The Navy will commission the guided-missile destroyer Michael Murphy on October 6th in New York City. The ship is named in honor of Lt. Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic conduct in Afghanistan. Murphy was killed June 28, 2005 after exposing himself to enemy fire in order to protect his fellow SEALs.
El Cajon native Cmdr. Thomas E. Shultz is commanding officer of the ship. He told Navy public affairs:
"It's truly an honor for all of us that are part of this initial crew to not only bring this great warship into the Fleet, but to also do our part in upholding the legacy of Lt. Murphy and his 18 additional Operation Red Wings teammates that gave the ultimate sacrifice."
The future USS Michael Murphy and its 280-person crew will sail to the ship's new homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after the ceremony. (Lt. Murphy's former command, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, was also based at Pearl Harbor.)
The Navy will live stream the commissioning ceremony online. You can watch by clicking here.
