Lone Survivor

The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

By: Marcus Luttrell, Patrick Robinson

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Four US Navy SEALS departed one clear night in early July 2005 for the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border for a reconnaissance mission. Their task was to document the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumored to have a small army in a Taliban stronghold. Five days later, only one of those Navy SEALS made it out alive.

This is the story of the only survivor of Operation Redwing, SEAL team leader Marcus Luttrell, and the extraordinary firefight that led to the largest loss of life in American Navy SEAL history. His squadmates fought valiantly beside him until he was the only one left alive, blasted by an RPG into a place where his pursuers could not find him. Over the next four days, terribly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains and was taken in by sympathetic villagers who risked their lives to keep him safe from surrounding Taliban warriors.

A born and raised Texan, Marcus Luttrell takes us from the rigors of SEAL training, where he and his fellow SEALs discovered what it took to join the most elite of the American special forces, to a fight in the desolate hills of Afghanistan for which they never could have been prepared. His account of his squadmates' heroism and mutual support renders an experience for which two of his squadmates were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for combat heroism that is both heartrending and life-affirming. In this rich chronicle of courage and sacrifice, honor and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers a powerful narrative of modern war.

©2007 Marcus Luttrell (P)2012 Hachette

Gripping!

This is a great story of one of the biggest tragedies of the war in Afghanistan. Marcus Luttrell story is that of true heroes. Told in a way only Marcus Luttrell himself could tell. He completed is mission and deserves the utmost respect.

Told like it is.

This was a very well written book. It was told like only Marcus could tell it. There were tears of joy and of sorrow.

Although there were some long drawn out descriptions of occurrences and actions with a little bs in between it was told no less from the heart. I enjoyed all of it.

L Erickson

This is a story everyone should here!

loved it! n this and Stories like it should be heard/read by the blind eyed individuals that are quick to judge without knowledge!
amazing story!

Awesome, Heroic and Touching!

I have nothing but the ultimate respect for the men and women serving in our armed forces. I especially have a great admiration for the of the Navy Seals and other special forces. These guys are a special gift from God, to the United States. I am so proud that they are fighting for us. This book had my emotions all over the place, from anxious , to angry and to sad but most of all, proud. Proud of the brave men. This book is great honor to all the men who lost their lives serving this country and I just hope that we as a country can attempt to repay that honor by giving these men all the respect, admiration, honor and anything they need, of which they fully deserve and are due. Thank you Marcus Luttrell for sharing your heart with us, the readers and people who will never understand what it is to serve as you do. My God this is an Awesome Read!

A Horrific Tale of Courage and Dedication

I saw the movie before ever reading the book and I'm glad the visual work represented the book well. There are several things missing from the movie, but you can only squeeze so much into that short of time. I really only have two criticisms of the book and I'll lay those out first: one, the author spent far too much time telling us how awesome the SEALs are (come on Marcus every other Navy SEAL book or movie does the same thing... we get it you guys are the best) and at least three times in the book he accuses other branches of the military for their inability to keep OPSEC while within the broader military community the SEALs are a joke on that subject (i.e., more book and movie deals than anyone else).

After the laborious retelling of BUDS and several stories of awesomeness (at least Marcus admits he's overly arrogant, albeit earned the right to be so), he gets to Operation Redwing. I loved the details of Afghanistan from Airplane, to Helicopter, to man-on-the-ground. You get a sense of what it's like to be there and the ominous terrain he had to counter and fall from.

I was able to listen at 3x speed without any issues. I appreciated the author(s) giving detailed account of the Pashtun cultural values and the people's interaction with Marcus.

must listen

this is an almost unbelievable story of American heros and the sacrifice they, and their families make to serve their country.

228!!! 228!!! No Taliban Doctor Marcus!!

The heroic story of operation redwing!! the fastest 14-hour book I've ever listened to. if you liked the movie you'll love this book.

thank you

thank you Marcus for service, sorry for your loss. We can never thank you enough for what you and the others have done for or country.
thank you for sharing your story.

A must read for all Americans

If you could sum up Lone Survivor in three words, what would they be?

Marvelous, Astounding, Flabbergasted

What about Kevin Collins’s performance did you like?

I loved the part when his voiced cracked while fake screaming during the SEAL training.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I bawled the whole time it talked about his friends dying. Unbelievable! How they continued to fight with all their gunshot wounds is a mystery to all but God.

Any additional comments?

Loved it, but I wish that no one ever had to go through what these guys went through.

AMAZING!! thats all i can say...

What did you like best about this story?

the outstanding courage and brotherhood the 4 men showed... and fighting to the absolute end... there is nothing greater then an American soldier

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Unbroken, unshaken brotherhood in the eyes of death... 4 Americans show what it is to be an American patriot.

Any additional comments?

i have recommended this book to so many people because of the amazing story it tells about the patriotism these men show. if you are a liberal, this book is not for you, because you do not understand the meaning of self sacrifice or any form of loyalty to anything.