11/19/2020

Memorial Day Murph

Chad Kessler, MD

One mile, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, one mile again, all with body armor or a weighted vest…as fast as you can. That was how I spent an hour (OK, 13 seconds less than an hour if we’re keeping track) of my Memorial Day this year.  Better known as a “Murph” workout in the Cross-Fit community, this particular tradition honors Navy SEAL LT. Michael Murphy, killed in combat on June 28th, 2005 in the Hindu Kush Mountains. Without regard for his own life, LT. Murphy put himself in the line of fire to save his team. The Air Force pararescueman that brought home one member of Operation Red Wings and recovered LT. Murphy’s body was none other than Dr. Josh Appel. Yes, that Josh Appel, our very own Tucson VA Emergency Medicine chief      

The Murph is not about being the strongest or the fastest, it is not a competition at all.  It’s about remembering… and struggling.  Quoting Josh, “You don’t have to be a Navy SEAL to do this workout. You can scale it and anyone can do Murph. It just has to be long and hard - maybe the longest, hardest thing you do all year - and force you to reflect on those we’ve lost.” For Josh, for me, this is a way to remember on Memorial Day.

Appel still does the Murph each year with the same armor he wore when he recovered LT. Murphy’s body, now along with his wife and three girls.  This year, towards the end of the workout, as I was struggling and needed some inspiration, I thought of my grandfather, WWII Air Force Veteran David Cohen.  I thought of my 91 year-old Army Veteran clinic patient I had taken care of for the past nine years!  I thought of Navy SEAL LT. Michael Murphy, whom I did not know, but who represents honor, sacrifice and love, true love to give his own life for those of his fellow men. That quality is the one I admire most, the one I try to live up to, and one I teach my kids.  It is what brought me to VA and what makes me darn proud every time I walk through the Hospital. 

So, as we reflect on this Memorial Day weekend, let us not forget the forgotten and be reminded of true sacrifice, as we honor those memories in our hallowed halls.