Post by dustdevil28 on May 18, 2008 6:45:50 GMT -8
Recently at work a LT and I were talking a bit about books and what we'd read recently. She told me that she just finished this book about a SEAL team that had been nearly wiped out on a reconn mission in Afghanistan and she said she thought I'd like it. Boy, was that an understatement.
The author of the book, Marcus Luttrell, was a SEAL who joined the Navy in 1999. He had served admirably with other SEALs in Iraq when his team got the call to be deployed to Afghanistan with their mission being to servey and track high value targets where ever they may pop up mostly in Konar Province. Some months after they were there the main focus of some of their intel started to center around a top level Taliban commander whom Luttrell refers to by the fake name of Ben Sharmak. This Sharmak was a very elusive figure and typically commanded and always had near him no less than 80 fighters at a time.
The operation to located and capture this man was dubbed Operation Red Wing and was called off twice when Intel at the last second received conflicting reports of Sharmak's whereabouts. When they got the call the third time Luttrell and 3 other SEALs flew out under cover of darkness and hiked to what they figured would be a good observation point. The next day they were doing their job and observing the village though to have Sharmak in it when by chance three Afghan goathearders walked up on them. They debated what they should do with the Afghans, and fearing being brought up on murder charges if they killed them, they made what Luttell calls "... the stupidest, most southern-fried, lamebrained decision I ever made in my life..." and released the goathearders.
Shortly afterwards the goathearders ran to the informed the Taliban forces of the SEALs presence. The Taliban than sent what is estimated to be no less than 140 men to hunt for the SEALs. when the SEALs were found a fierce firefight ensued with the SEALs firing and falling back while at the same time trying, and failing, to reach their command on the radio. The Taliban kept coming, quickly replacing their mounting losses, determined to do whatever it took to kill these four brave men. One SEAL, after being shot four times, was still firing back at the Taliban before a fifth shot did him in. Another SEAL was mortally wounded by a head shot, but was still fighting back at the Taliban and is believed to have survived a RPG blast long enough to empty two more clips of his pistol before he was gunned down. The third SEAL, the LT in charge of the team, was mortally wounded by a chest shot as he walked into open fire to make a cell phone call back to base to try and get help. Despite this wound he to kept fighting against the Taliban, killing more and more of them, before his wounds overcame him.
Luttrell around this time was blasted from his position, with his fellow SEAL with the head wound, by the earlier mentioned RPG round. When he came to he realized he was in a covered area and that the Taliban knew he was out there, but not where he was. His left leg was battered pretty good so he crawled up a shear mountain into a cave that provided good cover and waited for the sun to go down. He climbed over the mountain throughout the night with the Taliban coming after him, surviving brief skermishes and continuing to crawl forward and around. The next day was much like this and he was even at one point shot in the leg by an unseen Taliban sniper, but later killed the sniper along with his spotter. Dealing with extreme dehydration and multiple injuries he was later miraculously discovered by friendly Afghans near a waterfall. He told them he was a doctor and they agreed to shelter him from the Taliban until he could be returned to an American base. Later the town he was staying in was surrounded by Taliban, who only did not attack because they didn't wish to alienate the mountain towns they needed for support.
For five tense days Luttrell stayed in the town and interacted with the kids before he was recovered by Army Rangers. He was given permission to publish this book to tell of the heroism of his fallen shipmates and of the incredible tale afterwards of survival to include being given shelter and protection by a village in the heart of his enemies territory.
To say this book is a good read would not do it justice. It is inspirational. A warriors tale that grabs your attention and does not let it go until the final pages are read. I hope you all get this book the next time your shopping. It's a war story that everyone should read about.
EDIT: Found this interview with PO1 Luttrell.
The author of the book, Marcus Luttrell, was a SEAL who joined the Navy in 1999. He had served admirably with other SEALs in Iraq when his team got the call to be deployed to Afghanistan with their mission being to servey and track high value targets where ever they may pop up mostly in Konar Province. Some months after they were there the main focus of some of their intel started to center around a top level Taliban commander whom Luttrell refers to by the fake name of Ben Sharmak. This Sharmak was a very elusive figure and typically commanded and always had near him no less than 80 fighters at a time.
The operation to located and capture this man was dubbed Operation Red Wing and was called off twice when Intel at the last second received conflicting reports of Sharmak's whereabouts. When they got the call the third time Luttrell and 3 other SEALs flew out under cover of darkness and hiked to what they figured would be a good observation point. The next day they were doing their job and observing the village though to have Sharmak in it when by chance three Afghan goathearders walked up on them. They debated what they should do with the Afghans, and fearing being brought up on murder charges if they killed them, they made what Luttell calls "... the stupidest, most southern-fried, lamebrained decision I ever made in my life..." and released the goathearders.
Shortly afterwards the goathearders ran to the informed the Taliban forces of the SEALs presence. The Taliban than sent what is estimated to be no less than 140 men to hunt for the SEALs. when the SEALs were found a fierce firefight ensued with the SEALs firing and falling back while at the same time trying, and failing, to reach their command on the radio. The Taliban kept coming, quickly replacing their mounting losses, determined to do whatever it took to kill these four brave men. One SEAL, after being shot four times, was still firing back at the Taliban before a fifth shot did him in. Another SEAL was mortally wounded by a head shot, but was still fighting back at the Taliban and is believed to have survived a RPG blast long enough to empty two more clips of his pistol before he was gunned down. The third SEAL, the LT in charge of the team, was mortally wounded by a chest shot as he walked into open fire to make a cell phone call back to base to try and get help. Despite this wound he to kept fighting against the Taliban, killing more and more of them, before his wounds overcame him.
Luttrell around this time was blasted from his position, with his fellow SEAL with the head wound, by the earlier mentioned RPG round. When he came to he realized he was in a covered area and that the Taliban knew he was out there, but not where he was. His left leg was battered pretty good so he crawled up a shear mountain into a cave that provided good cover and waited for the sun to go down. He climbed over the mountain throughout the night with the Taliban coming after him, surviving brief skermishes and continuing to crawl forward and around. The next day was much like this and he was even at one point shot in the leg by an unseen Taliban sniper, but later killed the sniper along with his spotter. Dealing with extreme dehydration and multiple injuries he was later miraculously discovered by friendly Afghans near a waterfall. He told them he was a doctor and they agreed to shelter him from the Taliban until he could be returned to an American base. Later the town he was staying in was surrounded by Taliban, who only did not attack because they didn't wish to alienate the mountain towns they needed for support.
For five tense days Luttrell stayed in the town and interacted with the kids before he was recovered by Army Rangers. He was given permission to publish this book to tell of the heroism of his fallen shipmates and of the incredible tale afterwards of survival to include being given shelter and protection by a village in the heart of his enemies territory.
To say this book is a good read would not do it justice. It is inspirational. A warriors tale that grabs your attention and does not let it go until the final pages are read. I hope you all get this book the next time your shopping. It's a war story that everyone should read about.
EDIT: Found this interview with PO1 Luttrell.
