Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 | 
 enlarge | Author: Marcus Luttrell
Creator: Patrick Robinson
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  779 reviews
Sales Rank: 1512
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 390
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.5
ISBN: 0316067598
Dewey Decimal Number: 958.1047
EAN: 9780316067591
ASIN: 0316067598
Publication Date: June 12, 2007
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Product Description
On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive.
This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. But it is also, more than anything, the story of his teammates, who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left-blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing. Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers.
A six-foot-five-inch Texan, Leading Petty Officer Luttrell takes us, blow-by-blow, through the brutal training of America's warrior elite and the relentless rites of passage required by the Navy SEALs. He transports us to a monstrous battle fought in the desolate peaks of Afghanistan, where the beleaguered American team plummeted headlong a thousand feet down a mountain as they fought back through flying shale and rocks. In this rich , moving chronicle of courage, honor, and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare-and a tribute to his teammates, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 774 more reviews...
 Hardcore! Brought a tear to my eye November 22, 2008
This is a damn good book. Not so good if you're looking for TTP's but a very good story about some very tough men.
The first half of the book is all about how tough SEALS are, how great the SEALS are, and just how bob bitchin' the SEALS are. I really, really got sick of hearing how tough, cool, patriotic and elite the SEALS are. You would think there were no other warriors in the world. The author goes way overboard emphasizing this and I really got tired of it. OK, SEALS invented water, walked on it, then turned it into wine. Holy smokes how about a little humility?
When the authors aren't full of themselves, the details of BUDS and how physically exhausting it is, is pretty good.
The Book really takes off about halfway through, when the gunfight starts. It took me about a week to get to that part, then read the second half in a day. I couldn't put it down and when his team mates started dying it made me really, really sad. The authors did a great job of putting you there and make you feel for these guys that are dying in a far off foreign land....
Overall this was a great book and would have got 5 stars from me if it were not for the overly redundant self ingratiation. Don't get me wrong, I have immense respect for the SEALS and they are great at what they do. Especially what these guys did, which was give their lives. I do believe in Esprit De Corps, but the book IS way over the top in that dept.
If you can get a cheap copy, definitely pick it up.
 Lone Survivor November 22, 2008
Very good book. Everyone who wants to better understand who the Taliban are and what their objectives are should read this book. It is also an inspiring story of courage and the will to live against unbelieveably tough circumstances. I have added this author's name to the list of people I would like to meet someday.
Lone Survivor November 20, 2008
"Lone Survivor" is an absolutely gripping account of what "makes" the men who wear the Trident of US Navy SEALS who they are.
It is educational and compelling. A great read for anyone interested in understanding the challenges of serving with special operations in the mountains of Afghanistan.
 Authentic Yes! Great Reading No! November 18, 2008
I had this book recommended to me by several people and finally bought it and read it. It is not as good as its fans want you to believe; nor as bad as its detractors would make it out.
First, the book is adequately written, but is not going to make anybody's top 100 list. It should be kept in mind that much of the credit or blame for the prose should probably be placed on the co-author Robinson, not Luttrel. My own criticism was that the book often seemed heavily redundant and repetitive. In most of those places, it was the repetition of the all liberals are the stupid, short-sighted, and ignorant henchmen of America's enemies theme which gave rise to that feeling. Whether you agree or disagree with that sentiment is irrelevant. The sentiment is one which only needed to be said once or twice to make the point.
Second, despite the book's hammering of liberals (and their omnipresent media henchmen) as being responsible for preventing the military from doing their job, the book make's very clear that it was Luttrell's decision which led to the predicament that the members of Operation Redwing found themselves facing in Afghanistan. Luttrell concedes that it was his decision to turn three unarmed Afghan tribesmen loose which led to hostile Taliban forces identifying his unit's location and attacking them.
Moreover, Luttrell's telling of the story artificially limits Seal Team 10's options to three very poor decision alternatives which are all supposedly a direct result of liberal interference with the military's ability to kill unarmed non-combatants whenever military special forces units might deem such action necessary. As Luttrell would have it, his team could either: (1) let the 3 unarmed shepherds go and wait for the inevitable Taliban attack; (2) kill the 3 shepherds and report it to their superiors and go to prison for murder later; or (3) kill the shepherds and deny it ever happened, but forever wait for the other shoe to drop and go to prison for murder sometime down the road.
While personally sympathetic to the idea that U.S. rules of engagement can be unnecessarily restrictive and stupid, even I don't see any reason that Seal Team 10's options were restricted to this Hobson's Choice of kill unarmed shepherds or be killed by the Taliban.
All of this is simply critiquing the world-view of Luttrell though. As a true telling of a military operation's planning, execution, and outcome, this is a fascinating tale. It simultaneously reveals both the best and worst in our nation's military. We clearly have the best-trained, best-armed troops in the world, and the U.S. Navy SEALS are among the best of our elite forces. If you want some insight into our military's current tasks in the Middle East, and specifically Afghanistan, this book is an excellent choice, with a fascinating front seat, first hand, eyewitness
account of one operation. If you are interested in getting some insight into the training of our Navy SEALs, this may be an even better choice.
Whether or not you think this book provides any actual insight into our military policies and efforts in the Middle East, will probably depend on how much, or how little, you support President Bush. Regardless though, it is a book deserving to be read if you take the political morality play with a grain of salt.
Fantastic November 8, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you haven't read this book, then you're behind the eight ball. Written really well by one of America's true heroes. Reminds us all that freedom is free!
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