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Home , Ahmad Shah (Taliban), Lone Survivor (book), Marcus Luttrell, Operation Red Wings

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Book Review

Marcus Luttrell & Patrick Robinson, : The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, (New York: Little, Brown and Company), 2008, 464 pages

By Joshua Foo

INTRODUCTION months of determined training and countless tests, he survived Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness the Basic Underwater Demolition/ Account of Operation Redwing SEAL (BUD/S) training and finally and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team earned the coveted SEAL trident. 10 by tells the After recovering from injuries harrowing story of a soldier and and successfully graduating from his elite team out on a mission BUD/S Class of 228, Luttrell in . In this gripping continued his training as a Special non-fiction, four Operations Combat Medic. He was (US) Navy SEALs (Sea Air & Land) then deployed to Afghanistan in embarked on a reconnaissance 2005, when the tragedy happened. mission in the mountainous terrain Luttrell was discharged from the of the Afghan- border. Navy, having served with the They had only one objective—to elite SEALs, survived one of the gather essential information on deadliest battles in Afghanistan an Al Qaeda member believed to and earned a Navy Cross for be close to in extraordinary heroism in combat.1 a -controlled zone. Sadly, only one SEAL survived. TARGETED AUDIENCE

Born and raised in , Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Marcus Luttrell was drilled into Account of Operation Redwing and the facing the harsh realities of life Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 is targeted with his twin brother since a tender at those seeking a true story that age. His father always dreamt of showcases American heroism, Afghan them being Navy SEALs. Prior to humanity and threat-to-terrorise all his enlistment into the Navy, he in one. This thrilling book which is trained under a retired Green Beret insightful and revealing, promises to sergeant, Billy Shelton. Following be an exciting read.

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THE BUILD UP blasted him into an area where the he was missing in action, with enemy forces could not locate him. friends and comrades all praying Luttrell described his Terribly injured, he was presumed for his survival.4 He had close experinces from the rigours of SEAL to be dead. He endured his grave encounters where Taliban used the training, where he and his fellow injuries and thirst and crawled for knowledge of the local terrain to SEALs discovered what it took to 2 their advantage to hunt him down. join the most elite of America’s miles through the mountains. However, the villagers refused to famed special forces, to a fight in The SEALs fought long and accede to the ’ requests the desolate hills of Afghanistan hard, with Luttrell illustrating and continued to protect him. for which they could never have their determination and grit, When the much awaited rescue been prepared. His first-person but the four soldiers on the finally came, he was given the best account of his comrades’ heroism ground were fighting nearly 100 medical attention and commended shows an experience that is both Taliban fighters with no backup. by many of his senior commanders. terrifying and uplifting at the same Losing their equipment and being time. In this uncompromising tale massively outnumbered, three of Luttrell was the only one of of unflinching courage and noble the four-man team lost their lives. four men to survive after a running sacrifice, honour and unabashed As a last-ditch effort for survival, battle with dozens of Taliban patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one used a satellite phone that rebels. Eight members of the Navy a powerful story of modern war. betrayed their location. A rescue SEALs and eight Army Special Operations Aviators who came by The story unfolds as his team quickly responded but was helicopter to rescue the original elite unit infiltrates into enemy shot down, causing even more 3 team were shot down, and all were territory. The mission is foreseen to lives to be lost. killed. The book, revolving around be tough due to the mountainous As this true and deeply his survival, both in training and terrain, lack of intelligence and saddening story unfolds, readers during the battle, was also filled potentially overwhelming numbers will find themselves more and more with unabashed patriotism and of Taliban fighters. With their deeply immersed and grimacing for blamed the 'liberal media' for its advanced training, they were sent the loss of the many elite soldiers role in sustaining military Rules to one of the most problematic who died. of Engagement (ROE) that prevent regions of Afghanistan to stop soldiers from killing unarmed the Taliban from inflicting further THE SURVIVAL civilians, who may also be scouts terror attacks. 5 Luttrell credits his survival to or informers for hostiles. SEAL fire team leader Marcus sympathetic villagers who risked Luttrell led Operation Red Wings, their lives to take him in and keep the extraordinary exchange of fire him safe from Taliban insurgents. On the night of 27th June 2005, that led to the largest loss of life With Luttrell injured and alone two MH-47 Special Operations in the US Navy SEAL history. As the in enemy territory struggling for Aircraft of the Army Special only one still alive to tell the story, survival, Afghan villagers found Operations Command's 160th Special he constantly commends his team him and decided to protect him at Operations Aviation Regiment mates who fought valiantly beside all costs. Together, they plotted (SOAR) approached Sawtalo Sar, him throughout the battle. Over to evade the Taliban and to make Afghanistan. Luttrell describes the the next four days, as the bulk of known to the US military his clear night as one of the helicopters the story unfolds, he describes how whereabouts. Meanwhile, Luttrell’s performed decoy landings to a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) family back in Texas already knew confuse the enemy on the ground,

POINTER, JOURNAL OF THE SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES VOL.41 NO.1 features 82 while the other inserted Luttrell herds go would compromise their On the next level, Luttrell and his team. The four-man SEAL positions, they retreated to a believes that the only reasons why team landed via fastrope between fallback position. Within the next he survived the ordeal were the Sawtalo Sar and Gatigal Sar. The hour, Shah and his men ambushed superiority of the SEALs in terms of team included team leader Navy the SEAL team in the dark, over their physical skills, determination Michael P. Murphy of the slopes of Sawtalo Sar. They and his belief in God. SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1; were heavily armed with RPK light Petty Officer Second Class Danny machine guns, AK-47s, RPG-7 RPG, Exploring further, a deeper P. Dietz from SEAL Delivery Vehicle and 82mm mortars.7 The SEAL team understanding in this book is the Team 2; Petty Officer Second Class was forced into the north-eastern mention of politics. According to Luttrell, his team died in vain Matthew G. Axelson; and Luttrell gulch of the slopes due to the as a result of the liberal media himself. After moving to a pre- intense amount of fire they were and decision-makers in the planned position where they could bombarded with. Unable to contact government imposing restrictions perform their surveillance, the their operations headquarters, the and limitations with the ROE. team was discovered by local goat SEALs were unable to request for This layer is filled with hatred and herds. After determining that back up until a satellite phone denunciation, understandably, in they were civilians and thus not was used. Three of the four team the defence of his fallen comrades. combatants, Lieutenant Murphy members were killed, and the only A good example is when they had them released, according to survivor, Marcus Luttrell, was left chose to set the harmless-looking the ROE which Luttrell persistently seriously injured with a number goat herders free when they were criticises. of fractures He was subsequently conducting their reconnaissance rescued by local Pashtuns who early in the mission. Multiple Operation Red Wings was a ultimately saved his life, for in references were made in the joint military operation during his current condition and without later parts of the book on this the War in Afghanistan in the Pech assistance, he would surely have decision as it appeared that that District of Afghanistan's Kunar been killed or captured by the the goat herders revealed their Province, on the slopes of Sawtalo Taliban. Sar. Operation Red Wings intended whereabouts and this led to their deaths. The decision to release the to disrupt local anti-Coalition DIFFERENT LEVELS Militia activity, thus contributing goat herders was in accordance to Lone Survivor’s first layer is the to regional stability and helping the ROE. Luttrell put it bluntly, “I surface plot: a Navy SEAL, after to facilitate the Afghan Parliament can say from first hand experience completing his torturous training, elections which were scheduled that those Rules of Engagement is sent to Afghanistan and then for September 2005.6 At the time, cost the lives of three of the further deployed on a special anti-Coalition Militia activity in finest US Navy SEALs who have operation to comb the mountains 9 the region was carried out most ever lived.” An unintended irony for an extremely dangerous Taliban notably by a small group led by was achieved when a Pashtun leader. The closely-knit team , a local man from villager from a neutral tribe in the , His small of four were ambushed early in mountains of Afghanistan, saved 10 group were among the primary the mission, with three of them his life. Luttrell would have shot targets of the operation. brutally killed in front of the the villagers (who protected him author’s eyes.8 This was painful, and saved his life) had he had the Upon Luttrell and his team gripping and kept readers on the strength to. Not shooting civilians realising that letting the goat edge of their seats. (the goat herders) may have caused

POINTER, JOURNAL OF THE SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES VOL.41 NO.1 features 83 his team to land in an ambush, but were extraordinary soldiers; their not doing so also kept him alive. training was more demanding, and they were often sent to the Finally, there is the deepest toughest areas of the world to and darkest layer, the last level fight in the name of global peace. of melancholy that looms over The book was both gripping and Lone Survivor. At times, the book extremely dark for readers. Lone reads as a psychological thriller, Survivor: The Eyewitness Account one that would end with, “I of Operation Redwing and the Lost woke up drenched in cold sweat, Heroes of SEAL Team 10 gives us an palms clammy and heart racing. It insight into what the best soldiers 11 was just a terrible nightmare.” put themselves up against. It also Luttrell appears to be haunted tells us exactly how dark some by nightmares after he witnesses parts of the world still are.  the horrific battlefield deaths of his three fellow SEALs, with him ENDNOTES saying, “Again in my mind I heard 1, M. Luttrell, P. Robinson, Lone that terrible, terrible scream, Survivor: The Eyewitness Account the same one that awakens me, of Operation Redwing and the Lost bullying its way into my solitary Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (New York: dreams night after night, the Little, Brown and Company, 2007), confirmation of guilt.”12 Nobody 2. Ibid., 101. but he knows exactly what 3. Ibid., 97. happened during the Operation. 4. Ibid., 187. No recordings and photos were 5. Ibid., 127. taken. The story could have been fictitious and dramatized to a 6. E. Darack, Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalers – The certain extent. Operation Red Marine Corps’ Battle for Freedom Wing’s disaster began with the in Afghanistan (New York, Penguin decision to let the goat herders Group, 2010). go, due to the practice of ROE. 7. M. Luttrell, P. Robinson, Lone The death of his fellow SEALs was Survivor: The Eyewitness Account blamed on the liberals, politicians of Operation Redwing and the Lost and the media. This book is a story Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007), about Marcus Luttrell, torn by the 199. deaths of his best friends and fellow SEALs, facing the inability 8 Ibid., 210. to accept the loss. Indirectly, he 9. Ibid., 255. blames liberal media, politicians, 10. Ibid., 236. Al Qaeda and Islam. 11. Ibid., 268.

That said, Luttrell and his 12. Ibid., 269. comrades were Navy SEALS and were very proud of being one. They

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