Navy Lt. Michael Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for leading a four-man SEAL reconnaissance mission in June 2005 to find a key Taliban leader near Asadabad, Afghanistan. At one point, he knowingly left his position of cover to get a clear signal in order to communicate with his headquarters. Upon exposing himself to enemy fire, he was shot but managed to crawl onto a ridgeline and radio the nearby air base for them to send reinforcements.
He then returned to his position to continue fighting until he died from his wounds.
President Bush presented Murphy’s family with the award in October 2007 at a ceremony at the White House. “In his final act of bravery, he continued to engage the enemy until he was mortally wounded, gallantly giving his life for his country and for the cause of freedom,” he said in the award citation. “By his selfless leadership, courageous actions, and extraordinary devotion to duty, Lieutenant Murphy reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States naval service.”
Murphy was the first to receive the award for combat in Afghanistan.
