Family mourns 25-year-old US diplomat killed in Afghanistan

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KABUL, Afghanistan –  Anne Smedinghoff had a quiet ambition and displayed a love of global affairs from an early age, joining the U.S. Foreign Service straight out of college and volunteering for missions in perilous locations worldwide.

So when the 25-year-old suburban Chicago woman was killed Saturday in southern Afghanistan — the first American diplomat to die on the job since last year's attack in Benghazi, Libya — her family took solace in the fact that she died doing something she loved.

"It was a great adventure for her ... She loved it," her father, Tom Smedinghoff, told The Associated Press on Sunday. "She was tailor-made for this job."

Anne Smedinghoff grew up in River Forest, Ill. — an upscale suburb about 10 miles west of Chicago — the daughter of an attorney and the second of four children. She attended the highly selective Fenwick High School, followed by Johns Hopkins University, where she studied international relations and became a key organizer of the university's annual Foreign Affairs Symposium in 2008. The event draws high-profile speakers from around the world.

Those who knew Smedinghoff described her as a positive, hard-working and dependable young woman.

While a student in Baltimore, she worked part time for Sam Hopkins, an attorney near campus. He described her as ambitious "but in a wonderfully quiet, modest way."

Her first assignment for the foreign service was in Caracas, Venezuela, and she volunteered for the Afghanistan assignment after that. Her father said family members would tease her about signing up for a less dangerous location, maybe London or Paris.

"She said, 'What would I do in London or Paris? It would be so boring,'" her father recalled. In her free time, she would travel as much as possible, her father said.

Smedinghoff was an up-and-coming employee of the State Department who garnered praise from the highest ranks. She was to finish her Afghanistan assignment as a press officer in July. Already fluent in Spanish, she was gearing up to learn Arabic, first for a year in the U.S. and then in Cairo, before a two-year assignment in Algeria.

Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday at a news conference in Turkey that Smedinghoff was "vivacious, smart" and "capable." Smedinghoff had assisted Kerry during a visit to Afghanistan two weeks ago.

He also described Smedinghoff as "a selfless, idealistic woman who woke up yesterday morning and set out to bring textbooks to school children, to bring them knowledge."

Her father said they knew the assignments were dangerous, though she spent most of her time at the U.S. Embassy compound. Trips outside were in heavily armored convoys — as was Saturday's trip that killed five Americans, including Smedinghoff.

"It's like a nightmare, you think will go away and it's not," he said. "We keep saying to ourselves, we're just so proud of her, we take consolation in the fact that she was doing what she loved."

Friends remembered her Sunday for her charity work too.

Smedinghoff participated in a 2009 cross-country bike ride for The 4K for Cancer — part of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults — according to the group. She served on the group's board of directors after the ride from Baltimore to San Francisco.

"She was an incredible young woman. She was always optimistic," said Ryan Hanley, a founder of the group. "She always had a smile on her face and incredible devotion to serving others."

Funeral arrangements for Smedinghoff are pending.

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Documentary 'MURPH: The Protector' tells true story of hero soldier in Afghanistan

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LOS ANGELES –  It’s not your typical Hollywood fare, but “MURPH: The Protector” is bound to tug at every heartstring.

This new feature-length documentary tells the emotional, true life tale of fallen U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, a young serviceman who gave his life to save his brothers in combat during a 2005 operation in Afghanistan. Patched together by personal memories voiced from those closest to him, the film paints a picture of a hero far beyond Tinseltown’s fictionalized accounts.

“There is a lack of family-safe material that shows the good side of man,” director Scott Mactavish told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. “I hope viewers have a greater appreciation of the sacrifices made not only by the troops, but of those made by their friends and family back home. SEALs aren’t comic book characters. They are real men with families, friends and lives outside the military. They come in all shapes and sizes, but are all incredibly driven and committed.”

Fondly referred to by his peers and loved ones as “Murph,” the New York-raised, Penn State graduate declined law school offers to instead serve his country. In 2005, Lt. Murphy was put in-charge of a four-man SEAL element in support of Operation Red Wing, tasked with finding important anti-coalition militia commander. While in the objective area, the SEALs were detected by goat herders and an intense gun battle was soon ignited with a much larger enemy force. Realizing that it was impossible to make contact with headquarters while firing back from the protection of mountain terrain, Murphy unhesitatingly moved out into prime target view so he could use his satellite device and call in help for his team.

While continuing to be fired upon, as detailed in “MURPH: The Protector,” Murphy made contact with the SOF Quick Reaction Force and provided his unit’s location. A shot in the back caused him to fall and drop the transmitter, and yet he picked it back up and calmly completed the call as the enemy -- and its weaponry -- closed in.

“Roger that, sir,” were his final words once he had given all the necessarily details. “And thank you.”

Murphy’s selfless act attracted great attention at the time, and he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2007. But turning the moving account into a motion picture proved no easy task.

“This story is incredibly compelling and therefore easy to tell,” Mactavish explained. “But as a non-Hollywood guy, fundraising was incredibly difficult.”

Yet if all goes well during the film’s theatrical run, the filmmakers hope to finalize a deal to make the movie available on military bases, in addition to a foreign distribution deal. A portion of the proceeds from the film will go to Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation, which was formed by his family after his death in 2005.

But above all, the forces behind the film simply hope that audiences gain a deeper understanding of who we should really be revering here in America.

“It is nice in this age of the generating of celebrities and people that have contributed nothing to this world, that someone like Michael Murphy, someone who is such a ridiculously, unbelievable individual, now has people looking up to him,” one of his friends says in the documentary. “He is the type of person people should look up to, and that they should name things after.”

“MURPH: The Protector” premieres at select Regal Entertainment Group Theaters on Friday, March 22nd.

MURPH: The Protector - Official Trailer [HD] from Mactavish Pictures on Vimeo.

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US general reveals he sought far more troops in Afghanistan than being considered

The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East testified Tuesday that he initially envisioned keeping 20,000 troops in Afghanistan beyond the 2014 end of combat operations, revealing a recommendation that would be sharply at odds with the administration's policy. 

Gen. James Mattis, head of U.S. Central Command -- who reportedly is being pushed out early by the Obama administration -- testified Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. 

He said he wanted to keep 13,600 U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014, with NATO making up the rest. 

"We have to send a message of commitment," Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee. 

But the number is far more than the White House would like. U.S. and NATO leaders said last month that they may keep between 8,000 and 12,000 troops in Afghanistan after combat troops leave by Dec. 31, 2014. At a NATO meeting in Brussels, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta acknowledged the range being considered, but noted that no final decision has been made. 

Fox News has learned that the administration's desired post-2014 troop presence does not exceed 10,000. 

It is rare for senior military officials to reveal their personal White House recommendations in congressional testimony. Doing so potentially puts the White House in the uncomfortable position of having to acknowledge they decided against the recommendation of military leadership. 

Earlier this year, it was reported that Mattis was pushed out of his CENTCOM post over disagreements with Obama administration officials over policies toward Iran and other international issues. The Pentagon, though, strongly disputed the claim. 

In his testimony Tuesday, Mattis also said the current sanctions and diplomatic efforts to stop Iran from gaining nuclear capabilities are not working. 

Mattis said Iran is at the point of "enriching uranium beyond and plausible peaceful purpose."  He called 2013 the "year of reckoning" with regards to Iran's nuclear program. 

The comment comes after Vice President Biden, speaking at the annual conference for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, said President Obama is "not bluffing" on the threat of using military force to stop Iran's nuclear program. 

Fox News' Justin Fishel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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