by JAMES GORDON MEEK
WASHINGTON - It was a moment that almost brought the commander in chief to tears.
President Bush clutched the hand of Navy Lt. Mike Murphy's mother, Maureen Murphy, Monday as the Patchogue, L.I., SEAL was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, for sacrificing his life to save his outmanned brothers.
Wearing a gold replica of the fallen soldier's dog tags beneath his shirt, Bush choked back tears as he summoned Maureen and husband Dan Murphy to his side and said, "A grateful nation remembers the courage" of their first-born son.
"This brave officer gave his life in defense of his fellow Navy SEALs," Bush told an audience that included Vice President Cheney, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.).
"The story of his sacrifice humbles and inspires all who hear it," Bush said. "While their missions were often carried out in secrecy, their love of country and devotion to each other was always clear. On June 28, 2005, Michael would give his life for these ideals."
As an officer began reading the citation, Bush reached for Maureen's hand, clutching it as his face suddenly appeared flushed.
He blinked rapidly, betraying the emotion from a tale of valor almost too incredible. Both parents dabbed at their tears as they stood for a long round of applause.
Moments before the emotional ceremony, Murphy's parents gave Bush a gold dog tag with their son's name and image on it.
"What we were most touched by was that the President immediately put that on underneath his shirt, and when he made the presentation of the Medal of Honor, he wore that against his chest," the father said.
After the ceremony, Dan Murphy said, Bush told the family, "I was inspired by having Michael next to my chest."
Murphy, who also fought back tears during the ceremony, said they were "deeply moved" by Bush's gesture.
"It was very emotional on everybody's part," said Maureen Murphy.
"I am so proud of him," she said of her son.
The young SEAL fought with "a New York City firehouse patch on his uniform in honor of the heroes of 9/11," Bush said - a bond underscored by the presence of Firefighter Nate Evans of Engine 53, whose unit's patch Murphy wore when he fell.
Murphy, 29, proved his mettle on a 10,000-foot mountain on the Pakistan border, when his SEAL team was attacked by Afghan militants during a secret mission to find an Al Qaeda-linked militant named Ahmad Shah.
Bush said the SEALs "launched a valiant counterattack while cascading from cliff to cliff."
Murphy was the first hit and one of the last to fall. He and his men killed several dozen attackers with sniper rifles as they tumbled downhill, military officials said.
Finally, "with complete disregard for his own life," Murphy exposed himself to fire to make a cell phone call for help, Bush said.
Noting that Murphy was struck again, he still managed to say "thank you" to those coming to his rescue, Bush said.
A U.S. helicopter sent to rescue the men was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing all 16 aboard. It was the worst single-day death toll for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Former SEAL Marcus Luttrell, the only survivor, sat staring at the floor. His bestselling book, "Lone Survivor," which Bush called "riveting," stirred controversy by revealing that Murphy took a vote on whether to kill three Afghan goatherds, including a young boy, who stumbled on the SEALs.
Trained for such an occurrence, Murphy freed the unarmed civilians, who the Navy believes ratted them out to the Taliban. Bush hinted at that fateful choice when he said Murphy "was blessed with a powerful sense of right and wrong."
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