The Man Behind Lone Survivor: Medal of Honor Recipient Michael P. Murphy
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 7 November 2025
⏱️ 12 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, before his story was immortalized in the Hollywood movie Lone Survivor, Michael Murphy was a kid from New York who believed in duty over comfort. He earned his degree at Penn State University, was accepted to law school, and could have built a quiet, successful life. Instead, he chose the hardest path imaginable and joined the U.S. Navy SEALs.
Training pushed him past every limit, and what followed was a mission that tested everything he stood for. In 2005, during Operation Red Wings, Murphy led his team through the mountains of Afghanistan. When they were ambushed by hundreds of Taliban fighters, communication was their only hope. He stepped into the open, bullets cutting through the air, and made the call that saved his men.
Murphy was killed that day, but his courage lived on. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and his story continues to inspire those who serve. Kirk Higgins of the Bill of Rights Institute shares the story of a man who proved that real heroism is quiet, costly, and unbreakable.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:04.4 | To beat the champ, you got to knock him out. |
| 0:08.0 | The Dodgers stand tall and win back-to-back titles. |
| 0:12.7 | I'm Richard Parks the third. |
| 0:14.4 | My show Dodger Blue Dream captures all the drama, tension, and ecstasy of the best world series win of all time in our new episode, Game 7. |
| 0:26.0 | No way! |
| 0:27.3 | Out now. |
| 0:28.8 | Listen to Dodger Blue Dream on the iHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, and this is Our American Stories. |
| 0:48.3 | The 2013 film Lone Survivor tells the story of Operation Red Wings. |
| 0:53.4 | The mission would become one of the deadliest in our war on terror. |
| 0:58.1 | One of those chosen to lead this dangerous mission was Lieutenant Michael Murphy, |
| 1:03.0 | who would give his life on that slope and become the first member of the Navy |
| 1:07.4 | to receive the prestigious Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. |
| 1:12.4 | Here to tell his story is Kirk Higgins, Vice President of Content, at the Bill of Rights Institute. |
| 1:19.0 | Let's get into the story. |
| 1:23.6 | Some might say that Michael Murphy was born to be a hero. |
| 1:26.7 | Honor and service were part of his DNA. |
| 1:29.1 | He was born in 1976 on Long Island, New York, and grew up in the village of Patchhog near the island's |
| 1:34.5 | southern shore. His father, Daniel, was a wounded Vietnam War veteran who went on to serve as a |
| 1:40.4 | prosecutor in Suffolk County, New York. Michael Murphy developed a reputation early on for protecting and serving others. |
| 1:47.6 | In eighth grade, he confronted and stopped three bullies |
| 1:50.1 | who were trying to shove a special need student into a gym locker. |
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