Lone Survivor shows true courage

Cover of the New York Times bestseller Lone Survivor

Cover of the New York Times bestseller “Lone Survivor”

Many young men and women go off to Afghanistan or Iraq to fight the war on Terror. When they return however, no one really asks to hear what these men and women encountered during their deployment. When Marcus Luttrell returned home from his tour as a Navy SEAL, he willingly wrote the story of how he lost three brothers in the hostile Hindu Kush Mountains during Operation Redwing. The plan began fine, then out of nowhere, a sheep herder and two of his sons came across Luttrell and his men, Lieutenant Michael Murphy, Matt Axelson and Danny Diets. Due to the Rules of Engagement (ROE), Luttrell and his men could not hurt the three, since they were all unarmed and therefore, not hostile to the group. When the goatherd and his boys were released, they immediately went to the Taliban that were stationed in the small town at the bottom of the mountain what they saw. Luttrell and his men tried to get out, but due to their position in the mountains, their radio would not pick up a signal. The men knew what the outcome would be and setup for the firefight ahead. After making their way down the mountain, all the while being engaged by the rapidly increasing Taliban forces, Luttrell finds that he is the sole survivor and finds a small village that will help.

                After reading this book I couldn’t think. It was heartbreaking and I had no idea how to relate to its contents like most readers do when they read. All I could do is think about how it would’ve been if I put myself in Luttrell’s shoes. How it would’ve felt to go through what he did in the Hindu Kush. After thinking about this, I’ve reached the conclusion that Marcus Luttrell is one of the bravest men I’ve ever seen. He showed true bravery and commitment when him and his team were all caught in the mountains and two, if I had ever met Marcus, I’d thank him for his story and the inspiration that came with it.