Review: Lone Survivor

I have been anxiously waiting to seeing the movie Lone Survivor, so that I could write this review for both the movie and the book at the same time. I apologize in advance for the length of this review, but I have a lot to say on this particular book. Also, this review contains many spoilers, please wait until you have A. Read the book or B. Watched the movie before you read this.

As most of you are probably aware, the book focuses on Marcus Luttrell’s journey through making it as a Navy Seal. As a matter of fact the book is basically broken down into two parts. The first fully details his days of grueling training in becoming a Frogman, followed by being sent out on Operation Redwing and the terrible aftermath.

There are probably thousands of reviews on this book, and I’m sure many of them will focus on the amount of time that Marcus spends detailing every minute of his training along with being the best at what he does. I read a few reviews right after reading the book, and I had to disagree with the majority of the ones that take Marcus as a an arrogant, boastful, pat-himself-on-the-back kind of guy. I believe that he is proud of his accomplishments, he is honored to be of service to the United States of America, and he was privileged to have fought alongside with some of the best in the military.  We are talking about a man that stared death in the face and overcame it, he deserves recognition.

Many Left-Wing Liberals will also bash the comments that he made regarding the Rules of Engagement and his utter disapproval of them. Or the fact that he mentions the Geneva Convention in a negative manner. I have mixed feelings on both of those things. I of course believe that, yes, as a country we have to do as much as possible to follow the rules of war, but I also know that war is just that…it’s ugly, and it’s brutal, and as Luttrell says himself, “we know about bad guys, what they do, and, often, who they are. The politicians have chosen to send us into battle, and that’s our trade. We do what’s necessary. And in my view, once those politicians have elected to send us out to do what 99.9% of the country would be terrified to undertake, they should get the hell out of the way and stay there.” I also have to agree with Luttrell when he explains that this war is behind enemy lines, they are faced with extenuating circumstances every second they’re out there, and for them to have such strict guidelines is sometimes, and in this case, a matter of life or death. It’s a job I do not want, and it’s a job that I’ll gladly let men like himself accept on my behalf….with that said I also believe they have the right to do in those circumstances what will keep them alive, no matter the price. He said it best when he said “and we’ll go there. All day. Every day. We’ll do what we’re supposed to do, to the letter, or die in the attempt. On behalf of the U.S.A. But don’t tell us who we can attack. That ought to be up to us, the military. And if the liberal media and political community cannot accept that sometimes the wrong people get killed in war, then I can only suggest they first grow up and then serve a short stint up in the Hindu Kush. The probably would not survive.”

However, since this is my review, I will stop focusing on what many people did not like. I will instead explain why I loved this book and movie. For starters, I enjoyed reading about what it took to become a Seal. It was something I didn’t have much prior knowledge on, so seeing what these men put their bodies through for the sake of our freedom was aweing. The explanation of Hell Week, going three days without a single hour of sleep, running miles upon miles, the hunger, exhaustion, blood, sweat, and I’m sure tears at some point and all because you want to fight for the country that I live in. And then those final moments when you completed the task, and became a US Navy Seal, can you imagine the shear pride that you must feel in that moment. I love that Luttrell has given us the honor of peaking inside what it must feel like to work so hard at a goal, and accomplish it.

 What was even more aweing was the bravery that these brave men bestowed even up until their very last seconds upon this earth during Operation Redwing. I’m not sure that I can every imagine the courage and selflessness that it took for Lieutenant Michael Murphy to walk out onto open ground with bullets firing all around him and make a call that his men were dying. I can’t fathom what it must have been like to see your friend openly give his life to try and save yours. Or the courage that Luttrell showed during his hours of being totally isolated in a country so far from home.

One of the most moving things, in my opinion, about this book was the hospitality of the Afghan tribesman that took Marcus in and protected him at all costs. In today’s world Afghanistan is a place full of Taliban and extremist, and while this is true, we never get to see the world of those ordinary people that live there and fight the force of these terrorists day in and day out. I had never taken the time to study the Pashtun people, nor had I ever heard of the word that saved Marcus Luttrell’s life, lokhay. That word translates to mean that the entire population of the village that takes in a wounded man will literally fight to the death for that man, no matter the price. It is inevitably what saved Marcus Luttrell and why he made it to see another day.

As far as the movie goes, I believe they did an excellent job portraying as much detail as possible. As always, the book has far more detail, and I would encourage you to read the book before seeing the movie…if you’ve watched the movie already, then I encourage you to read the book anyway. There are entire parts of the book that the movie leaves out, not crucial parts, but parts that bring the story even more to life. You miss the raw emotions of a mother waiting to find out news of her MIA son, the humor of Dr. Luttrell along with that darn Pepsi bottle, you miss the deep kindness of the tribesman that hid, clothed, fed, and doctored Marcus, and you miss the group of men that traveled all over those mountains to recover the bodies of those fallen soldiers because they never leave anyone alone.

This book captured my heart. It opened my eyes to what really goes on behind those enemy lines. It made me remember what our country could be like if we didn’t have such brave men and women fighting everyday for the freedoms that we take for granted. I will end with one of my favorite quotes from the book “as a Navy Seal I am sworn to defend my country and carry out the wishes of my commander in chief, the president of the United States, whoever he may be; Republican or Democrat. I am a patriot; I fight for the U.S.A. and for my home state of Texas.”