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Destroyer Commissioned For Fallen Navy SEAL
Updated 10/06/2012 12:47 PM
By: NY1 News

A new ship named for a Navy SEAL who died while helping his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan was commissioned on the West Side Saturday.

The commissioning ceremony took place at Pier 88 for the Navy's newest destroyer, the U.S.S. Michael Murphy.

The event featured a cannon salute, a parachute jump over the Hudson River and a flyover.

Lt. Murphy grew up on Long Island.

He was killed during a 2005 firefight with the Taliban in which he broke cover to call for backup and continued fighting even after he was wounded.

Murphy and two other SEALS died in the fight, which also claimed the lives of 35 Taliban fighters.

Lt. Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and was the first person to receive the medal for the War in Afghanistan.




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