Photography versus Real Life

I love photography. I think it is very powerful, capable of moving people to tears, elation and everything in between. Here's a photograph for you to see. You wont see it in the papers, nor will you see it on the news. It is a simple photograph of a not so simple man.

This is Lt. Michael Murphy. It isn't a remarkable photograph, but it is a remarkable man captured forever looking humble, yet serious... reserved, yet determined. A man that loved life, and liberty and wanted to preserve and protect that liberty for people he didn't know.

He was also a man of conviction.

"He carried it on his uniform, the emblem of the New York City Fire Department. Engine 53, Ladder Company 43. El Barrio's Bravest. The firefighters have their own memorial to him. You can look it up on their Web site. There is a huge plaque of Michael in uniform in the firehouse. The SEALs presented it to them. The firefighters touch it every day for good luck before they go out on a call."

This humble man just received the Medal of Honor. He received it posthumously. He died saving his fellow Seals. It wasn't a moment that he had planned on, it happened. He had no choice, he was that kind of man.

Thank you Michael. Thank you for your service and your loyalty. It is inspiring and humbling and I will forever remember your name. Back to photography tomorrow, but today we measure things against Lt. Michael Murphy.