Town of Islip announced it will present its Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award posthumously to a Navy SEAL from Patchogue who was killed in Afghanistan.
The family of Lt. Michael Murphy will accept the award on behalf of the fallen Navy SEAL during a ceremony at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma on Thursday night.
Islip Town Supervisor Tom Croci and Congressmen Peter King (R-Seaford) and Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) are expected to attend the ceremony.
Murphy was killed in a June 2005 firefight in Afghanistan, and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage. A Navy warship was also named in his honor.
“Lieutenant Murphy was a Patchogue resident who gave his life in combat in Afghanistan and whose courage, valor and sacrifice under fire compelled our nation to award him America’s highest commendation, the Congressional Medal of Honor,” the Town of Islip said in a press release.
The Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership award is presented every year on the general’s birthday.
-With Associated Press