Marcus Luttrell is the "Lone Survivor" from Seal Team 10, he holds the memory of all his friends who died fighting along side him and trying to save his life. Being the "Lone Survivor" he has the hold all the weight of their deaths on his shoulders. He is the only one, he is the "Lone Survivor".
The memoir tells the story of Marcus Luttrell, and how his Navy SEAL training, Operation Redwing, and the death of his comrades changed his life forever. It is about how his determination, his will to live, and his faith in God and his country pushed him forward to survive against impossible odds. It speaks of how they were betrayed by the farmers they let live, soon a battle of four Navy SEALS vs over 150 Taliban insurgents began.
His vivid descriptions of the hardships he went through in training and in the fateful Operation make the reader feel like they are right there, in the heat of combat. Even things he only learned about later, like his rescue helicopter full of his closest friends being shot down he manages to capture his feelings about and get them down on text.
Although the book starts in New York, where Marcus is going on a tour around the country in an attempt to console his fallen team mates family members, it flashes back and then forward again. It goes backwards in time to the SEAL Training in Colorado, then to Operation RedWings, then back to his country-wide trip of the United States.
The memoir tells the story of Marcus Luttrell, and how his Navy SEAL training, Operation Redwing, and the death of his comrades changed his life forever. It is about how his determination, his will to live, and his faith in God and his country pushed him forward to survive against impossible odds. It speaks of how they were betrayed by the farmers they let live, soon a battle of four Navy SEALS vs over 150 Taliban insurgents began.
His vivid descriptions of the hardships he went through in training and in the fateful Operation make the reader feel like they are right there, in the heat of combat. Even things he only learned about later, like his rescue helicopter full of his closest friends being shot down he manages to capture his feelings about and get them down on text.
Although the book starts in New York, where Marcus is going on a tour around the country in an attempt to console his fallen team mates family members, it flashes back and then forward again. It goes backwards in time to the SEAL Training in Colorado, then to Operation RedWings, then back to his country-wide trip of the United States.
The book show's how Marcus was ultimately changed by these events in his life, how the training made him a stronger man both mentally and physically, how Red Wings turned his life upside down but strengthened his patriotism and determination to never give up. And how he feels that he can change the lives of the 16 families he visited over his state side tour.
Marcus Luttrell's "Lone Survivor" is by far the best military novel I have ever read, not only does it actively capture the intensity and the heat of the battle. He made you know and love every single one of the characters, and managed to portray how they fought to the death with extreme courage. Although he has very strong views against media, he never swings too far out to one side, making this story enjoyable for both liberals and conservatives alike, despite the disagreements over the war.
He makes it very clear that you can hate the war, hate all that it stands for, hate the president who started it, but he believes you have to pay respects to it's soldiers.
Lines we love:
"Any government that thinks war is somehow fair and subject to rules like a baseball game probably should not get into one. Because nothing’s fair in war, and occasionally the wrong people do get killed. " pg. 142
"You can’t negotiate with someone who is trying to cut your head off" pg 257
