Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B007Z96MMO | Format: EPUB
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 Description
Four US Navy SEALS departed one clear night in early July, 2005 for the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border for a reconnaissance mission. Their task was to document the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumored to have a small army in a Taliban stronghold. Five days later, only one of those Navy SEALS made it out alive.
This is the story of the only survivor of Operation Redwing, SEAL team leader Marcus Luttrell, and the extraordinary firefight that led to the largest loss of life in American Navy SEAL history. His squadmates fought valiantly beside him until he was the only one left alive, blasted by an RPG into a place where his pursuers could not find him. Over the next four days, terribly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains and was taken in by sympathetic villagers who risked their lives to keep him safe from surrounding Taliban warriors.
A born and raised Texan, Marcus Luttrell takes us from the rigors of SEAL training, where he and his fellow SEALs discovered what it took to join the most elite of the American special forces, to a fight in the desolate hills of Afghanistan for which they never could have been prepared. His account of his squadmates' heroism and mutual support renders an experience for which two of his squadmates were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for combat heroism that is both heartrending and life-affirming. In this rich chronicle of courage and sacrifice, honor and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers a powerful narrative of modern war.
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 14 hours and 21 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: May 1, 2012
- Whispersync for Voice: Ready
- Language: English
- ASIN: B007Z96MMO
Right before I bought this book, I heard all the promotional "buzz" and "word of mouth" associated with it. When I started reading it, after the first 60-70 pages, which were kind of boring, I was saying to myself, "woe, were they really talking about this book, it's kind of boring!" Then we got to Navy Seal training. Ladies and Gentlemen, (Future readers.) I recommend you fasten your seat belts, fasten your chest harness, and it probably is good advice, to put a pillow behind your neck to protect you from whiplash! This story, then rockets non-stop for the next 320 pages. I'm a U.S. Veteran, and I thought my basic training was pretty tough. But after reading this book, I realize, I probably wasn't in basic training, I was on some kind of holiday, and instead of cussing out my drill instructor every night, I should have been sending him candy and flowers. Basic Seal training is tough, but they're just getting warmed up with some basics, such as: "they just bound our ankles together and then bound our wrists together behind our backs and shoved us into the deep end (Of the pool). This caused a certain amount of panic, but our instructions were clear: Take a huge gulp of air and drop to the bottom of the pool in the standing position. Hold it there for at least a minute, bob up for new air, then drop back down for another minute, or more if you could." All along the way, the instructors are declaring that most of the potential Seals won't be here at graduation, they'll either be thrown out, or quit. (Note: Only 30 of the original 180 made it!) A number of these highly motivated seamen dropped out during basic Seal training, and now.. And now... we get to "HELL WEEK"! I will attempt to briefly summarize "Hell Week" for you.
This book was recommended to me by someone I deeply respect. I'm not a military person so I have no basis of relativity here but suffice it to say I am proud to be an American and have guys such as this doing what they do best.
I read this book in one day. Start to finish. I couldn't put the thing down. It's that intriguing. You often hear about the SEALs but never really get to hear stories (or at least I don't) about the operations they go on. Yeah, they're dangerous but that's about all you get. You hear about their training and how they've gone through hell and back and the need to prepare but you don't really understand why. Maybe that's just me being a naive civilian (I'm sure other military folks understand firsthand) but I can tell you, reading this book gave me a much different perspective on what an "operation" is.
Again, I'm not a military buff. I've thought the military is absolutely something we need but this book isn't about rah-rah-rah go America, it's about the journey of one man - Marcus Luttrell - from his pre-training days, through the BUD/S training, then right on into Operation Redwing which brought him and his team into one of the most fierce battles I've ever read or heard about.
This story makes you want to cheer and cry at the same time. I turned the last page and was awestruck. Proud to be part of a country where Service, Loyalty, Honesty and Integrity still mean something and that we have a duty to thank and remember our military service members.
Coming face-to-face with Taliban and having to survive - sometimes with a bit of luck (maybe this is a higher power watching down, who knows) - six days in the backcountry, seeing your team members KIA, I can't even imagine it.
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