Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy, a Navy SEAL, was the first to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, for service in Afghanistan--also the first naval officer to earn the medal since Vietnam and the first SEAL to receive it posthumously. Williams charts his extraordinary sense of duty, responsibility, and honor.

The knock on the door -- Vigil for the valiant -- Funeral for the fallen -- Seeds of greatness -- "The protector" -- Prep schools for SEALs -- Officer Candidate School -- BUD/S : the price of admission -- Agoge : earning the Trident -- Warrior community and structure -- Deployment work-up -- Operation Enduring Freedom -- Afghanistan, home of al-Qaeda -- When character met circumstance : Operation Red Wings -- Rescue mission -- Answering the call -- No one left behind -- In the presence of warriors -- Memorials to a hero -- Of service and sacrifice -- Growing legacy -- Postscript -- Appendix: Naval special warfare community support groups.