BOOK REVIEW: Lone Survivor

I just listened to an amazing story called, Lone Survivor, by Marcus Luttrell.  I listened to it while I ran.  I wondered if anyone noticed me bawling my eyes out while running along.  I didn't care, it was terrific and compelling and very graphic.  It kind of rips your heart out.  It also made me feel frustration with the rules of engagement placed on our troops by those who have no idea what battle is about.  (politicians)  I went to the Amazon website to see what their take on it was.  Here is a product description they posted.  (And by the way, there were 631 customer reviews and the total stars they give is 5.  478 of those were 5 stars and the rest were lower.)

On a clear night in Late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs lift their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border.  Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force.  Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive.

This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history.  but is is also, more than anything, the story of his teammates, who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left-blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing.  Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaida assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers.

A six-foot-five-inch Texan Leading Petty Officer Luttrell takes us, blow-by-blow, through the brutal training of America's warrior elite and the relentless rites of passage required by the Navy SEALs.  He transports us to a monstrous battle fought in the desolate peaks of Afghanistan, where the beleaguered American team plummeted headlong a thousand feet down a mountain as the fought back through flying shale and rocks.  In this rich, moving chronicle of courage, honor, and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare-and a tribute to his teammates, who make the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

That took me a while to type.  Anyway, read it!  It is enthralling to say the least.  Thank you Marcus Luttrell and the others who are fighting in the war for the sake of a better world.