Above: Lt Brian Murphy and his family at the gurdwara in Maryland.
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Washington DC Area Sikhs Honour Lt Brian Murphy
ADELLE M. BANKS
Rockville, Maryland, USA
Brian Murphy attended Catholic Mass regularly, both before and after he took 12 bullets while trying to defend a gurdwara in Wisconsin from a gunman in 2012.
But he says the principles he’s learned from the Sikhs have helped his recovery.
Now, a Maryland-based Sikh organization has honored the retired police officer for his service in defending against a gunman who killed six worshippers at the Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
The Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, a Maryland-based Sikh advocacy organization, honored Murphy on Sunday, April 13 at a gathering to mark Vaisakhi, a Sikh high holiday, with a Sewa (service) Award, given annually to someone who has contributed to the community.
“We are highly grateful to him for his sacrifice and exemplary service to the law and order and providing protection to all citizens of Oak Creek, including the members of the Sikh community in Wisconsin,” said Inder Paul Singh, representing the congregation.
Murphy, the first officer on the scene, deterred what could have been a “much bigger massacre of Sikh-Americans who were still trapped inside the gurdwara,” said Inder Paul Singh.
In an interview before the ceremony, Murphy, 52, said he appreciates the foundation’s gesture.
“For them to take the time out to acknowledge my role in what happened is a very humbling experience,” said Murphy, who now speaks with a raspy reconstructed voice after one of the bullets traveled through his vocal chords and esophagus.
He was impressed that the Sikhs of Oak Creek forgave the gunman who killed himself in the gurdwara’s parking lot.
“I wasn’t as quick to do that,” said the 22-year veteran of the Oak Creek Police Department, who retired with a medical pension in June after getting shot on what normally would have been his day off. “I have, but it took a lot longer.”
Through his new friendships with Sikh-Americans -- he has been back to the gurdwara for visits since the shooting -- he has come to embrace their principle of “Chardi Kalaa,” which he defines as “optimism even in the face of great adversity.”
“That’s what helped me the most, even through the rehabilitation process,” he said. “I’ve changed much for the better.”
While holding firm to his Catholic faith, Murphy said he now sees commonalities between his religion and that of the Sikh worshippers who came to the gurdwara on August 5, 2012. The two faiths share many attributes, such as protecting, serving and living a virtuous life, he said.
“Sometimes I think we all like to think we have our own separate God,” he said. “I think (God’s) an amalgamation of all.”
[Courtesy: The Washington Post. Edited for sikhchic.com]
April 15, 2014
Conversation about this article
1: M.K.S. (New York City, USA), April 15, 2014, 3:33 PM.
Lt Murphy - thank you for your sacrifice. Sikhs always remember their friends. The last sentence in the article is the most telling because most religions have a concept of 'our God' versus 'your God'. '"Sometimes I think we all like to think we have our own separate God," he said. "I think (God's) an amalgamation of all."'
2: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), April 15, 2014, 10:22 PM.
Salutations to Lt Murphy and his extraordinary courage!