For quite a long time now, I have followed the Facebook page for Lt. Murphy called “Seal of honor.” It is a page that honors the memory of the fallen warrior, one of our best, Navy Seal Lt. Michael P. Murphy. Only today, though, did I come to appreciate the person that Lt. Michael P. Murphy really was. The things he meant to all that knew him, and how he paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
It was only by chance that I saw a Facebook post about the independent film Murph The Protector. I decided to take a look at the details as I wanted to watch it. I realized that it is actually playing in NYC right now! I immediately called up the theatre for show times and got my tickets.
Wiping the tears from my eyes, I just came out of the theatre. Show time for this one was a bit early, and if not because I worked before the scheduled time I could never have caught this 4:30pm show. Though I recognize that this is a time most people are at work, I have to say I’m not surprised that there were only two of us at the theatre to watch this film. The theatre is by a college campus, but you can’t expect to see them in attendance. This is NYC after all, our soldiers, those heroes, are not given the respect they deserve here. In fact, these fools will often vilify our soldiers and condemn them for being part of “Imperialist America.”
The film was very thorough and took us through Lt. Murphy’s life. You are guided from his infancy as a small, independent little boy, to his college years, then to his military career, and ultimately, to his untimely death in Afghanistan.
I can’t imagine that anyone would say anything bad about this man, or that it would ever make it past editing, but everyone spoke quite fondly of Lt. Murphy. Nearly every testimonial was accompanied by tears, and in some cases laughter at the memories shared. It sounds to me that anyone who knew Lt. Murphy loved him.
You want to talk about how a president should behave? President George Bush not only called up the Murphy family, he also invited them to the White House and presented Lt. Murphy with the Medal of Honor. The Murphys presented the commander in chief with dog tags honoring Lt. Murphy, president Bush undid his shirt and put the dog tags on. He then said, “Your son is right next to my heart.” How’s that for being presidential?
That is a far cry from our current president who didn’t even call up the family of one of America’s most decorated soldiers upon his untimely death, Chris Kyle. You know who I’m talking about, the same president who takes the time to call up a basketball player who comes out as gay man.
Without giving away too much, we can say that Lt. Murphy is definitely remembered. Throughout the film, we see that many places, including a war ship, are named in honor of his service. His family says that he would at no time have accepted all this attention, he’d want the focus to be on his men, his team, his country. He never cared for the glory.
When his body was returned home from Afghanistan, many came out to honor his memory. Firemen, policemen, soldiers, and civilians alike came to pay respects. He had police escorts all the way, traffic was stopped so that they could pass through, flags were raised, the man was truly revered and respected. I never met Lt. Murphy, but after today, I’ll never forget him and the kind of man he was. The world would be a much better place if more of us, including myself were like Lt. Michael P. Murphy.
If you have time, and the opportunity, I strongly recommend that you watch this film. Your heart will be touched, and your faith in America will become stronger for it. Thank you for what you have done, and rest in peace, my brother.
Image: Promtional Poster, Murph The Protector; http://www.murphmovie.com/the-film/Anchor Bay Entertainment; fair use
