Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor is Marcus Luttrell’s firsthand account of Operation Redwing, a Special Operations mission that went horribly wrong in the Hindu-Kush mountain range of Afghanistan.  On June 28, 2005 Luttrell and his three SEAL teammates were discovered by approximately 200 Taliban fighters.

By the end of the day, Luttrell’s teammates and 16 Special Forces rescue personnel, including 8 SEALs, were killed in action.  That day marks the largest single-day loss of life in Navy SEAL history.

Luttrell suffered broken vertebrae and leg wound from grenade shrapnel during his attempt to evade and escape the Taliban fighters.  Luttrell managed to crawl several miles away from the initial battle when members of a Pashtun Village discovered the SEAL on the outskirts of the village.  Even though the Taliban operated throughout the village, the elder leader did not side with the Taliban and decided to grant Luttrell “Lokhay.”  “Lokhay” is a Pashtun belief that any stranger in need of shelter and support be given it; additionally, when “Lokhay” is granted, the village vows to protect the stranger from all threats, even if it means fighting to the death.  Luttrell did not fully understand that “Lokhay” most definitely saved him from being turned over to the Taliban and being killed.

Six days after the initial battle, the village elder hiked several miles to locate and inform American Military personnel of Luttrell’s location and condition.  He was rescued that evening by Special Forces operators who were searching the nearby vicinity.

It is obvious Luttrell has a deep seated anger against American “Liberal Media,” as he so eloquently labels any thinking left of the Bush Administration.  Much of this anger presents itself in Lone Survivor as Luttrell describes his frustrations with the Rules of Engagement and his fear of persecution by the media if he were to break those Rules of Engagement.

That being said, the story is an excellent account of the real life situations SEALs encounter.  To survive a situation similar to Operation Redwing, one needs plenty of luck.  In addition to luck, one needs to be extremely committed and prepared to sacrifice a great amount.  Luttrell had to work extremely hard to stay alive during his six day “Hell Week.”  Surprisingly enough, communication skills played a crucial role as Luttrell convinced the Pashtun Village he was a doctor and not a “Special Operations” operator.  (If the Taliban had known he was a SEAL, they would have killed every last village member to get to Luttrell).  Three reoccurring themes are evident in SEAL training and real world operations: COMMITMENT, WORK ETHIC, and COMMUNICATION.

I recommend the Lone Survivor account to anyone interested in a real world story of the fore mentioned themes.  Additionally, anyone interested in gaining insight into a world much different from the one we are used too, a dark world that operates on the principles of fear, violence, and terror, should read this book.

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