I chose to write about Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy from Operation Red Wings. Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy was a United States Navy Seal who was awarded the highest military decoration known as the Medal of Honor. He was the first member of the United States Navy to receive the award since Vietnam War. Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy’s heroic actions inspired author Patrick Robinson to write the book known as Lone Survivor that eventually turned into a hit movie in 2013.
I served six years in the United States Military and that is why I find Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy an inspiring person. He made bold decisions and showed profound leadership. Having a background in the military helps me understand the hard decision the men of Operation Red Wings had to make. His story should matter to the public because he put his life on the line for America and died trying while taking the hard way out. His story shows you the reality of war not just what you see through the news.
The ethical dilemma Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy faced was what to do with the three goat herders. Lt. Michael Murphy was dropped into the mountains along the Afghan-Pakistan border along with three other Navy Seals. Their mission was to study Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. Not long after their arrival the mission was compromised by the three goat herders who found them hiding in bushes. The predicament over how to handle the goat herders spiked the ethical dilemma. Should they tie them up and run for it, let them go or ultimately kill them? They eventually let the herders go and found themselves outnumbered by an overwhelming Taliban force.
The role reversal test was used when Matthew Axelson and Marcus Luttrell, both snipers, engaged in a heated conversation about what to do with...
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...n the Seal Team were unarmed and had no way to defend themselves. Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy could not bring himself to kill somebody that has no means of defending himself. He continues to say that they are trained to a higher standard and can defend themselves better than the enemy can.
Michael took into account all three of the classical ethical ideas. He proceeded to take into account what he was taught and trained and did the right thing even though it ended the lives of 19 American soldiers. He looked at the big picture of the options he was handed and did what was best for the war and not just for their lives. Killing unarmed people was not an option for Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy, as he believed every person should have the chance to defend themselves even if they are your enemy. The situation the men faced is a situation no one can wish upon another.
At times in a person’s life, they might come across a few situations that leave them with a major decision between two or more options that challenge what they believe or what they might think is wrong or right. These are known as ethical dilemmas. Be it seeing a friend steal something and choosing between being honest and speaking up or letting it go. It can also be getting paid more than you earned and deciding if you’re going to be greedy and keep the money or return it. We run into these situations in our lives, some bigger and more influential on our destiny’s while others are small with no real consequences.
As Marines, we have a well-known motto “One Team, One Fight” that creates an image of strong unity that everyone regardless of rank or size plays an important role. Everyone is necessary to complete the mission. In this book, one particular Marine, (then) Captain Bill Barber, has a story that since has become a crucial tool used as teaching material today for multi-level Marines everywhere. This book serves as a testimony to Captain Barber’s will in the midst of extreme opposition and sets the example of the for mentioned mindset
Audie Leon Murphy has earned all available U.S. military combat award for valor possible from the United States Army. He was also decorated by Belgium and France for his service. He serviced in the European Theater of Operations along with the Mediterranean. on January 26, 1945 Murphy earned the medal of honor because of what he had did at the Colmar Pocket near Holtzwihr, France when he was only 19 years old. He received it for his defensive actions against German troops- this shows his selfless service and personal courage. While he was wounded he alone stayed in a burning tank destroyer firing at the Germans- their soldiers and tanks- with a fully automatic machine gun. When he was out of ammo he climbed off the tank and led a successful counterattack after he had refused to let his wounds be treated. Another way he showed his personal courage-an army value.
The motion picture A Few Good Men challenges the question of why Marines obey their superiors’ orders without hesitation. The film illustrates a story about two Marines, Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson and Private First Class Louden Downey charged for the murder of Private First Class William T. Santiago. Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, who is known to be lackadaisical and originally considers offering a plea bargain in order to curtail Dawson’s and Downey’s sentence, finds himself fighting for the freedom of the Marines; their argument: they simply followed the orders given for a “Code Red”. The question of why people follow any order given has attracted much speculation from the world of psychology. Stanley Milgram, a Yale psychologist, conducted an experiment in which randomly selected students were asked to deliver “shocks” to an unknown subject when he or she answered a question wrong. In his article, “The Perils of Obedience”, Milgram concludes anyone will follow an order with the proviso that it is given by an authoritative figure. Two more psychologists that have been attracted to the question of obedience are Herbert C. Kelman, a professor at Harvard University, and V. Lee Hamilton, a professor at the University of Maryland. In their piece, Kelman and Hamilton discuss the possibilities of why the soldiers of Charlie Company slaughtered innocent old men, women, and children. The Marines from the film obeyed the ordered “Code Red” because of how they were trained, the circumstances that were presented in Guantanamo Bay, and they were simply performing their job.
United States marine corporal Melvin Jones kept a blog during the time he and his unit were stationed in Afghanistan. His blog typically included personal thoughts about the war and details of general military life. On November 20, 2013 his unit illegally crossed the Pakistan border in pursuit of Taliban insurgents without the permission from the Pakistani government. Before Jones’ unit could reach the stronghold the marines were ambushed. As a result four men died in an unexpected firefight. Upon investigation, the military concluded that the unit’s commanding officer had failed to send out a patrol to search for possible ambushes, as required by military protocol. The report was classified and not released to the public because it acknowledged the American detachment had been operating on Pakistani territory illegally.
In 2013, Peter Berg made a movie version of Marcus Luttrell’s novel Lone Survivor. Both the book and the movie are set in Afghanistan and tell the story of Operation Redwing. In both versions, four Navy SEALs head to northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader. Throughout the film version of Lone Survivor, what happens to Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell is very similar to what happens to him in the novel. However, the movie is different from the book because it leaves out certain details, is told mostly through dialogue instead of narration, and ends in a different way.
From being the example for young Marines to a MEU commander changing a long-standing policy, and lastly, giving me the best guidance and mentor to look up to and emulate. His legacy lives on in my teachings to my own junior Marines and Soldiers, by holding the Recon Creed in my heart and passing all that I have learned along I hope that one day, a former team member of mine looks back and thinks the same of the legacy I left for
Major Gerald De Lira Jr. USMC. The Anger of a Great Nation: Operation Vigilant Resolve. http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a509044.pdf. http:DTIC.mil. 2009
The second characteristic of professionalism is responsibility. General responsibility creates the moral responsibility of marines and helps us understand the set of values which guide us. In addition, however, marines must also possess the values of other human beings and question service to a society which does not respect these values. These values include justice, common courtesy, human dignity and humbleness. A government which does not respect these values is illegitimate and cannot be said to serve the society it directs. In the case of United States marines, the values of the United States must be examined in the context of the military profession. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution provide clear statements of these values and Ethics. Ethics are standards by which one should act based on values. Values are core beliefs such as honor, courage, and commitment that motivate attitudes and actions. Not all values...
Many people have been born that have struck a chord with the world. Some people have become legends, patriots and even heroes. Though one person stood out among the rest, this one was not made a hero, but was born to be one. He was a hero at what he strived to be in life and he has captured the attention of the public like no other solider has done before or since. This great Canadian Air Force Ace became one of the legendary figures in 20th century air warfare. With his daring and dramatic dogfights in France, he achieved a record of 72 kills in his many encounters. His role on the ground during the Second World War training pilots changed and inspired a whole new generation of fighter pilots. This man is known as Billy Bishop, the legendary and great Canadian hero who captured and won the respect of his enemies, comrades and the world.
He saw things that most people wouldn't see or comprehend, and things that would keep him up at night. For his service and bravery in Iraq, he was promoted to the rank of a Captain. After being a platoon commander in Afghanistan and Iraq, he was ready to retire from the military and start his life at home. Everytime Fick looks back on his experiences, he sees that he brought all of his men home safely, gave everything he had for them, and together they all passed the test of combat. He isn’t regretful, scared or upset for what he did and saw, instead he is a proud United States Marine that served his country
...played an excellent model of military ethics. Finally, I showed how my leadership decisions, although not combat related, bear some similarity in vision and ethics to Chesty’s standard, as set seven decades earlier. I can think of no better leader for today’s officers, both commissioned and noncommissioned, to emulate than the most decorated and idolized marine in history.
In order for a military to execute its function, every platform of the chain of command must expect and demand obedience to commands (Montrose, 2013), because if this does not happen many lives can be at stake. A simply failure to comply with the orders given can not only jeopardize the lives of the soldiers, it can compromise the safety of all military personnel involved, even in the matter of national security. Utilitarianism has a core theory that some actions may be considered right or wrong relying on the effects of the outcomes. This theory is mostly what could be applied this situation of the detainees in the military prisons. During this time, national security was weak, the country was being attacked and threatened, and thousands of innocent civilians lost their lives. The military could was only looking out for the interest of the country and many interrogation techniques were used to get information that could lead the capture of Al-Qaeda leaders. Soldiers are sent to warzones without the ability to deny their own obligation to war, just because they believe it to be morally wrong. They are sent and receive orders under the assumption the government has all the information needed to make the best decision for the country. According to the periodical, Unjust War and a Soldier’s Moral Dilemma, individual soldiers who have
Kill or be killed by the enemy. When bullets are flying past his face and mortar shells are exploding all around him, he is not mindful of fighting ethically. Nor is he even mindful of fighting for his country. He is fighting for his life. To stay alive, he must kill the enemy, destroy the enemy.
In conclusion, director Peter Berg does an excellent job at directing this film by implementing so many different and creative techniques to tell a story that might otherwise be incorrect. This real life memoir was presented to tell the tale of Four Navy SEALs that put their lives on the line to defend their country. The uniqueness of the elements and the way they are used brought out the realistic nature of morality, brotherhood, and honor. These elements showcase the mental and physical hardship that soldiers endure.