Lone Survivor, by Marcus Luttrell

I got this book from my Step-dad for Christmas in 2009, and could tell from the blurb on the back cover that it was right up my alley, as far as books I enjoy reading - though admittedly, I can only take books like this once in a while. The emotions and tension, intensified by the fact that it's a true story, means I can only take so much.

Here's the text from the back cover:

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: to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader. Less than 24 hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive.

This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell 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 the men who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left. Luttrell recalls their valiant efforts in one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare -- a stirring tribute to his teammates, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

You may wonder if that back cover blurb is hype. In my estimation, to the contrary, it is understated. This tale, once it gets rolling, grabs you by the throat.

I say "once it gets rolling", because really, the first half (or so) of the book focuses primarily on first Luttrell's childhood, and then a detailed account of the incredible training that a Navy SEAL must undergo before earning his trident. They aren't just pushed to their limits, physically and mentally, but beyond. It is necessary to cover the training so thoroughly, since it helps put into context the mission and the men, the unity and camaraderie among SEALs that transcends anything we can grasp, really, unless we have successfully gone through it ourselves. Having read the detail about the training, a reader (like me) can come as close to grasping that unity and brotherhood as possible -- without this section of the book, I doubt the real survival part of the story would carry as much weight.

Once the doomed mission begins in earnest, the writing pulls no punches. Sent deep into the Afghani mountains, about as isolated as men can get - yet supremely confident and capable - the team was compromised in the most random manner. Perched on a ridge overlooking a village, perfectly camouflaged and still, they monitored the village, looking to identify an al Qaeda leader rumored to be among the residents below. Before they can make the ID, three goat herders out with their flock of goats just happen to come over their ridge and literally step right  onto them. They didn't see them until they literally were right on them.

The SEAL team holds them at gunpoint out of view while they decide what to do. It truly is an impossible situation. If they kill the goat herders, there will be this big flock of goats milling around, and soon more villagers will come investigating, probably bringing arms with them. It is common knowledge that our "rules of engagement" do not allow for injury or death of unarmed civilians (like the goat herders), and they know they can immediately contact Al Jazeera and get word of the deaths on the news immediately, which would mean investigation and likely trials for murder back in the states. This may seem silly, but it is, in fact, a very real concern, and the cause of no end of bitterness and anger from the troops over there, who feel they can't fight the way they need to in order to ensure victory.

The other option is to let the goat herders go, which they ultimately do, and hope against hope that they don't run right down and notify the Taliban and Al Qaeda forces that overrun the mountains there. They release the goat herders, and fall back, knowing that they likely just wrote their own death warrants. And, as they fear, less than an hour later, it is on, as 200 armed enemy fighters initiate a desperate fight to kill the four SEALs, including Luttrell.

His story of survival must be read to be believed.

I haven't read a book like this since With the Old Breed, by Eugene Sledge. It really wrung me out, and raised my already-high respect level for SEALs and fighting men in general up even higher. It has profanity, as you can imagine, but it also is a showcase for Marcus Luttrell's faith in God, as he reaches the very limits of his strength, endurance, sanity, hope...

Summary: 5/5 Highly recommended. An incredible survival story, made more intense by the knowledge that it actually happened.