Review – Lone Survivor

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I have just finished a great book.

You are a navy seal. You are inserted into Afghanistan, Taliban territory, your mission to kill a top notorious Taliban leader. Two goat herders stumble upon you. You take them into custody. You have a moral dilemma. Rules of engagement dictate you do not kill unarmed civilians. You know if you let the goat herders go, they will most certainly inform the Taliban. You can kill the goat herders and risk being charged with murder when returning to the United States or you can let them go and know you may be signing your death warrant. The four seal team decided to let the goat herders go. When they did, they realized the mistake they had made. Luttrell, by his account, voted to let the Afghans go. "Not a day goes by that I don't think about that decision," he said. "Not a second goes by."

A short while later, the area was filled with Taliban warriors. It was like Custer's last stand, the four seals were able to kill many of the Taliban, but in the end, the Taliban killed three of the seals. Marcus escaped and remained a fugitive in no-man's land for several weeks. There was another helicopter that was shot down with additional men killed during a rescue attempt. This was the largest loss of life in naval seal history. Marcus was finally sheltered by one of the Afghan villages. They took Marcus in because of an old and ancient tradition called "Lokhay" which dated back thousands of years. This tradition meant the entire village would protect Marcus to the death if need be. Amongst the hatred in an uncivilized world, prejudices were set aside to help an injured man because of a tradition that dated back thousands of years. Maybe there is still hope.

This is the true story of the men fighting the war on terror. Marcus relates the rigorous training required in becoming a seal, and then he recounts the bravery and heroism of four men in the front lines in this war. This book was definitely a page turner. It would make for a good movie, and even more so because it's true. But with Hollywood's anti-military attitude, I doubt it will happen.