WARNING, Keep in mind the title of the book "Eyewitness Account"

books:


	• Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 Marcus Luttrell Little, Brown and Company, 2007 - 390 pages average customer review:based on 700 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Incredible war stories

I have read a lot of war books, and I do not think I have ever read a more gripping account of prolonged close combat than "Lone Survivor." The way these four guys fought off a determined taliban force is just an amazing testament to the SEALs' fighting ability and their valor. Luttrell's survival of the battle and continued survival in the Pashtun mountain village are so unlikely that one can't help but think this is a work of fiction, except you know it actually happened. I must admit, I skipped the entire section on the SEALs' training regimen. It kind of goes without saying that there training is over the top insanity at the highest level, to get these guys ready for anything. The book definitely raises a lot of questions about the setting of the battle. Luttrell and his buddies all had serious misgivings about operation Redwing, but none of them voiced any of this to their superiors. This operation indeed seemed doomed from the start. And this doesn't make sense, as one gets the impression the SEALS themselves were deciding on the operations to conduct. If they all felt this operation was doomed, why did they do it without a protest? I know soldiers are to follow orders, but why weren't the orders questioned? And how good was the intel, if they didn't even know that sheep herders used the terrain they would be on? The bottom line, is some of our finest troops were lost on a mission they never should have been on. And while you have to admire the courage of the rescue troops who died on the helicopter, one can't help but feel such an ill advised mountain landing should have been avoided. I say these things out of the profound sadness over the deaths of all these men. I understand the "don't leave a man behind" mentality, but more care needs to be taken to make sure these warriors are not put into no-win situations.

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A riveting tale of heroism and survival

What an amazing story. An absolute must-read for anyone interested in hearing first-hand account of soldiers and their experiences in afghanistan. I think it is an important reminder of the heroism and dedication of these soldiers.

Liberals who read this book are going to take issue with the author's stance on the media, ROE, and God. I'll just tell you that upfront. If you are not opposed to hearing the authors opinion on these subjects, then I think you may even end up liking the book.

He is so passionate and opinionated on these subjects that I think it may detract from the ability of the book to raise questions about how we are handling this war and the enemies we fight.

I find that this book - the SEALs experience, the moral dilemma they faced in the battlefield, and the consequences of their decision an important read for everyone - whether you agree with his politics or not.

I'm going to give away a bit of the story now, so if you don't want anything ruined, I suggest you stop reading right now.

There comes a turning point in their mission when they encounter three unarmed goat herders. They have a decision to make. Do they kill them right then and there and face the consequences at home, or do they let them go and risk the herders telling the Taliban about their presence, their numbers and location?

Some reviewers try to wriggle their way out of making this decision by bringing out other possibilities - possibilities which were not there. They couldn't take the goat herders prisoner or take them with them. It was broad daylight - the Taliban could be anywhere, watching them at anytime. They couldn't risk it. They did try to call HQ and ask what they should do - but got no reply. They couldn't just get airlifted out of there ASAP because there is no place for the helicopter to land in the immediate vicinity. The journey to a safe location was miles away. A journey they couldn't make in the broad daylight because of the lack of cover and the fear of being spotted by the Taliban.

Anyway, so back to the dilemma. Do they kill the goat herders, a violation of the Rules of Engagement which state that you cannot kill unarmed civilians or even unarmed combatants. Or, do they let them go, risking their mission and their lives. Their first instinct is to kill them, in fact, deep down, they know thats what they should do. However, because they were afraid of being labeled and tried as murderers back home, they made the decision to let them go. And that decision cost them their lives.

I think this is where we need to stop and think. Do we think they made the right decision? Were the lives of the goat herders worth more than the three Navy SEALS (I'm going to leave out the soldiers that were killed in the helicopter crash because I feel that their deaths were not necessarily a direct consequence of the decision to let the goat herders free)?

I'm not saying that we should give the soldiers free reign to murder, rape, and pillage. Definitely not. But, when soldiers encounter grey areas such as these SEALs encountered, should we stand up for them when they opt for their own safety over following the ROE? Or, should we follow the ROE at any cost? Obviously Lutrell has his own opinions on the subject. He is a soldier, and he saw many of his best friends killed as a result of ROE.

I think this book does bring up some important points of debate and I wish people whose politics differed from the authors would be more open minded and rather than becoming defensive or put off, they would try to understand where the author was coming from rather than immediately writing him off as brainwashed, dumb, or arrogant.

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WARNING, Keep in mind the title of the book "Eyewitness Account"

After reading some of the reviews of this book on Amazon, I think a lot of people fell into the same trap that I did. I purchased this book hoping for a 360 degree view of this incident (i.e. Black Hawk Down), with a story line of not only the 4 seals on the ground but more detail on how the mission got picked, what was the plan if they got into trouble, and more importantly what was going on behind the scenes as this thing fell apart and the call was made for help. I guess, like many people I was expecting an expanded view of the situation and everyone involved, but like the title of the book states this is "The Eyewitness Account...." of this event. So Luttrell was not an eyewitness to the stuff going on behind the scenes, and so his story is about what he actually experienced. I can say without a doubt you will be floored by what this guy and his team went through. I don't think Hollywood could make up a story this intense and horrific and not have us all say "Come on, one person could not have had all this happen to him". But it did happen and the fact that he survived this ordeal is absolutely amazing.

I must admit I had a problem reconciling that these 4 highly trained guys, would take time to rant about the liberal media while making such an important decision on top of the Hindu Kush, which ultimately sealed their fate. In the end it seems as though their own conscious and Christian fatih drove them to their decision and not the liberal media.

The second half of this book is 6 out of 5 stars, but the first half is 2-3 stars out of 5 (though you will have a bigger appreciation for the supermen these Seals are after reading about the training they go through). Which is why I gave it a 4 star rating.

For me and many others I think we were hoping for broader more researched view of the incident, but the book is not called "The Full Account of ...", it is called "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of ...". So if you get through the first half of the book, the second half of the book is one of the most unbelievable stories of survival that I have ever read.

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WHAT GUYS MUST DO TO BECOME A NAVY SEAL!

A friend was reading this book and I picked it up at an airport lay-over having a friend who's son became a SEAL a few years ago.

The odds of completing this most rigorus training among ALL the servies and earning the priviledge of wearing the Navy Trident, are very unlikly.
This writer tells in page flipping detail what they must indure and those few who tolerate the unbelievable 24/7 punishment and make it past Hell Week probably will graduate. Sometimes less than 20% make it and these SEAL recruits are seasoned soldiers and most have made it through other demanding physical training including Rangers, Marine training ...some of the guys are even trying it for the second time! One comes away with the greatest respect and graditude for these Special Operations voluntered American Soldiers. No wonder they are respected around the world. Beyong True Grit.

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Short, sweet, and to the point

I don't care what a persons political views are, this is a must read. I also don't care if Marcus Luttrell is not Hemingway, that is not the point of this book. Thank you to all the people who recognized this book for what it was instead of tearing it apart for something it wasn't even trying to be. Thank you Mr. Luttell for writing your story.

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