Memorial Day Murph, The Lone Survivor, and Me by, Josh Appel
Here is the story of my involvement with Memorial Day Murph.
I knew Michael Murphy, I knew more about him than most of his friends. I knew his
social security number, names of family members, his pets, and even his favorite
superhero. I knew him, but never met him. I was tasked with the rescue and recovery
of the men of Operation REDWING.
It was June 28, 2005, I was a pararescueman deployed to Kandahar. I was packing my
gear to return from Afghanistan when my team got the call. We were informed that an
Army Chinook helicopter had just been shot down during a rescue attempt of a four man SEAL team. With our smaller, faster helicopters it was felt we may have a better chance at the rescue. That's when I first learned about Lt. Michael Murphy and the men of Operation REDWING.
Operation REDWING was a small team operation intended to capture or kill a high
ranking Taliban official. Shortly after insertion the team was compromised by a goat
herder and his son. Facing a difficult decision, the team decided to release the father
and son knowing it could jeopardize their mission. Soon they were surrounded by a
large number of Taliban and found themselves involved in a fierce firefight. With his
team badly outnumbered and injured, Lt. Michael Murphy knew he needed help but
could not get a clear radio signal to call for help. He knew getting a clear signal meant
exposing himself to the enemy, but thought of the safety of his team first. Already
wounded, Lt. Murphy climbed a hill to an open area and called for a rescue helicopter.
“My guys are dying out here...we need help!” he told headquarters. While making that
call, he was mortally wounded by a bullet through the back. He continued to fight until
he was finally overtaken and killed.
Continuing to engage and evade the enemy, the men of Operation REDWING hoped to hold out until rescue forces arrived. The Army helicopter arrived, held a hover, and deployed a fast rope for the rescue SEAL team. As the SEAL team prepared to deploy from the helicopter a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) struck the rear of the helicopter causing it to collide with the mountainside and explode, killing all 16 onboard. The remaining men of Operation REDWING were subsequently killed in action, except one, Petty Officer First Class Marcus Luttrell. Severely injured, Luttrell continued to evade until found by an Afghani shepherd who offered him aide. The shepherdʼs father delivered a hand-written note from Luttrell to a Marine base telling of his location and the fate of Operation REDWING. Word came to us of the lone survivor and we mounted a rescue mission. With the Taliban close on his heels, the shepherd continued to hide Luttrell but knew it was only a matter of time before he was captured.
On the evening of July 2, 2005, under the cover of darkness, with an escort of A-10s
and a C-130 gunship we flew through enemy territory to the small village. After nearly
crashing into the mountain, we landed on a dangerously small outcrop on the
mountainside. As soon as the wheels touched down, my teammate and I exited the
helicopter in search of Luttrell. Through the darkness and wind of the rotor wash, we
saw men in Afghani clothing approaching the aircraft. Knowing Taliban were in the area we raised our weapons. After authenticating them, we realized this was Luttrell and his escort and we quickly brought them onboard and signaled the pilot to take off. After Luttrell was returned to safety he informed us of the condition and location of his
teammates. Next would come a recovery mission.
On July 4th, we launched on the largest recovery mission since the beginning of
Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. With our two helicopters stripped of every
unnecessary piece of equipment to improve speed and maneuverability, we flew back
into the mountainous terrain of the Hindu Kush. One helicopter orbited to draw enemy
fire while gunships actively engaged the enemy. Our other helo hovered within view of
the wreckage of the first rescue attempt and lowered the Stokes litter. In what felt like
hours, we finally got the bodies onboard and returned Lt. Michael Murphy and Danny
Dietz to friendly soil.
After returning stateside, Marcus Luttrell went on to tell the story of Operation
REDWING in a book titled The Lone Survivor. For his heroic acts Lt. Michael Murphy
was awarded the Medal of Honor. Since that time Marcus Luttrell has continued to
inform the public about Operation REDWING and has recently started a foundation
called the Lone Survivor Foundation that works with wounded military members and
their family.
As for the workout's origin. Michael Murphy was an avid Crossfitter and used to do the workout now named Murph in preparation for his deployments. He did it wearing his flack vest and referred to the workout as “Body Armor”. It was renamed “Murph” after his death.
I have been doing a Memorial Day Murph for four years now. It started off as a silent
tribute, but has grown every year, now I would like to encourage the entire CrossFit
community to help pay homage to Michael Murphy and remember all who gave the
ultimate sacrifice. Isn't that why it's called Memorial Day?
