New Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Ready To Be Installed

Almost six months after a 14-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly smashing the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial in in Lake Ronkonkoma, a new centerpiece is ready to be installed.

Peter Marmorato and Gina Dougherty, the children of Peter Marmorato Sr., who created the original design, recreated a stronger version of the memorial for free as a way to honor Murphy.

Murphy, a Navy SEAL from Patchogue, was killed in Afghanistan during Operation Red Wings in 2005 at the age of 29. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in protecting his comrades.

The new memorial will be installed in about two weeks.

Ground was recently broken on the LT. Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum and Sea Cadet Training Facility, the first U.S. Navy SEAL Museum in the Northeast.

The proposed state-of-the-art facility will be constructed on the property of Charles P. Dominy Park in West Sayville. The museum will be built, and utilized in honor, and memory of LT Michael P. Murphy, a graduate of Patchogue Medford High School (Class of '94), and Pennsylvania State University (Class of '98). After completion of his college degree, he worked diligently to become a Navy SEAL; after years of hard work and dedication he was bestowed the honor of United States Navy SEAL Lieutenant. Murphy lost his life on June 28, 2005, while serving in Afghanistan. For his actions, bravery, and valor, he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, as well as the Medal of Honor, which quite notably made him the first member of the Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War. The museum is due to open November 2019.