| Marcus Luttrell | |
|---|---|
| Born 1975 (age 33–34) | |
 Marcus Luttrell in 2007 |
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| Place of birth | Huntsville, Texas |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1999 - 2007 |
| Rank | Petty Officer First Class |
| Unit | United States Navy SEALs |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards |  Navy Cross12
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Marcus Luttrell (born 1975) is a former Petty Officer First Class3 and United States Navy SEAL. He received the Navy Cross for his actions in 2005 facing Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wing.
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Early life
Born and raised in Huntsville, Texas, Luttrell attended Sam Houston State University. He began training for the SEALs at age 14 with former United States Army Special Forces soldier Billy Shelton, who lived nearby. He trained every day with his twin brother, Morgan, and others who aspired to join the military.
Military career
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.4 He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2005. 4
Operation Red Wing
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.5 The SEAL team was made up of Luttrell, Michael P. Murphy, Danny Dietz and Matthew Axelson.5 Luttrell and Axelson were the team's snipers; Dietz was the communications officer and Murphy the team leader.
The four SEALs stumbled upon a small group of goat herders whom they considered to be Taliban sympathizers, but the SEALs were unable to verify any hostile intent.6 Luttrell claims that Murphy, the officer in charge of the SEAL team, put the fate of the goat herders to a vote. Axelson voted to kill the Afghanis, and Dietz abstained. Murphy told Luttrell that he would vote the same as him so with his vote it was decided to free the herders.5 This account is vigorously denied by Murphy’s father, Daniel Murphy. He claims that his son would have never have put such a decision to a vote and that Luttrell told him a different account when he spoke to him, "He said that Michael was adamant that the civilians were going to be released, that he wasn’t going to kill innocent people," said the elder Murphy, "Michael wouldn’t put that up for committee. People who knew Michael know that he was decisive and that he makes decisions."5 The herders were subsequently released and disappeared over the mountain ridge. Luttrell believed they immediately betrayed the team's location to local Taliban forces and within an hour, the SEALs were engaged in an intense gun battle against a force of more than 150 enemy fighters.7
In the ensuing battle, the rest of Luttrell's SEAL team were killed. Team leader Michael P. Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the battle.
An MH-47 Chinook helicopter was dispatched with a force consisting of SEALs and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment "Nightstalkers" to rescue the team, but the helicopter was shot down by an RPG. All 16 men on the Chinook were killed.8
Luttrell was the only survivor of the SEAL team. Badly wounded, he managed to walk and crawl seven miles to evade capture. He was given shelter by an Afghan tribe,9 who alerted the Americans of his presence, and he was finally rescued by American forces six days after the gun battle.8
Mohammad Ismail
The target for Operation Red Wing, Mohammad Ismail, survived the American operation but was killed during a blazing shootout with Pakistani police in the Northwest Frontier Province earlier in April 2008.10
Returning home
Luttrell returned to the U.S. the following year, and co-authored the New York Times bestseller, Lone Survivor. He separated from the Navy in 2007.
In 2008, he spoke at the Celebration of American Values Forum at the National Rifle Association's annual convention.11
Books
- Luttrell, Marcus; Patrick Robinson (March 2006). Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. Back Bay Books. ISBN 0316067598.
References
- ^ Marcus Luttrell | NavySEALs.com - Experience the SEAL Edge
- ^ a b Luttrell, Marcus; Patrick Robinson (March 2006). Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. Back Bay Books. ISBN 0316067598.
- ^ a b c d Naylor, Sean D. (2007-06-18). "Surviving SEAL tells story of deadly mission". Army Times. Retrieved on 2008-07-21.
- ^ West, Diane (August 17, 2007). "Death by rules of engagement". TownHall.com.
- ^ "Interview with Luttrell". Pritzker Military Library (May 19, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-10.
- ^ a b "Interview with Matt Lauer", Today Show (June 12, 2007). Retrieved on 10 December 2008.
- ^ "A Former Navy SEAL Questions Rules of War", Morning Edition, NPR (August 13, 2007). Retrieved on 9 November 2007.
- ^ Matt Dupee (April 17, 2008). "Bara bin Malek Front commander killed in Pakistani shootout" (HTML). long war journal. Retrieved on 2008-12-10.
- ^ "NRA’S ANNUAL MEETINGS & EXHIBITS 2008" (HTML). NRA (May 12, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-10.
External links
- Intervew - "‘Lone Survivor’: Breitbart. TV Talks to Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell". breitbart.tv.
- Intervew - Martin, Mark. "Navy Seal Tells Story of Loss and Survival (interview)". CBN News.
- For Speaking Engagements contact Greater Talent Network