Above and beyond

It's the nation's highest award for combat gallantry, and those few who earn it are rightly held in awe by their comrades-in-arms, who best understand what it means to have shown the necessary bravery and often the necessary sacrifice.

Case in point: Lt. Michael Murphy of the U.S. Navy, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously on Monday by President Bush. Of the thousands of American personnel who have fought in Afghanistan during the past five-plus years, Murphy became the first Medal of Honor recipient. The rarity with which the medal is bestowed says nothing about the considerable courage many other Americans have exhibited. Rather, it says everything about the standard that Murphy reached.

The 29-year-old officer, a Patchogue, N.Y., native, was the leader of a Navy SEAL team. On June 27, 2005, he and his three men were pursuing a militia leader allied with the Taliban in the remote Afghan mountains when militia forces, numbering around 50, attacked.

The situation turned desperate, and Murphy responded accordingly. In the midst of a firefight, he crawled onto exposed ground so that he could get a signal on his satellite phone to call for help.

Even though he was shot in the back while making the call, he completed it.

One SEAL escaped, but Murphy and two others were killed. Underscoring the tragic risks of war, a Marine transport helicopter sent to try to rescue them crashed, with 16 more lives lost.

To earn the Congressional Medal of Honor, a member of the U.S. armed forces must distinguish himself "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" while in combat. It is a standard few will attain, and we should not wish for more, for the warfare that inspires such bravery is a terrible thing, to be avoided unless there is no choice. But when the nation must fight, heroes like Lt. Michael Murphy will emerge. We salute them with a medal that signifies respect and gratitude beyond measure.