Lone Survivor

The real life story of Marcus Luttrell is today’s “audiobook” – Lone Survivor-- as we road back and forth to PA this weekend.  The story begins with Luttrell’s decision to join the Navy and then to join the Navy SEALs.  Luttrell talks about the pain staking process of the weeks of “hell” that candidates for the SEALs must endure.  It is all about the mental, as many of the toughest and strongest could not endure the mind-numbing activities that the future SEALs must face.  The stories are excruciating, being shot in the face with freezing cold water carrying a boat over your head in sub degree weather or jogging for miles each day with boots and full gear on with little to no water, etc.  Why do they do it?  Luttrell gives a really heart-warming (if you can say that) tale of why and his love for this country and love of God.  After his successful entry into the SEALs, Luttrell is sent to more training and eventually is called into action, right where the story begins, on June 28, 2005, as Luttrell and SEAL Team 10 were assigned to a mission to kill or capture Ahmad Shah, a high-ranking Taliban leader responsible for killings in eastern Afghanistan and the Hindu-Kush mountains. Luttrell’s teams is asked to go out into the territory and are faced with some goat herders from the region and are confused as to what to do with them, kill them or let them go?  (We learn in the book the rather difficult role the armed forces in the region have when determining what to do.  If you kill someone, the locals will go to the media and say – those Americans are killing our innocent people, if they don’t the “innocent people” could end up being informants of the Taliban and will get the armed forces killed).  Luttrell and his team made up of Michael P. Murphy, Danny Dietz, and Matthew Axelson make the wrong decision and the herders contact the Taliban.  The next four days are described in detail through Luttrell and he alone remains alive while his three SEAL team members are killed.  It is a story of heroic proportions. Luttrell speaks freely of the role that God played in allowing him to survive in a “I can’t even believe this is possible” story.  The story was like watching multiple stories from the TV show “24” but better as this is true life.  I just found out that this will be made into a movie, which will probably be one of the few books I have ever read that I think could make a good movie.  This is a definite read book that tells the harrowing story of the guys who protect our country.  Whether you are pro or con military this book illustrates the craziness our armed forces face and should remind each of us we better have some strong support for our guys when they return!