Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive.

This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. But it is also, more than anything, the story of his teammates, who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left-blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing. Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers.

A six-foot-five-inch Texan, Leading Petty Officer Luttrell takes us, blow-by-blow, through the brutal training of America's warrior elite and the relentless rites of passage required by the Navy SEALs. He transports us to a monstrous battle fought in the desolate peaks of Afghanistan, where the beleaguered American team plummeted headlong a thousand feet down a mountain as they fought back through flying shale and rocks. In this rich , moving chronicle of courage, honor, and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare-and a tribute to his teammates, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Customer Reviews: Read 781 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

ROE costs American Lives June 23, 2007
319 out of 467 found this review helpful

Let me start by saying, even though I'm well past my prime, I'm a big, tough guy. I've been in more than my share of rough situations. What I'm trying to say here is, it's not easy to get me to water up. But this book had me sobbing before I even finished the introduction. Unless you're just absolute pond scum that has no compassion whatsoever for our military, be forewarned this book will definitely have you wiping your eyes more than a few times.
Author Patrick Robinson conveys Petty Officer Luttrell's story magnificently. He is to be commended. You will flip through these pages in a day or two and be unable to put this one down.
I'm not going to spend much time on the story itself. Just read the book. You'll not find many more graphic descriptions of such things as an almost incomprehensible training regimen, the unique brotherhood that develops among men who have trained and fought together (particularly special forces), courage under fire and an incredible network of support for a fallen loved one.
You will have a plethora of personal emotions exposed. For me, I think what drove hardest upon my psyche is the intense hatred I feel after reading this book, not of the Taliban and Al Queda (although they rank right up there in the I freakin' hate your guts department), but rather of two entities right here in America; the National media and the U.S. Congress. This mission cost us twenty-three of our very finest, and those two entities are directly responsible for their deaths and countless others. They should all have their ROE shoved right up their backsides.
Not since our government disbanded the great American military fighting force of WWII in 1945 have they given the military the support needed to win wars. Sure they've provided the proper equipment and training, but then they have sent our troops into battle time after time with their hands tied behind their backs. The guys in Korea got a taste of it. We damned sure got plenty of it in Nam. They sort of allowed the guys in Gulf War I to do their job, but now, it's just over the top.
And then you've got the piece of [...] news media. 98% of those pukes ought to be ,.... Well, okay, I'm ranting now and not reviewing, so let me get a grip. In war there is always an army defending freedom and an army seeking to destroy freedom. Whichever army wins will determine the difference between freedom and slavery for that nation. It's obvious which side many in the news media and in Washington D.C. are pulling for.
Marcus Luttrell is a true American hero. As are his fallen team members. I am thankful Marcus is a U.S. Navy Seal. I am thankful he decided to make this story known. I am thankful to my grandchildren for giving me this book for Father's Day. I have several new names and families to hold in my prayers.

5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Unimaginable June 12, 2007
233 out of 267 found this review helpful

This book takes you inside the Navy SEALs training program in Coronado. You are with Marcus Luttrell throughout BUD/S and Hell Week. You fly with him and his teammates in a C-130 to the Hindu Kush, where the hunt begins for bin Laden's right-hand man. But then it all goes terribly wrong, up there in the mountains of Afghanistan.

This book, written by Patrick Robinson, reads like a fast-paced thriller, told in Marcus's understated voice. It is a rivetting, important, sad story of lost friends, valor, courage and the intricacies of modern war. It is an important book, destined to become an American classic.

5 out of 5 stars

Just Amazing June 20, 2007
145 out of 197 found this review helpful

I remember when this incident happened back in 05 and I had no idea of the amazing story of this Texan, and his involvement in the great crusade of our time. As an Australian, it did not get much newstime over here. Thank you PO Luttrell for your service in the GWOT, and God Bless Australia and the USA, the two greatest nations on Earth, and Texas and Queensland, the two best states to come from.

1 out of 5 stars

Pure garbage August 9, 2007
91 out of 178 found this review helpful

I am an active duty member of the Army, and I am a special operations soldier, so I feel that maybe, just maybe I have a tiny bit of credibility when I talk about things of this nature. I felt this book was pure trash, I would read passages out loud to my team mates and we would all laugh. Mind you, it breaks my heart to hear about Americans dying, I'm not talking about that. What I am talking about is this guy's apparent blame that liberals killed his friends. I was in aw that the officer in charge even suggested killing those goat herders! That IS MURDER! Not because liberals have tied our hands with useless rules, but because they were unarmed civilians! He would have been (and should have been) tried as a murderer, because that's what he would have been. No officer in his right mind would give that command, and most soldiers would recognize that as not being a lawful order. There are about 10 different ways to handle that situation. They made a mistake...that's how it goes sometimes. I'm not even going to get into the absurdity of putting it to a vote; I have no idea when the military became a democracy.
I have been privy to some other issues involving this operation, and it is general opinion that these guys really messed up big time.
I hated this book, it gives special ops a bad name, and I don't suggest it to anyone, god forbid some civilian actually believe the authors load of nonsense.

So go ahead, now post your silly little comments about how un-American I am, or whatever. I'm not impressed, especially if you have never done anything for your country besides keep the T.V. and couch industries in business. I have been serving for quite a while now, and I am confident that my patriotism is in tact. A goat rope operation is a goat rope operation, and poor planning will always produce poor results. And a garbage book is a garbage book.

3 out of 5 stars

Frustrating... July 8, 2007
84 out of 144 found this review helpful

The title of the book creates lofty expectations. "Lone Survivor"...SEAL teams...Afghanistan. It should be hard-hitting and packed to the gills with action, right? Well, sort of. The book takes a good four chapters to get started. We hear about the author's childhood, his SEAL training days, and how everybody and everything involved with SEALs are amazing -- all before we even get to Afghanistan. Over half the book is spent here.
Toss in frequent complaints about 'liberal media" and repeated and tiresome complaints about rules of engagement and the book isn't starting off to well.

When the team lands in Afghanistan, the tempo picks up. They embark on missions into the mountains, encounter bad guys, and do what SEAL teams do. The story becomes more involved and even a bit suspenseful. When they are tasked with finding and killing a certain bad guy, the book becomes gripping. I couldn't put it down when the SEAL team engaged with the bad guys. The entire firefight section of the book -- which spans multiple chapters -- had me hooked.

The book takes a surprising twist in the later chapters of the book -- after the primary firefight. I won't describe the twist but it kept the suspense levels high throughout the remainder of the book.

Sadly, the author's writing style wasn't up to the job. While the plot itself was compelling, the author's incessant need to make everything "super", "great", "amazing" or some other synonym was maddening. It sounded like the author was trying to hype up everything and everybody. If there is any organization that does NOT need to be hyped, it is the SEAL teams.

Finally, this book has portions that almost sound like propaganda. The author frequent complains about liberal media and how they are on a crusade to "get" members of the U.S. Military. He complains about media coverage of Abu Gharab (sp) and how the U.S. Military is being forced to fight with one arm tied behind their backs. These types of complaints are sprinkled throughout the book -- which makes them hard to avoid. While the author might have a point, I didn't buy this book to hear his complaints about liberal media -- I wanted to hear about SEAL team firefights in Afghanistan.

Overall, the plot was great. The writing style and frequent complaints weren't. Would suggest waiting until the paperback as this story isn't worth the $13-$24.95 hardcover price.

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