Remembering Caryle Murphy, a fearless chronicler of the Gulf
Murphy won a Pulitzer Prize for her reporting from Kuwait
Caryle Murphy, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, passed away at the age of 79 on October 19. Known for her reporting from Kuwait during Iraq's 1990 invasion and the Gulf War, Murphy's focus was always on people rather than conflict reporting. After leaving The Washington Post in 2006, she returned to Saudi Arabia in 2008 where she met the author and got to know a younger generation of Saudis who would later transform their country.
Over dinner, she shared her insights on the humility, detail-oriented approach, and courage needed to be a great journalist. One of her most memorable stories was her dispatch from the Battle of Khafji, where she described how 12 US Marines were trapped by over 600 Iraqi troops before being freed by a joint Saudi-Qatari force. Despite the war's intensity, Murphy remained focused on the people, as evidenced by her recounting of the battle years later with Prince Khaled bin Sultan, a former commander of the Arab forces during the Gulf War.
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