Da Smurf/Sluggo
It is not easy to write things about the Brothers you love who have already left the plane for the big DZ. I have a lot of great memories surrounding Da Smruf. I met Don (Da Smurf) Murphy, alias Sluggo, over 30 years ago. As one of my mentors, I still see his presence in many things that I do; smiliar to those of Da Cajun. We never agreed on everything, such is the way of The Brotherhood, but we shared a bond that few men ever do. We had each other’s back covered. Smurf’s “war stories” about me grew better as time marched on. I used to listen to Sluggo’s “Tales From The Soggy Bottom” quite often and with intense interest; we even published some of them in the Chapter 38 Newsletters. Don was a man’s man, a “paragon of innocense, a pillar of virtue, pure as the driven snow …”
When Tim Rogers and I found out that Don was in the hospital, we decided to go and give Da Smurf a hard time the next weekend, but we were too late as we miss the LD which is a court martial offense. However, as I recall Da Smuf knew a lot about Courts Martial or at least Article 15’s and thus will hopefully forgive us.
Da Smurf, Da Cajun, Mild Mannered Mikey, Diamond Jim, Da Italian Stallion, Sir Joseph of Cyr, Da Rose, Digger, and others have all left to engage other adventures. Once again, we miss them, but will never forget them, and definitely love all of them.
Da Rock Sends….
Staff Sergeant (Retired) Don F. Murphy, 78, of Parklawn Court, Hopkinsville, Kentucky died at 1:12 a.m. Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville of natural causes. Graveside services were held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, April 24, 2015 at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West and conducted by Rev. Nathan C. Brown. Honorary pallbearers will be Art Garcia, Wendell Green, Gerald Nix, Ron Davidson, Tony Rucci, Judd Haverkost, Joe Carr and Steve Stone.
A native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, he was born February 16, 1937 son of the late Clifford W. Murphy and Pauline Huber Murphy.
A military retiree, Don was a Vietnam veteran and served with the U.S. Army Special Forces and was awarded the Silver Star. He was retired from Civil Service at Fort Campbell , Kentucky . He was a member of First Christian Church and a former troop leader of Boy Scout Troop 13.
He was a life member of the Special Operations Association, Chapter 38, Special Forces Association, the 82nd Airborne Division Association, and V.F.W. Post 1913.
Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Linda Ringe Murphy, two sons; Daniel Murphy, Port Royal, Tennessee and Mark Murphy, Hopkinsville, and a sister, Jean Murphy Laughner of Midwest City, Oklahoma.