Background: This workout is dedicated to the 13 service members – 11 Marines, an Army Corpsman, and a Navy Corpsman – who died on August 26, 2021, at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, while engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others. They were assisting in the evacuation of US Citizens and friendly Afghan nationals.
The attack marked one of the deadliest days for American forces in the past decade of the 20-year war in Afghanistan — and took place just days ahead of the U.S.’s planned full withdrawal from the country that was overtaken on Aug. 15 by the Taliban.
The workout was designed by Jesse Phillips of Roseville CrossFit @crossfitroseville (Roseville, CA, USA).
The rep scheme signifies the ages of the 13 soldiers:
– Dylan Merola – 20
– Daegan William-Tyeler Page – 23
– Humberto Sanchez – 22
– Johanny Rosario – 25
– Nicole Gee – 23
– Hunter Lopez – 22
– Taylor Hoover – 31
– Ryan Knauss – 23
– David Lee Espinoza – 20
– Rylee McCollum – 20
– Jared Schmitz – 20
After the AMRAP, each minute of the Plank Hold signifies the 3 branches of the military that lost heroes: Army, Navy, and Marines.
A special Memorial Day HERO WOD
Murph- The M
A team of 4 Navy SEALs led by LT. Michael P. Murphy on a mission to capture or kill a key Taliban leader, found themselves seriously outnumbered in a firefight with hundreds of enemy troops. Pinned down and under intense enemy fire, their communications operator severely wounded, they were in desperate need for help. Due to the mountainous terrain, their communications could not be received. Understanding the situation, LT. Michael P. Murphy moved to open ground, to use his satellite phone, exposing himself to enemy fire. LT Murphy was mortally wounded making that call. They continued fighting until Lt. Murphy and two of his three team mates were mortally wounded. His fourth team member, severely injured himself, managed to escape and was rescued 4 days later. He went on to tell the story in a book and movie titled “The Lone Survivor”.
For his selfless leadership, courageous actions and extraordinary devotion to duty, LT. Michael P. Murphy was posthumously rewarded the Medal of Honor, the first service member to receive the medal for service in Afghanistan, and the first Navy recipient of the medal since Vietnam.
Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run.
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED if you can’t do the entire workout (Not many can). Anyone can do their own version of “Murph” including scaling the run, reps, movements, or even partitioning the workout as a team. The idea is to challenge yourself and do a little more and go a little faster each year.
