MAY 10, 2006, FARMINGVILLE, NY –Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, Congressman Tim Bishop and Brookhaven Councilman Tim Mazzei were among the hundreds of people who attended the ceremony on Sunday renaming Lake Ronkonkoma Park in honor of Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy, who was slain in fighting in Afghanistan last year.

The park is now known as Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy Memorial Park at Lake Ronkonkoma.

“Sunday, May 7 , 2006 was Lt. Michael Murphy’s 30th birthday.  Hundreds of family and friends gathered at Lake Ronkonkoma not for a rousing chorus of  ‘Happy Birthday’ but to hear the mournful strains of a bugler blowing Taps,” said Supervisor Foley.

“All came together to pay homage to Navy Seal Lt. Michael Murphy, for his complete and total dedication to the country he loved so dearly.  Michael paid the ultimate price and we as a community will love, honor, respect and remember him for all the days to come.  The Purple Heart Monument built here at the newly named Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Park is a fitting tribute to Michael the son, the brother, the friend and ultimately the hero.”

"I was so proud to be a small part of this prestigious ceremony honoring a true American hero," said Councilman Mazzei.

Lt. Murphy was born in Smithtown and grew up in Patchogue. He attended Penn State University, where he was an exceptional all-around athlete and student. He was accepted at several law schools following graduation but instead pursued a career in the military, eventually becoming a member of SEALs, the most elite unit in the American military.

He served in Jordan, Qatar and Dijbouti before being deployed to Afghanistan. He was killed in action there on June 28, 2005.

He received the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

The Lt. Michael P. Murphy USN Memorial Scholarship Foundation was founded to provide scholarships to Suffolk County students and Purple Heart veterans. Donations are being accepted for the Foundation and can be sent to William F. Andes Jr., Esq., at 224 Griffing Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901.