*sigh*
The book I’m about to talk about is not on the Amazon list, but I had every intention of making a video for it. Except that I’m sick and I don’t think I could speak loud enough or long enough for y’all to hear me. So, I’ll just write about it here instead.
The book I’m talking about is Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell.
Before I tell you about the book, I’d first like to say that I don’t label books as the best I’ve read often. I’ve only had three different books hold the top spot, ever. And I was fully convinced that Anne Frank’s diary would remain in that spot for years to come. Until I read this book.
Lone Survivor tells the story of Operation Redwing, which took place in 2005 in the mountains of Afghanistan. The goal of the four Navy SEALs who were sent in was to kill a high ranking terrorist. But it went horribly wrong when the SEALs were stumbled upon by local farmers and made the decision to release them without further harm.
This is where I say to not keep reading if you haven’t read the book or perhaps plan on doing so in the future because I’ll be revealing details. Proceed at your own risk.
The decision to release the farmers came back to bite the members of SEAL Team 10. The terrorists in the area (100-200 men) made their way up the mountain and eventually came upon the SEALs and a firefight ensued. But the SEALs’ communications with HQ could not be established, and the terrain was not conducive for a quick retreat. They repeatedly retreated down the sheer sides of mountains when no other option was available. But ultimately the terrorist fighting force proved too much for the four-man SEAL team, and three men were killed up in those mountains after fighting longer and harder than I can possibly describe here.
Marcus Luttrell became the lone survivor after a local tribe took him in and protected him at all costs.
But let me tell you why this book hit me so hard.
First, I’ve never cried reading any book as much as I cried reading this one. And I’m someone who knew a little about what happened because I’ve seen the movie adaptation that pretty much stuck to the original.
Marcus Luttrell put you in the shoes of a Navy SEAL. We don’t start the book in the mountains of Afghanistan, we start long before that here in the US as he’s training to become a SEAL. He gives insight into the training and mindsets of future SEALs that cannot be understated. He gives readers an idea as to what it takes to become a SEAL and only then does he take you into the fight in Afghanistan.
This story is not a story of death or sadness. It’s the story of the unsung heroes of war who never make it home. Because those three members of SEAL Team 10 were and forever will be heroes, along with every member of our military who died on that mountain trying to save the life of Marcus Luttrell. Those men knew they were going into incredibly hostile territory, but a SEAL Team was in bad shape and help was coming whether it was ideal or not.
This book is not written as a novel. And it’s not meant to be read as one. It’s written as if you’re sitting on the back porch of Luttrell’s Texas home and he’s describing every aspect of being a SEAL and Operation Redwing to you. If you read it accordingly, there is no doubt in my mind that you’ll appreciate it like I have.
I told y’all that I’d never forget the dedication page found at the beginning of this book, and I won’t. But I’ll also never forget this book. The story of those men on that mountain will stay with me, forever.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you should read this book because of how great I believe it to be. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you should read this book if you’re interested in a story about modern war. I’m not going to tell you that you should read this story at all. But I’m glad that I did.
Have you read Lone Survivor yet? What did you think?
You can visit the Amazon product page for the book here.
On this day in 2014 I published Keeping a Journal.
So now you know what it is like to be profoundly moved and effected by the written word. Don’t experiences like this make you grateful to be part of a species that can tell stories? I have this book on my list and look forward to reading it.
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I suppose you’re right. I think I’m grateful that we have men and women like Marcus Luttrell who are not only willing to take part in missions with nearly impossible success rates, but also willing to go back to that place so that the stories of others can be told.
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I just America (and Canada) can continue to produce men and women of this quality.
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I’m right there with you.
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Sounds like one I’ll need to emotionally gear up for. Thanks for the recommendation.
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I thought I had, but it was still rough.
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I don’t usually read too much non-fiction, but your description really makes me want to read this book. I have the utmost respect for men and women in the military, and I know this book will make me feel even more respect for them. I experienced that recently when I watched “Taking Chance.” Have you heard of that movie? Or book?
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I know your thoughts on the military are pretty similar to mine, and I think you’ll really appreciate this book. It probably won’t be numero uno for you just because you’ve read so many more books than I have, but I imagine you’ll enjoy it. And I haven’t heard of that.
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It’s the true story of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl who escorts the body of a fallen marine back to his hometown for the funeral and burial. I cried a few times in the movie. Kevin Bacon plays the lead, and even though he’s not my favorite actor, the movie, itself, was a good inside view into the life of family, friends, and strangers as they grieve the loss of a fallen soldier.
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I just looked it up and it’s on Prime Instant Video. But I didn’t see any book.
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Oh, that’s right. I think he wrote it as an article and it kind of got around the different military branches before it somehow ended up in a movie producer’s hands. It explains everything at the end of the movie and in extras. I don’t know if they have the extras through Prime, though.
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Oh. Okay.
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Oh, it has a 4.9 rating from more than 2000 reviews!
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It really is excellent. And only an hour and a half I think. Or less.
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Well I may just have to watch it.
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I’ll definitely have to check this out. I think the guy who wrote American Sniper wrote his memoir because he felt that people simply needed to know it. The same applies here. Reading about their sacrifice makes their heroism a little less unsung. These are guys who deserve to be household names.
On top of that, my protagonist is a Navy SEAL and I’ve been told that I need to “get in the mind” of them more. Maybe this would help.
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I plan on reading American Sniper before watching the film. If your protagonist is a SEAL, then I see no reason why you wouldn’t give this a read. Even if it doesn’t necessarily help you, you’d still get a another glimpse into their mindsets and attitudes. I think Marcus Luttrell has another book called Service: A Navy SEAL at War. Or something like that. Haven’t read that one, but I think it chronicles events after Lone Survivor.
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On my list to read now, but I didn’t finish your post nor read any comments because I don’t want the story spoiled for me. Thanks for the suggestion.
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I think the descriptions on any website like Amazon or Barnes and Noble will probably tell you what you’ll be reading about.
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No, no spoilers….I won’t look. I will let you know if I liked it, though.
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I haven’t read this book, but it’s certainly on my list now. There are only a few books that have made me tear up, but this sounds like it could be one of them.
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I would imagine so.
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