Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy / “Mikey” Character Analysis in Lone Survivor

Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy is the best friend of Marcus Luttrell, and one of the ill-fated SEALs involved in Operation Redwing. “Mikey” is a talented, compassionate SEAL, and during Operation Redwing, his compassion leads him to vote to spare the lives of the Afghan goatherds the team encounters—a decision that arguably leads to Mikey’s own death. Mikey dies fighting for his life against an army of Taliban soldiers, honoring the SEAL tradition of refusing surrender.

Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy / “Mikey” Quotes in Lone Survivor

The Lone Survivor quotes below are all either spoken by Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy / “Mikey” or refer to Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy / “Mikey”. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Politics and the War on Terror Theme Icon

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Little, Brown, and Company edition of Lone Survivor published in 2013.

This was definitely a mistake. That helo crew was supposed to have taken the rope away with them. God knows what they thought we were going to do with it, and I was just glad Mikey found it. If he hadn’t and we'd left it lying on the ground, it might easily have been found by a wandering tribesman or farmer, especially if they had heard the helicopter come in. That rope might have rung our death knell, signifying, as it surely must, that the American eagle had landed.

Related Characters: (speaker),

Page Number and Citation: 218

Explanation and Analysis:

That night, for the first time, I heard Mikey scream.

Related Characters: (speaker),

Page Number and Citation: 415

Explanation and Analysis:

Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy / “Mikey” Character Timeline in Lone Survivor

The timeline below shows where the character Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy / “Mikey” appears in Lone Survivor. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Luttrell walks to a little house with an American flag waving in the window. “Mikey’s mother,” a woman named Maureen, answers the door. Even before Luttrell opens his mouth, she... (full context)

...patriot, but this means having to deal with the deaths of some of his friends. Mikey died in the summer of 2005: he’s Luttrell’s friend, and one of the bravest people... (full context)

Luttrell’s best friend in the SEALs is Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy, or “Mikey.” Mikey was accepted to law school before he decided to fight in the Middle East,... (full context)

Bigotry and America’s Enemies Theme Icon

Luttrell, Mikey, Shane Patton, Matthew Axelson listen to their assignment. The biggest change is that Patton will... (full context)

...Luttrell and the other SEALs prepare for their mission. As they board the helicopter, Luttrell, Mikey, Axe, and Danny all sense that something’s wrong. (full context)

...is shining so brightly that they cast long shadows on the ground. “Holy shit,” whispers Mikey. (full context)

Ethics and the “Rules of Engagement” Theme Icon

...says, “I don’t really give a shit what we do.” Luttrell doesn’t give his opinion. Mikey points out that, if they kill the goatherds, the Taliban will find out about it,... (full context)

Mikey sums up the options: 1) Kill the goatherds quietly and throw the bodies down the... (full context)

...goatherds. Danny declines to vote. Luttrell hesitates, and then says, “We gotta let ‘em go.” Mikey says, “Luttrell, I’ll go with you.” The vote is two to one to let the... (full context)

...on the mountain, they sit and wait for any signs of Taliban. After a while, Mikey notices movement on a nearby hill. To the SEALs’ horror, there are at least eighty... (full context)

...wanting to wait and find out, he opens fire. The other SEALs follow suit. Suddenly, Mikey yells, “Fall back!” and the SEALs retreat. Luttrell falls down the side of the mountain,... (full context)

Luttrell can see Mikey nearby—he’s fallen, too. He seems to have been shot during the fall, but he’s alive.... (full context)

Axe appears beside Luttrell and Mikey, having rolled down the mountain the same way as Luttrell. Luttrell can see someone else... (full context)

...to the ground—he’s been shot in the neck. Amazingly, he climbs back to his feet. Mikey shouts, “The only way’s down,” meaning that the SEALs need to make their way down... (full context)

In the middle of the shoot-out with the Taliban, Mikey shouts, “Fall back!” Right away, Axe and Luttrell jump down the mountain, while Mikey and... (full context)

...back at the Taliban. There are at least eighty soldiers rushing toward them. Danny and Mikey, amazingly, have managed to leap down the mountain and rejoin Luttrell and Axe. Mikey jokes,... (full context)

...bad shape that they can barely protect their position. Knowing he has no other option, Mikey phones military HQ—something he’s been warned not to do unless he has no other option,... (full context)

Luttrell is the least injured member of the team, but he’s running out of ammunition. Mikey falls to the ground and screams out in pain. Then, very abruptly, he falls silent—he’s... (full context)

Back at the U.S. military base, Luttrell later learns, Lieutenant Kristensen gets Mikey’s message and sends the entire 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, along with the rest of... (full context)

...Sabray, Luttrell gives the Ranger captain a full debriefing on his situation. He learns that Mikey, Danny, and Axe’s bodies haven’t been found. When Luttrell talks about his fight with the... (full context)

...the practice of lokhay, which saved his life. He also begins to have nightmares about Mikey’s dying scream. (full context)

In the coming days, the troops recover the bodies of Mikey and Danny (Axe is yet to be found). Luttrell will always remember Mikey as a... (full context)