Army Master Sgt. Michael Russell with his wife, Annette. KENNETH LUEHRS

Former North Stafford resident was on the same mission as the Navy SEAL who received the Medal of Honor posthumously

Date published: 10/22/2007

By CATHY DYSON

When Lee Russell watches the news tonight about a Navy SEAL getting the Medal of Honor, he'll remember all those who died in the same mission as the man being honored.

His son, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Russell, was among them.

Michael Russell, who grew up in North Stafford, was in the Army's Special Forces and on the rescue team that tried to save Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy.

Murphy and three others were on the ground, searching for a key Taliban leader in Afghanistan in 2005.

They were attacked by insurgents, and Murphy risked his life to help his fellow SEALs. He managed to get into an open area and call for help--summoning Russell and other members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

Russell's Chinook helicopter was shot down, killing all 16 on board. Three of the four Navy SEALs on the ground died as well.

"There was a lot of heroism that day," said Lee Russell, who lives in Fredericksburg. "I'm glad and proud that at least one of them is getting the Medal of Honor."

The award, the nation's highest military award for valor in action, was to be presented today by President Bush to Murphy's parents at the White House. It's the first such award for a service member serving in Afghanistan.

As proud as Lee Russell is of his son and others who've died, he's aggravated by the way the war against terrorism has been waged.

Michael Russell, 31, served six tours in Afghanistan and was in Special Operations long before 9/11. After the terrorist attacks, he and others focused on finding Taliban leader Osama bin Laden, Lee Russell said.

Just when the special troops were closing in, they got pulled into Iraq, he claimed. Bin Laden's trail was cold by the time the squads got back to Afghanistan, and necessary equipment was gone as well.

"They're sending Special Operations people, these small squads of men, to do things, and they don't have the equipment, they're just spread too thin," Lee Russell said.

He takes the war--and the death toll--personally, and for good reason.

"I pick up the paper on the days they put the pictures [of those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan], and there's three of them on there that I know," Lee Russell said. "I didn't know that many guys who died in Vietnam."

Marine Lance Cpl. Caleb Powers, 21, was the son of Lee Russell's former girlfriend.

Marine Sgt. Josh Frazier, 24, was a family friend who hung around with Michael Russell's cousin.

Frazier attended Michael Russell's funeral more than a year and a half before he was killed by a sniper in Iraq.

"I've seen too many of our kids die," Lee Russell said.

Date published: 10/22/2007