links.  Both the “Home” and “Resources” tab will provide you with a host of resources.

Team Murphy would like to welcome our newest member…Jo Lombardi. Jo is a member of Soldier’s Angels on Long Island, has been a long-time friend of the Murphy family and assists every year with the annual 5K Run/Walk and has selflessly given of her time to coordinate local booksigning events. Jo will be our Twitter Page Administrator. Welcome Aboard Jo.

     The Healy family thanks God that Osama bin Laden no longer walks this earth.
     This man put into motion the events that killed thousands on September 11, 2001 and which eventually culminated, for us, in the death of my son, Dan Healy in Afghanistan when his rescue helicopter with seven other Navy SEALs and eight Army Nightstalkers was shot down as they were trying to save four other SEALs on the ground.
     We understand that this does NOT mean that the War on Terror is over, but at least the “Head of the Snake” has been cut off!  Other radical Muslims, who he has tainted with his vicious, scewed outlook, will most likely retaliate throughout the world but we WILL prevail!  More than that, we MUST prevail.
     When we have young men like my son and so many others who haven’t hesitated in sacrificing their lives for our safety then we can rest assured that our democratic way of life will continue despite attacks from within and without.
     How proud we are of our men and women who completed this decade long mission. Thank you. God bless you and God bless America.

Natalie Healy
Exeter, N.H.
Gold Star Mother of Dan Healy, U.S. Navy SEAL
KIA Afghanistan, June 28, 2005

With the news of the death of Osama bin Laden by Navy SEALs, the Murphy family has been deluged by the media as well as several Operation Red Wings families. 

Amazon has completely sold out of the hardcover edition of SEAL of Honor and the paperback edition is #1 at the Naval Institute Press. 

This morning I received an e-mail from Natalie Healy, mother of Navy SEAL Senior Chief Dan Healy who was killed on June 28, 2005 in Operation Red Wings regarding the death of Osama bin Laden:

   It seemed like a normal Sunday night- I was just waiting to see who would be fired on Celebrity Apprentice when they broke into the show announcing the President would be speaking shortly. Many scenarios rushed through my mind but nothing of this magnitude. It was the LAST thing I expected because, frankly, Osama seemed to be on the back burner in this War on Terror. I imagined him in a cave in Pakistan or perhaps even dead. Halleluyah!!! Justice is served.
   I was up until after one a.m. just trying to absorb this surprising, unexpected news when WMUR TV called for an interview but there was still much that I hadn’t heard at that point. My emotions were racing , I called Danny’s sister, Jen in California and she had just gotten the word from another SEAL. His other sister, Shannon, is on vacation at Myrtle Beach so I”l talk to her later today. It was a short night- my phone started ringing at 6:48 this morning.
   During this time my emotions ran the gamut between being stunned, amazed and strangely sad. When the news first broke I knew it had to be Special Forces and/or Navy SEALs but it wasn’t until my friend, Marguerite, called me this morning in tears and said, “It was the Navy SEALs who got him” that I burst into tears.
   As most of you know I normally don’t do that but the overwhelming pride, gratitude and relief I felt caused that instant reaction. Its seems like I’ve been holding my breath since the day Danny died. I didn’t know it until today when Dan’s teammate took out this evil man whose demented philosophy set into action events that ultimately resulted in my son’s death.
   As Deb Lee, another SEAL mom said she has no doubt that they had help from their fellow warriors in heaven- like our Danny and her son, Marc and Donna and Steve Hardy’s son, Nate. I am so proud of them all and wouldn’t be surprised at all to find out that they had something on them reminding them of their slain SEAL brothers and if not their on their bodies definately in their hearts.
   Once, frustrated with the power to change our lives that Osama bin Laden had , I asked Danny while he was in Afghanistan, “Will you just get him, please?” He said they were trying. Then June 28 happened. Five years later his teammates completed the mission. It was full circle from Sept. 11 to now and the sense of justice being served is enormous. I am grateful that our mens’ courage and strength prevailed.


God Bless You All, God Bless America.

Nat

Natalie, you speak for all of us. We are so proud of all those who gave all they had so others might live.  I am looking forward to seeing you at the christening of the USS Michael Murphy.

A platoon sized element of SEAL Team SIX, also known as DEVGRU executed a flawless mission to  bring Osama bin Laden to justice…justice meaning death. With over 3,200 Americans of the World Trade Center, Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 serving as the judge, a platoon of SEALs as the jury and a single SEAL as executioneer, bin Laden literally lost his head in the battle and after identification confirmation was buried at sea and returned to the depths of hell from which he came.

Let this serve notice on all who would do us harm, we will pay any price, endure any burden and wait vigantly for the right time to execute justice. On September 11, 2001, freedom was attacked and since that day freedom was defended “at a time of our choosing.”  As President Bush said, our fight against terrorism does not end with al-Quada. We still have much work to do

As we pause to reflect on the good news of victory over evil, let us keep in mind the thousands of our nation’s best who gave the ultimate sacrifice to make this day happen. I am sure the news of bin laden’s death is bittersweet to the families; but to them I say, raise your head high, shoulders back and look the world in the eye. It was your sons and daughters that made it happen. You better than most understand the real cost of freedom as you have paid the most for it. Let us strive not only to be the beneficiaries of their service but faithful stewards of their ultimate sacrifice.

It took 10 years but the head of the snake has been severed.  But let us not delude ourselves, the radicals will attempt to ramp up their terrorist efforts. Let us continue to be ever vigilant! For LT Murphy and all those killed in the fight against terrorism, freedom was attacked and freedom has been defended. God Bless all those who defend freedom.

While attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January, 2003, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked by the former Archbishop of Canterbury if America was relying too much on “hard power” such as military action as opposed to “soft power” such as appealing to the common values of the major religions and building trust based on those values.

Secretary Powell responded by affirming the “soft power” of values but that it was the “hard power” of the military that, for example helped free Europe and the so called “soft power” of peace and reconstruction could take place.

He then said, “We have gone from our shores repeatedly over the last hundred years and we’ve done this as recently as the last year in Afghanistan and put wonderful young men and women at risk, many of whom have lost their lives, and we have asked for nothing except enough ground to bury them…and otherwise we have returned home…to live our own lives in peace. But there comes a time when soft power or talking with evil will not work where…hard power is the only thing that works.”