Marcus Luttrell’s Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 is a tough read. It’s not that it is poorly written or terribly boring. Au contraire, it is engaging from the very beginning and, despite a few awkward turns of phrases, will captivate any reader. The reason it is such a tough read is because it is sure to evoke emotions and empathy from the most hardened reader.
The book is mostly autobiographical, recounting how a boy from east Texas eventually joined the United States Navy and made his way into its elite SEAL teams. But it especially focuses on a military operation he was part of in Afghanistan in which his entire reconnaissance team and a rescue party was killed by Taliban fighters.
Petty Officer Luttrell amazingly lived to tell the story. I don’t want to recount any more of it here though. It would never do justice to what Luttrell and his friends went through. If you want to know more about this hero and those who sacrificed their lives for their country, you’ll have to read it for yourself. You will not regret it.
