New military gear goes on display at Lt. Michael Murphy Navy SEAL museum in West Sayville

In the 18 years since his son, Michael, was killed in Afghanistan, Daniel Murphy thought he had recovered as many of his belongings as possible.

He and his wife, Maureen, had received their son's belongings when the Navy emptied his apartment, as well as his formal military uniform.

Then, a year ago, the executive director of the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum, Chris Wyllie, received an unexpected phone call.

A former NAVY Seal said his friend, a retired 78-year-old New Jersey trooper had the CamelBak hydration bag Michael Murphy had used while stationed overseas. The trooper, who didn't know Michael Murphy, had intended to donate it to his VFW hall, said Daniel Murphy.

"Then he read about the Navy SEAL museum and thought it would be it would have a better home there," he said.

On Tuesday, the pack, and other military equipment once belonging to Michael Murphy, officially went on display for the first time at the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum in West Sayville

Michael Murphy, 29, was killed, along two other SEALS, while on a mission behind enemy lines on June 28, 2005, dubbed Operation Red Wings, to find a Taliban-aligned terrorist leader in the Hindu Kush mountains near the Pakistan border. Eight more SEALs and eight Army “Night Stalker” special forces personnel who tried to rescue them also were killed when their helicopter was shot down.

The trooper declined to share how he got the backpack because "he didn't wanna get anybody in trouble," said Daniel Murphy. But he suspects that when Marines recovered his son, one may have picked up the backpack "thinking it had some historical significance."

The CamelBak brand hydration pack system features a water reservoir, attached to a tube and mouthpiece, allowing you to drink hands-free, according to its website. 

"It's used in Afghanistan because it's so hot and unforgiving terrain, and it's a lot more quiet than carrying water bottles," said Daniel Murphy. 

The letters "M. Murphy" are imprinted across the bag in black marker, in the fallen SEAL's own handwriting. For about 10 years, it sat on display in the trooper's home next to a picture of him.

Daniel Murphy described the news of the pack's return as "wonderful" and said they would take it, "no questions asked."

The Lt. Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum opened on June 28, 2022.

It is only the second Navy SEAL museum in the country dedicated to the Navy SEAL special operations force, after the National Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida. It features a Navy SEAL inflatable boat, weapons, “frogman” wet suits, a battery-run stealth submersible and scale models of the battlefield where Patchogue native Murphy was killed, and the compound where bin Laden was ambushed.

Now, the backpack joins the exhibits, displayed "as if someone is wearing" it against a backdrop of Afghani mountains. 

"It's basically a piece of Michael back in the museum," he said. 

Heather Diaz, a Navy logistics specialist, recalls giving Michael and his team the CamelBaks, among other supplies, before their deployment to Afghanistan. 

She worked with the team from about 2002 until their deployment, and grew extremely close, describing Michael as a "big brother" to her.

"He would always make sure I had everything I needed," she said. "He would make sure nobody was picking on me or bothered me." 

Seeing the display on the museum's Facebook page brought back a "so many memories," of hanging out, or when they saw the movie "Elf" together in theatres. Right after Operation Red Wings, Diaz was scheduled to be transferred out of her command, and so instead of grieving with others, she was forced to move on.

"Every year when June 28th rolls around, it's a really tough day for me," said Diaz, who has the five men tattooed on her arm in honor of their ultimate sacrifice.

It was "no surprise" to learn that Michael Murphy had died in such a selfless way, she said. 

"That's the kind of person he was. He put others before himself," Diaz said. "His sacrifice ... should never be forgotten."