Marcus Luttrell, Navy Cross
Lone Survivor is Marcus Luttrell's account of a battle in Northern Afghanistan, where the members of his Navy SEAL team were killed in a ferocious battle, and he was stalked for days by the Taliban, who hoped to capture and kill him.
George W. Bush pinned the Navy Cross on Luttrell.
Universal bought the movie rights.
A brief, though not entirely accurate account of the battle, can be found here. That blog page also has many photos and videos on it.
I have a signed copy of Lone Survivor, on loan from LI. Another SEAL said to LI, "You met Luttrell!"
I have been a fanatical reader of military history for many years. The Midland Library had a fantastic collection. I created my own over a period of time, specializing in battleships. I have sold, swapped, or given away boxes of military books. We raised our son on military history, too, buying those huge books on armor, carriers, jets, missiles, and artillery, a good investment.
I have read many accounts of SEAL training and their exploits. I know two SEALs. One told me in class introductions that he was in the Navy. I asked him the ship name and followed by asking what he did. He named the ship and said, "Sharpshooter." I asked the family expert, "How can he be a sharpshooter on a ship?" The response was, "Ask him about BUD/S."
I did, and he confirmed he was a SEAL. That is how modest they are about their past. The other SEAL did the same thing to me, identifying a ship and clamming up. I got more information out of Opus Dei. That is just one characteristic of SEALS and military heroes in general. Another student, very small in stature, told me very little about himself, but later said he did the first military parachute drop into enemy territory since WWII. I had the honor of teaching many military men and women in Yuma (and still do in Arkansas and online). In Yuma I had so many Marines that I would say "Listen up, maggots!" because they were used to verbal abuse and liked it.
Mrs. Ichabod and I met an Army Ranger at the hotel in Yuma, so I told the Marines this story, "I met a Ranger and said the Marines could take him on in a bar fight any time he selected." They said, "That's great, and you will be there to help us."
Two things make Lone Survivor special. I hope it wins many different book awards. One is the co-writer Patrick Robinson, who is one of the best military writers of this age. Every week for a long time I looked for Robinson's latest book to appear at Barnes and Noble. When I saw him listed as the co-writer, I knew this would be a fine book. There are writers and fighters, but precious few writer-fighters.
The second great quality of Lone Survivor is the voice of Marcus Luttrell. Only a gifted writer could cooperate and let the author's true voice come through. LI said the book sounds just like Luttrell, who spoke at a meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas. In NWA, everyone stops by, including Al Gore (sigh).
I have read many accounts of SEAL training, but this is the best one of all. I knew the basics from other books, but this description alone was worth publishing by itself. I also appreciated Luttrell's personal history (Texas) and the support his town gave his grieving parents, when he went missing.
No one can do justice to Luttrell's account of the firefight with the Taliban. Luttrell is a Christian and often gives credit to God for watching over him and his rifle during the battle and the amazing aftermath. He was stalked and should have died, but he continued to evade and escape, until he literally fell into the hands of friendly villagers, who would not give him up to the Taliban. The Taliban did arrive and torture him, but they were kept from capturing and killing him. The entire village risked their lives for this stranger.
One interesting anecdote is the drop of supplies by America, so Luttrell could communicate back to them. He was MIA but not presumed dead. The Taliban captured a cell phone and tried to use it. The military knew the wrong person had it, and used the signal to drop some explosives, lots of them.
Once Luttrell was found by American forces, he provided spotting for aircraft as the Taliban descended upon the surrounded forces. Needless to say, the entire Taliban force was obliterated.
I hope this review is one small contribution in making Lone Survivor a best-seller and military classic.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Lone Survivor - Our Heroic SEALs":
If you like military history, then I'm sure you're familiar with Victor Davis Hanson. His book on the Peloponnesian War, "A War Like No Other" is just brilliant.
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GJ - Someone has improved upon Thucydides account? I will look for the Hanson book. The original, still in print, still makes my hands clammy when I read it. I say to myself, "Calm down. It's over man." I agree with those who say Thucydides is the greatest historian of all time. The greatest in the English language is Gibbon.
