Lone Survivor

Title: Lone Survivor (Adult Cross-Over)

Author: Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson

ISBN: 9780316044691

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Copyright: 2009 (2007)

Genre: Non-Fiction/Adventure

Age Range: 17+

Reader’s Annotation: The story of Marcus Luttrell and the tragic fate of the Navy Seals and support soldiers from Operation Redwing.

Plot Summary: Marcus Luttrell begins the book by giving a description of his life and the training he received from local Texan Green Beret Billy Shelton. He then moves on to describe the Middle Eastern assignment that he was on tracking Taliban leaders all throughout the region landing in Afghanistan. The next section is a detailed description of the BUDS and other schools that are required to become a Navy SEAL. His description goes through the grueling physical training and mental alertness that is required to be a SEAL.

            Operation Redwing was a search and seize mission to grab or kill a top Taliban official. It was delayed twice before the mission was given the green light. A four man team, Luttrell, Murphy, Dietz, and Axelson, was inserted high into the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan. They make their way to the location above a small village. In this remote area, the communications did not work. While in their observation post, three goat herds come right on top of them. They have the difficult decision: do they kill them or let them go? The rules of engagement say that they must be let go and the ethical choice is made. Soon after the release, the team moves location. Not long after that, they are attacked by a full Taliban force.

            The four man team began trying to fight their way down the mountain. As the fought, they were shot numerous times, but the resilience and training of Navy SEALS kept them going. Falling cliff after cliff down the mountain, one by one each team member is killed except for Luttrell. Murphy’s death was especially brave because he was finally able to communicate with the base. Immediately a rescue mission was mounted. Eight members of the SEALs and eight Army special operations soldiers who came by helicopter to rescue the original four were shot down, and all aboard were killed.

            Luttrell survived the attack by continuously falling down the mountain. He waited out under a rock formation until night fall. That night he tried to climb the side of the mountain to get as far away as possible. The next morning, he encounters a stream. He is quickly surrounded by villagers with AK-47s. After a shouting match and the threat of a grenade, a local doctor and Marcus roughly communicate that they are friendly. The villagers decide to uphold Pashtunwali, a promise of protection, for Luttrell. He is taken into the village and given medical care. The Taliban show up and burst into the room interrogating Luttrell for hours until the local elder shames them out. The Taliban soldiers will be back.

Critical Evaluation: Lone Survivor is a great book to add to a young adult collection. It spend many weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. If there are any teens that are interested in military service, this is a great resource. Because the first half of the book is a biographical retelling of Luttrell’s experience with BUDS, it gives a more than accurate set of expectations that will be placed on any teen who thinks that they are going to become a Navy Seal. It also outlines the moral decisions that our armed forces personnel make every day in the line of duty while keeping the people of the United States and the indigenous peoples safe. It is a high adventure tale that will keep boys active in reading until the end of the book. It speaks to a broad range of ages, not just adults.

Author Information: Born and raised in Texas, Luttrell and his twin brother, Morgan, attended Sam Houston State University. They began training for the SEALs at age 14 with former United States Army soldier, Billy Shelton, who lived nearby. As kids they loved to hunt and fish and wrestle alligators! Martial arts training has been an important role in Marcus’ life from the time he was a child.

Luttrell joined the United States Navy in March 1999. He began Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training with Class 226 in Coronado, California. He graduated with Class 228 after suffering a fractured femur early in his training. Marcus graduated 18 Delta in 2001, making him a team Medic. On June 28, 2005, Luttrell and SEAL Team 10 were assigned to a mission to kill or capture Ahmad Shah (nom de guerre Mohammad Ismail), a high-ranking Taliban leader responsible for killings in eastern Afghanistan and the Hindu-Kush mountains. Luttrell was the only survivor. Badly wounded, he managed to walk and crawl seven miles to evade capture. He was given shelter by an Afghan tribe, who alerted the Americans of his presence, and American forces finally rescued him six days after the gun battle.
Following his physical recovery from Operation Redwing, Marcus went back and completed one more tour before being medically retired. He then wrote the book, Lone Survivor, to share the amazing story of his brothers who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

In 2010 Marcus met the woman of his dreams and married shortly after. Marcus and his wife Melanie have a son Axe, who is named after Matthew Axelson, and a daughter, Addie. Source - https://marcusluttrell.com/bio/

Curriculum Ties: History; Social Studies

Challenge Issues: Language; Violence

Booktalk Ideas: Boot – One could start the story of Marcus by his experiences in boot camp and build toward the events in the Hindu Kush.