By Hank Russell
Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico and Councilman Neil Foley are asking residents to help identify three males, in their late teens or early 20s, who are responsible for vandalizing Medal of Honor
recipient Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Park, located on the southeast shore of Lake Ronkonkoma.
The vandalism, which included graffiti on the building and spray painting a security camera, occurred on the night of September 2, sometime after 8 p.m. The suspects drove a dark-colored sedan; the make and model were unknown.
Lt. Murphy, a Navy Seal from Patchogue, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for protecting the lives of his fellow Seals during an intense firefight in the hills of Afghanistan in 2005. On January 17, 2019, Murphy’s father, Dan Murphy, and members of the Brookhaven Town Board led the rededication ceremony at the site of the memorial. The etched stone monument was donated by Lido Stone of Calverton after the original was destroyed by vandalism in July 2018. The Town also partnered with Penn Globe to install two surveillance cameras and security lights to record any activity in the park.
According to the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum website, the Park (formerly Lake Ronkonkoma Park) was dedicated on May 7, 2006 (Murphy’s birthday), and contains a black granite wall dedicated to the men lost in Operation Red Wings. It is located less than 10 miles from the museum in West Sayville and is also the site of Run Around the Lake.
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the Suffolk County Police Department for more information. The agency said it does not comment on leads or suspects.
Anyone with information should call the Suffolk County Police Department Fourth Precinct Crime Control Section Officer Eustache at (631) 854-8400.