Exclusive | Navy SEAL Michael Murphy’s father has spent the past 20 years keeping his hero son’s legacy alive: ‘A higher sense of purpose’

It’s been nearly 20 years since Daniel Murphy was told his son Michael, a Navy SEAL lieutenant from Long Island, had been killed in action in Afghanistan — along with two team members and 16 other military personnel.

While the Medal of Honor recipient’s heroics were commemorated in the 2013 film “Lone Survivor,” his proud father has spent nearly every day sharing his legacy at the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum in West Sayville since it opened his two years ago.

“If Michael’s story brings public attention to our fallen heroes, then he has accomplished something — even in death,” Murphy, now 77, told The Post. “It was our goal to show people and show people what these incredible young people do.”

The semi-retired Murphy, who moved to Wading River to be near Michael’s grave at nearby Calverton National Cemetery, makes the 45-minute trip to the museum most days — not only to honor Michael’s legacy, but to discuss the sacrifices made by members of the armed services.

Along with giving visitors a deep sense of what life is really like as a Navy SEAL and the entire military service, it’s a moment to reconnect with his late son.

“I tell him what’s going on, who’s in the museum, who I’ve met, what we’ve discussed and things like that,” he said.

‘The Lone Survivor’

On a typical day, Murphy talks to visitors and vividly describes what he and his ex-wife, Michael’s mother Maureen — who also visits the museum several times a week — have endured since their son’s death.

“We’ve had visitors from 47 states and 36 counties, and almost everyone knows the story of Michael coming in,” Murphy said.

The world knows about Murphy’s heroism from the blockbuster film Taylor Kitsch depicted the 29-year-old sacrificing himself while his four-man team was surrounded on three sides by dozens of Taliban militia at an altitude of 10,000 feet – during a mission discovery. went wrong in June 2005.

“Michael was a hero before he was a hero,” he said. “He had such a higher sense of purpose, he had a bright line between right and wrong. That’s how he got the name “Protector”.

But Murphy’s father, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, remembers a lot about his son that the public may not know.

“In eighth grade he got into a fight with three bullies who tried to push a special needs student into a gym locker. He knew it wasn’t right and he got involved,” Murphy said.

The Sayville Museum — near Murphy’s childhood home in Patchogue — focuses on the history of the elite Sear, Air and Land combat force since the start of World War II.

It extends into modern times, including an exposition on the killing of Osama Bin Laden and the rigorous SEAL Basic Underwater Demolition (BUD/S) training that all recruits must undergo — the brutality of which is shown during the opening of “Lone Survivor”.

There is a special room dedicated to Murphy and 18 of his comrades, who also fell during the infamous Operation Red Wings near Asadabad.

Daniel and Maureen spend most of their time sharing harrowing details of the few days they spent in limbo, with Navy SEALs living with them to get real-time updates on Michael’s fate.

Although official word Murphy was killed in action came late on July 4, his father knew sooner.

“I remember [the SEAL] mentioning that an emergency beacon was going out regarding an individual who was alive,” he recalled.

“I remember turning to Maureen at that point and just saying, ‘You know, if there’s only one survivor, it’s not going to be Michael. It is not his way for him to survive and lose all his people.’

Continuation of the mission

Creating the museum helped Michael’s father see firsthand how much his son was loved, especially when merchants across Long Island came in unison to volunteer their services toward its construction. “We basically built a $5 million museum for less than $2 million,” revealed Murphy, also a board member.

During construction seven years ago, the thought of turning them back was strong in the mind of Chris Wyllie, a former SEAL and Special Warfare crew member in the 1990s. Wyllie offered the pro bono assistance of an audio company visual that he opened after serving.

As he developed a relationship with the Murphy family, learning more about Michael’s life story inspired Wyllie to become its executive director.

“It’s a different kind of museum in how personal it is,” Wyllie, 51, told The Post, adding that Marcus Luttrell, the lone surviving Navy SEAL played by Mark Wahlberg, has attended some of the events. their main.

“I can talk about what everyone is experiencing in the museum. I think this brings it to a whole new level,” he said.

About a year before 9/11, Wyllie was medically discharged from the SEALs. Despite his best efforts, he could not rejoin any branch of the military after the war on terror began.

Although it took him a long time to come to terms with his situation, Wyllie has learned that he can provide a different kind of service in his current role — especially to visiting veterans who show signs of difficulty.

“I make a personal effort to go to them and tell them that I’m here, that they’re not alone in this, that I still experience PTSD-related things,” he said.

“Nine times out of 10, I’ll give them the phone before they leave and say, ‘Look, if you need anything, I don’t care if it’s 2 in the morning, you can call me,’ because I well i would have. somebody wake me up so I can talk and help.”

As the living continue to do good works in Michael’s name, Murphy is reminded time and time again that his son is out there looking out, protecting — still.

In the late 2000s, a family friend from New Jersey named a decommissioned Coast Guard boat that he purchased the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Medal of Honor.

“When the Miracle on the Hudson happened, it was the first ship to reach the plane,” Murphy said of the sensational 2009 incident that made pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger a star.

“On TV, someone said, ‘Looks like Lt. Michael Murphy is still on the job, saving lives.’ It just hit me.”