John 15:13: “Greater love has no man than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”
14 Pax posted at Zero Hour to honor those who gave all in the service and protection of their country and their fellow countrymen. Over 1.3 million men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice since the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the latest of record being Army Specialist John Dawson of Massachusetts, age 22, who died on April 8, 2015 in Jalalabad.
Among the fallen is Lt. Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL killed in action in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005 during Operation Red Wings along with two fellow SEALS – Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz and Sonar Technician 2nd Class Matthew Axelson – in a fierce firefight with Taliban forces. Also lost that day were 16 men who embarked on a mission to extract the SEALS after receiving a call for assistance from Lt. Murphy, who left his covered position and sacrificed his personal safety in order to find better terrain to transmit the call. The 16 died when their Chinook helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, causing the helicopter to crash. The lone American survivor of the fight was Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell. You can read the details here, which YHC recounted before we launched this morning.
Today, as a way to pay our respects and to keep the importance of the day top-of-mind, we joined many across F3 Nation and thousands more across the country by tackling “The Murph”, a workout specifically designed to honor Lt. Murphy and his fallen brothers. For those who’ve not yet experienced The Murph, it consists of a 1-mile run, followed by a series of 100 pull-ups, 200 merkins and 300 squats, finishing with another 1-mile. It can be a grinder of a workout, especially for those just getting started on their F3 journey, but primarily it is a symbolic way to honor those who endured far greater pain and suffering to preserve the freedoms we so dearly cherish. Theirs is a debt that can never be repaid but can forever be remembered with thanksgiving and gratitude. Today, we do just that. As our Lord shared with his disciples and later demonstrated through His own sacrifice for us, truly there is no greater love.
Moleskin:
- All finished the appointed task. We finished off with some Mary (including the most appropriate American Hammers and WWII sit-ups), followed by COT and sharing names of those we know personally that have given their lives in battle or otherwise have served or are serving currently.
- Welcome FNG Mickey’s Big Mouth. Tclaps for making your first post The Murph – you can swap stories with Orwell about how much fun that must have been. #IrishEyesAreSmiling
- Thanks to Snoopy (@joe_ades) for joining us on loan from Charlotte NoCo. Great to have you, brother, and strong work out there.
- Prayers for Banjo (family situation) and our other brothers who are also battling through some tough family times. Please lift up these men in their struggles. Times like these are exactly why we have been placed into each other’s lives.
- Western Stranger closed us out with a strong word.
As always, and particularly on this day, a joy and a privilege. Aye.
