Ryanh1801
Well-Known Member
Just picked this one up a few days ago, and can not put it down.
Lone Survivor. Here is a little back ground.
Surviving SEAL tells story of deadly mission
In the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, 4 SEALs made a tough choice. Only one lived to tell
By Sean D. Naylor - Staff writer
navytimes.com
Posted : Monday Jun 25, 2007 10:21:21 EDT
With the midday sun beating down on them near the top of a mountain in eastern Afghanistan, four Navy SEALs faced an agonizing decision.
Their mission, to reconnoiter a village where a Taliban leader was thought to be holed up, had just been compromised by three goatherds who had almost tripped over the commandos. Now the SEALs were holding the goatherds one a young teenager at gunpoint and deciding whether to kill them or let them go.
The decision they would reach would cost three of the SEALs their lives and leave the fourth feeling cursed for having survived.
Marcus Luttrell, then a petty officer second class, was the lone survivor. This month, he left the Navy as a special warfare operator first class and, with co-author Patrick Robinson, published Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.
The book is a rare look inside a SEAL operation, and covers in detail the fateful decision and the ferocious battle that followed. Instantly among the top 10 sellers on Amazon.com, its description of the decision has already stirred controversy.
Operation Redwing was aimed at capturing or killing Ahmad Shah, a Taliban leader in Kunar province whose attacks had been taking a heavy toll on Marines operating in eastern Afghanistan. The four SEALs Lt. Michael Murphy, Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Matthew Axelson, Gunners Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz and Luttrell were the leading edge of the operation, charged with locating Shah and his forces.
We were to go in, lay up and monitor any movement, Luttrell said in a June 14 interview.
After infiltrating by helicopter June 27, 2005, the SEALs orders were to get eyes on the village, stay in position for 24 to 72 hours and report any sight of Ahmad Shah or his forces. If they spotted him in the village, then the main body was going to come in and take it down thats how we usually did business.
But the four SEALs shared a deep unease about the mission.
The pre-mission intelligence was an area of particular concern to Luttrell. The intel reports were there were anywhere from 80 to 200 Taliban fighters, he said. Thats pretty obtuse. What have I got? Do I have 80 or do I have 200? I need to know. And then the terrain intel kept changing on us. We didnt know whether we were going into rock beds or trees, or both. Luttrell said he and his teammates voiced these concerns during the planning phase of the operation. But its our job to do the mission, no matter what.
After a night spent on a difficult movement up the mountainside to their hide site, the SEALs fears were realized June 28. Within two hours of letting the goatherds go, the special operators found themselves in a fight for their lives, all but surrounded and massively outnumbered by an estimated 140 Taliban fighters.
During this battle, which Luttrell describes in great detail in his book, the SEALs fought heroically against overwhelming odds as they tried to retreat down the mountainside to the flat ground, where they figured they could find cover in the village and hold out until help arrived.
They killed dozens of Taliban, but one by one, the SEALs fell, in each case except for Luttrell fighting on despite being shot several times. In both the book and the interview, Luttrell is determined to emphasize his comrades heroism:
**Dietz, the communications expert, stayed on the high ground with the radio, trying vainly to get out a call for help. He stayed up there, as we fell back, trying to make comms, and he got shot two or three times, Luttrell said. He got the mike blown out of his hand. Shot five times, Dietz was still firing when a sixth bullet caught him in the head. He died instantly in Luttrells arms. Dietz received the Navy Cross posthumously for his actions.
**Murphy was shot in the stomach early in the fight, but kept leading his men, before being shot again in the chest. Then he exposed himself to enemy fire in order to make a last-ditch satellite phone call back to the headquarters in Bagram, pleading for a quick reaction force to be sent. Luttrell describes Murphy being shot in the back as he made the call, slumping forward and then continuing the conversation Roger that, sir. Thank you. before returning to his position and firing at the Taliban. He is being considered for the Medal of Honor for his actions.
**Axelson, wounded first in the chest and then, mortally, in the head, fought on alone after becoming separated from Luttrell, expending two more magazines before succumbing to his wounds. He received the Navy Cross posthumously.
The battle went from bad to worse when the Taliban shot down the MH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying the quick reaction force, killing all 16 personnel on board eight SEALs and eight aviators from the Armys 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
But Luttrell survived knocked unconscious by a rocket-propelled grenade after Dietz and Murphy were killed and Axelson mortally wounded, he managed to stay hidden until he was given shelter by Pashtun tribesmen who risked their lives to save him from the Taliban. Several days later, a combined team of Army Rangers and Special Forces rescued him, and an Air Force helicopter flew him to safety.
Luttrells physical wounds, which included a broken wrist, a broken nose and three cracked vertebrae, healed faster than his mental wounds. In the book, he describes suffering nightmares every night in which he is haunted by Murphys dying screams.
Call it
For the lone surviving SEAL of Operation Redwing, it all comes back to the decision he and his comrades made on the mountainside. According to his books account, the SEALs thought they had only two choices: kill the three goatherds, or let them go.
None of the four SEALs had much experience in this situation. They were three months into the deployment and were already veterans of missions that Luttrell said numbered in the double figures. We had never been compromised before, Luttrell said. That was a reputation that we were proud of, that we had never been walked on. But we got walked on this time.
For Murphy, Luttrell and Axelson, the Afghanistan deployment was their first taste of combat, Luttrell said, adding that he was not sure whether Dietz had done a previous tour to Afghanistan or Iraq. (Naval Special Warfare Command spokesman Lt. Steve Ruh said whether Dietz or any of the other SEALs had prior combat experience was highly classified.)
Although the possibility of being compromised had been discussed in preparations for the mission, there was no set plan for how to handle such an eventuality, Luttrell said. It had to be an on-scene call, due to the severity of the compromise, the location of the compromise, how many people had walked on us, he said.
As Luttrell relates in Lone Survivor, Murphy first tried to raise the SEAL tactical operations center at Bagram on the radio for guidance. He couldnt connect. Then Murphy made an on-scene call: He put the decision to a vote. He would not impose his decision on the others.
Lone Survivor. Here is a little back ground.
Surviving SEAL tells story of deadly mission
In the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, 4 SEALs made a tough choice. Only one lived to tell
By Sean D. Naylor - Staff writer
navytimes.com
Posted : Monday Jun 25, 2007 10:21:21 EDT
With the midday sun beating down on them near the top of a mountain in eastern Afghanistan, four Navy SEALs faced an agonizing decision.
Their mission, to reconnoiter a village where a Taliban leader was thought to be holed up, had just been compromised by three goatherds who had almost tripped over the commandos. Now the SEALs were holding the goatherds one a young teenager at gunpoint and deciding whether to kill them or let them go.
The decision they would reach would cost three of the SEALs their lives and leave the fourth feeling cursed for having survived.
Marcus Luttrell, then a petty officer second class, was the lone survivor. This month, he left the Navy as a special warfare operator first class and, with co-author Patrick Robinson, published Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.
The book is a rare look inside a SEAL operation, and covers in detail the fateful decision and the ferocious battle that followed. Instantly among the top 10 sellers on Amazon.com, its description of the decision has already stirred controversy.
Operation Redwing was aimed at capturing or killing Ahmad Shah, a Taliban leader in Kunar province whose attacks had been taking a heavy toll on Marines operating in eastern Afghanistan. The four SEALs Lt. Michael Murphy, Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Matthew Axelson, Gunners Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz and Luttrell were the leading edge of the operation, charged with locating Shah and his forces.
We were to go in, lay up and monitor any movement, Luttrell said in a June 14 interview.
After infiltrating by helicopter June 27, 2005, the SEALs orders were to get eyes on the village, stay in position for 24 to 72 hours and report any sight of Ahmad Shah or his forces. If they spotted him in the village, then the main body was going to come in and take it down thats how we usually did business.
But the four SEALs shared a deep unease about the mission.
The pre-mission intelligence was an area of particular concern to Luttrell. The intel reports were there were anywhere from 80 to 200 Taliban fighters, he said. Thats pretty obtuse. What have I got? Do I have 80 or do I have 200? I need to know. And then the terrain intel kept changing on us. We didnt know whether we were going into rock beds or trees, or both. Luttrell said he and his teammates voiced these concerns during the planning phase of the operation. But its our job to do the mission, no matter what.
After a night spent on a difficult movement up the mountainside to their hide site, the SEALs fears were realized June 28. Within two hours of letting the goatherds go, the special operators found themselves in a fight for their lives, all but surrounded and massively outnumbered by an estimated 140 Taliban fighters.
During this battle, which Luttrell describes in great detail in his book, the SEALs fought heroically against overwhelming odds as they tried to retreat down the mountainside to the flat ground, where they figured they could find cover in the village and hold out until help arrived.
They killed dozens of Taliban, but one by one, the SEALs fell, in each case except for Luttrell fighting on despite being shot several times. In both the book and the interview, Luttrell is determined to emphasize his comrades heroism:
**Dietz, the communications expert, stayed on the high ground with the radio, trying vainly to get out a call for help. He stayed up there, as we fell back, trying to make comms, and he got shot two or three times, Luttrell said. He got the mike blown out of his hand. Shot five times, Dietz was still firing when a sixth bullet caught him in the head. He died instantly in Luttrells arms. Dietz received the Navy Cross posthumously for his actions.
**Murphy was shot in the stomach early in the fight, but kept leading his men, before being shot again in the chest. Then he exposed himself to enemy fire in order to make a last-ditch satellite phone call back to the headquarters in Bagram, pleading for a quick reaction force to be sent. Luttrell describes Murphy being shot in the back as he made the call, slumping forward and then continuing the conversation Roger that, sir. Thank you. before returning to his position and firing at the Taliban. He is being considered for the Medal of Honor for his actions.
**Axelson, wounded first in the chest and then, mortally, in the head, fought on alone after becoming separated from Luttrell, expending two more magazines before succumbing to his wounds. He received the Navy Cross posthumously.
The battle went from bad to worse when the Taliban shot down the MH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying the quick reaction force, killing all 16 personnel on board eight SEALs and eight aviators from the Armys 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
But Luttrell survived knocked unconscious by a rocket-propelled grenade after Dietz and Murphy were killed and Axelson mortally wounded, he managed to stay hidden until he was given shelter by Pashtun tribesmen who risked their lives to save him from the Taliban. Several days later, a combined team of Army Rangers and Special Forces rescued him, and an Air Force helicopter flew him to safety.
Luttrells physical wounds, which included a broken wrist, a broken nose and three cracked vertebrae, healed faster than his mental wounds. In the book, he describes suffering nightmares every night in which he is haunted by Murphys dying screams.
Call it
For the lone surviving SEAL of Operation Redwing, it all comes back to the decision he and his comrades made on the mountainside. According to his books account, the SEALs thought they had only two choices: kill the three goatherds, or let them go.
None of the four SEALs had much experience in this situation. They were three months into the deployment and were already veterans of missions that Luttrell said numbered in the double figures. We had never been compromised before, Luttrell said. That was a reputation that we were proud of, that we had never been walked on. But we got walked on this time.
For Murphy, Luttrell and Axelson, the Afghanistan deployment was their first taste of combat, Luttrell said, adding that he was not sure whether Dietz had done a previous tour to Afghanistan or Iraq. (Naval Special Warfare Command spokesman Lt. Steve Ruh said whether Dietz or any of the other SEALs had prior combat experience was highly classified.)
Although the possibility of being compromised had been discussed in preparations for the mission, there was no set plan for how to handle such an eventuality, Luttrell said. It had to be an on-scene call, due to the severity of the compromise, the location of the compromise, how many people had walked on us, he said.
As Luttrell relates in Lone Survivor, Murphy first tried to raise the SEAL tactical operations center at Bagram on the radio for guidance. He couldnt connect. Then Murphy made an on-scene call: He put the decision to a vote. He would not impose his decision on the others.