He excelled in math at the University of Florida but decided to join the Navy when he graduated. So we jocked up and combed the deep, clear waters of that lake for about a week, every inch of it. On its top were two simple words: Piss off. That's kind of why I think it's the best war movie ever made. Lt. Murphys Medal of Honor citation: 30-40 fighters. His second book, Service: A Navy SEAL at War, was released in 2012. We continued our operations, looking for the key insurgents, forcing or bribing the information out of them. Gut wrenching scene in a heartbreaking, yet pride inducing film. He was a responsible, natural leader. Neither Gulab nor Luttrell were shot, and Luttrell didnt stab an attacker with a knife. The EOD maestro was standing right next to me. In the film, the military comes to the rescue of Luttrell in a roar of gunships and men descending from helicopters. Occasionally, if we had an element of doubt about the strength of the opposition behind that door, we would throw in a few ?ash-crashes, which do not explode and knock down walls or anything but do unleash a series of very loud, almost deafening bangs accompanied by searing white ?ashes. As a child, he already knew what he wanted - to become a Navy SEAL, a member of the elite special operations unit that was the cream of the US military. We planted our own explosives in the building and then deferred to our EOD guy (explosive ordnance disposal). But the inside of each one had been roughly gutted. I had moved out onto the sidewalk, my ri?e raised, as I ?red to provide cover for my teammates. A couple of the guys slung up hammocks made of thick netting. "No problem. Its an honor to do that, to be a part of that. The most difficult moment, Donna says, came at the end, when images of the real men who fought and died that day appear on the screen, including video footage of Matthew Axelsons wedding. Marcus had put his gun down and was covering his ears cause he couldn't stand listening to him die. Seemed ?tting. By now, late August, the question of the missing WMDs was growing more urgent. Danny and I served in the same team, SDV Team 1, for three years. However, from the standpoint of the U.S. combat soldier, Ranger, SEAL, Green Beret, or whatever, those ROE represent a very serious conundrum. A bomb killed a U.S. soldier on August 26, which meant there had now been more U.S. lives lost since the con?ict ended than during the battle. This was where bin Laden's ?ghters found a home training base. He might even cut your throat if he had a chance. Well pause. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. According to Victory Point author Ed Darack, Ahmad Shah was not a member of al Qaeda and had never met Osama bin Laden prior to Operation Red Wings. If not the actual guys, then their blood brothers, the lunatics who still wished us dead and might try it again. They didn't even know he was in Afghanistan until after the fatal fight was over. Well, we found those trucks, hidden in the desert, parked together. That may sound callous, but your teammates are absolutely relying on the colleague with the grenade, because the guy upstairs might also have one, and that danger must be taken out. Now, the guy who went out on the rock to get a signal with his sat phone didn't exactly just sit there and take round after round. "That went really well, didn't it?" a minor lapse in judgment after we found an Iraqi insurgent ammunition dump during a patrol along a river as sporadic shots were ?red at us from the other side. Those terrorist organizations laugh at the U.S. media, and they know exactly how to use the system against us. You may remember the CIA believed they had uncovered critical evidence from the satellite pictures of those enormous government trucks rolling along Iraq's highways: four of them, usually in convoy, and all big enough to house two centrifuges. There's no surprise in a new film looking sharp and clean on Blu-ray. It was brutal but helped prepare him. Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. Rick Vargas . I'll wine, dine, intertwine, and sneak out the back door when the refueling is done. 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The sixth member of our group was James Suh, a twentyeight-year-old . Petty Officer _____________ wasn't even 30 yet. As they confront unthinkable odds, the SEALs must find reserves of strength and resilience to fight to the finish. Far from the garden path of his home, Navy SEAL Matthew Axelson had dropped from a helicopter by rope into the mountains of eastern Afghanistan a day earlier. Eventually it all went quiet, and I crawled out, unscathed. The most important reason why the Taliban didnt attack? You can ask them. Powered by. ** Relative location of the bodies The day was June 28th, 2005. You had to serve out here in the Middle East to understand fully the feeling of danger, even threat, that was never far away, even in countries generally regarded as friendly to America. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, Donna Axelson was watering flowers in the front yard of her Cupertino home one summer day when she noticed two men dressed in Navy blues walking up the front path to her house. It all causes your senses to go up tenfold, as you move quietly, stealthily through the shadows, using the dead space, the areas into which your enemy cannot see. Suh was one of 16 troops. But we never felt at home there, and somehow as we climbed into the dark skies, we felt we were leaving behind all that was god-awful in the northern reaches of the gulf and embarking on a brand-new mission, one that we understood. Im assuming it ended as is? That was an all-purpose word for Shane. In the book, he joins Luttrell on the helicopter ride. No mistakes. And as we crossed that coastline heading out toward the open ocean, it really was good-bye, from me at least, to the Arabian Peninsula and the seething Islamic states at the north end of the gulf, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, and Iran, that had dominated my life and thoughts for the past couple of years. In the book, the village elder walks to Asadabad to alert the military to Luttrells presence, but thats not how the military actually found him. We operate differently, because we are a much smaller force. On April 14, 2003, he joined the invasion of Iraq with SEAL Team 5. (A solid line of at least fifty Taliban in firing positions on top of the hill above them.), Photos courtesy Universal Pictures,U.S. It seemed no matter what we did, no matter how many of these nuts we rounded up, how much explosive, bombs, or weapons we located, there was always more. If I ever rounded a mountainside in Afghanistan and came face to face with Osama bin Laden, the man who masterminded the vicious, unprovoked attack on my country, killing 2,752 innocent American civilians in New York on 9/11, I'd shoot him dead, in cold blood. Are your undertones cool (blue) or warm (yellow)? Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. A SEAL teammate described the intellectually curious and humorous sides of Suh: He was perpetually inquisitive and always had a question to ask, as well as a dry sense of humor that made everybody laugh. Suh volunteered for the mission to rescue four SEALs trapped by insurgent fire, including BUD/S classmate Matthew Axelson. Instead we stayed south, ?ying high over the friendly coastal deserts of the United Arab Emirates, north of the burning sands of the Rub al Khali, the Empty Quarter. It helped prepare him for this mission - Operation Red Wings. So Luttrell began training under him - when he was just 14. As a child, he already knew what he wanted - to become a Navy SEAL, a member of the elite special operations unit that was the cream of the US military. If a reprimand was due, he accepted the blame. What followed was Army Jump School, SEAL Qualification Training, Special Operations Combat Medic training (SOCM), as well as advanced emergency medicine and battlefield life support. But it was not long before we began to hear of an out?t called al Qaeda in Iraq, a malicious terrorist group trying to cause mayhem at every conceivable opportunity, led by the deranged Jordanian killer Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (now deceased). We knew the American intelligence agencies believed he had such a program, that somewhere in this vast country - it's bigger than Germany, nearly as big as Texas - there were centrifuges trying to manufacture the world's most dangerous substance. (This is when they settle down for tea. James Suh Dan Bilzerian, as ; Healy Jerry Ferrara, as . Despite this, I can guarantee you that if three SEALs were put into a crowded airport, I would spot them all, just by their bearing, their con?dence, their obvious discipline, the way they walk. LONE SURVIVOR: THE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF OPERATION REDWING AND THE LOST HEROES OF SEAL TEAM. Directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, and . . After the battle, according to the book, Luttrell is found by a local man named Sarawa, who also tends to his wounds: In the film, a local man named Gulab rescues him: According to Luttrells 60 Minutes interview, Thats when an Afghan man appeared. Dietz was shot multiple times, but kept returning fire until he died. Ten thousand feet up some treeless moonscape of a mountain range in one of the loneliest and sometimes most lawless places in the world. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking news? As a child, he already knew what he wanted to become a Navy SEAL, a member of the elite special operations unit that was the cream of the US military. US sending bridge-launchers in next Ukraine aid package, Analysis: N. Koreas food shortage is about to get worse. Of course he did. Back in Afghanistan, Gulab and his family became hunted by the Taliban, costing him two family members. If your son died in that way, you wouldn't want to watch it reenacted on screen. The religious book of Islam. Luttrell published his bestseller in 2007, and the movie based on it came out in 2013. If you dont know who Marcus is, hes the real life SEAL that was the subject of the incredible movie Lone Survivor. That included Solomon Suh, a single dad who raised his son James, then moved with him to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where James was stationed after joining the SEALs, the Navys elite commando force that was responsible for the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden. They live together in an apartment in Coronado, CA and have a close relationship. Even though the Americans had reason to believe Afghans in that Taliban-controlled region were unfriendly, the SEALs let them leave. But if the six of us were inserted into some hellhole of a battleground, soaking wet, freezing cold, wounded, trapped, outnumbered, ?ghting for our lives, you would not hear one solitary word of complaint. The scene where one of the QRF SEALs pulled his handgun on the pilot demanding him to turn around and not leave those on the ground to die was very powerful even though it was brief. Hard-won, unbreakable. Petty Officer Second Class Shane Patton , Lone Survivor. Right after that, we found the body of the pilot washed up on the shore. Shah Didnt Kill 20 Marines in the Week Before Operation Red Wings. When asked about his version, Gulab had a different story to tell. It was one week after the U.S. forces launched their opening bombardment against the city, trying to nail Saddam before the war really started. After the Army Rangers rescue Luttrell, the Army Rangers radioed into base that I had been found, that I was stable and unlikely to die. They also stop and have tea with the locals, which you wouldnt do with a dying man. When Dietz and Axelson were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross more than a year later, the pilot who was with them at the missions beginning told Axelsons parents and his widow, Cindy, who were part of the gathering at the U.S. Navy Memorial, I cant tell you how much I wish I could have been there for him., Both Axelson and Suh believed in the work they were doing. For money. Luttrell later learned his name was Mohammad Gulab. Luttrell might have changed this detail to protect Gulab from retribution, but Gulab is mentioned by name later in the memoir. Thankfully we were both now out of range, since it was only a small improvised explosive made in someone's kitchen. Business class this wasn't. "You're always bringing up that old s**t. You're dealing with a race car here.". This site is where Mike and Jeff were buried. I never had to tell him anything. Shane was as good on a computer as anyone at the base. After graduating from Sam Houston State University with a degree in International Business, Luttrell wasted no time in living his dream. That Iraqi president was one wily devil, ducking and diving between his thirteen palaces, evading capture, making tape recordings, urging the dregs of his armed forces to keep killing us, encouraging the insurgents to continue the war against the great Satan (that's us). Rogan wrote on Instagram, A real honor and a hell of a good time to share a podcast with a great man and a real hero. Hans Blix, the United Nations' chief weapons inspector, had retired from public life, and the U.S. Armed Forces were now keeping a careful watch. Like a much younger Mike Murphy, he too was a virtuoso at the smart-a** remark and, as you would expect, an outstanding frogman. Brutal, no mercy. He insisted the buck stopped with him. Increasing the size of the enemy that day makes for a much better story. In combat he was a supreme athlete, swift, violent, brutal if necessary. When fighting, he was precise and professional. But these broad brushstrokes are designed to show that the rules of engagement are a clear and present danger, frightening young soldiers, who have been placed in harm's way by their government, into believing they may be charged with murder if they defend themselves too vigorously. For his nearest and dearest, he used a particularly large gift shop, otherwise known as the U.S. highway system. But, of course, that is not the most signi?cant question. Took me a while to get used to the fact I had an assistant who was d**n near as sharp as Matt Axelson. He was smart and the best Trivial Pursuit player I ever saw. But up close you realized there were holes straight through the buildings. Home New Popular Watchlist Sports. And in my view, once those politicians have elected to send us out to do what 99.9 percent of the country would be terri?ed to undertake, they should get the hell out of the way and stay there. Man, we can do it all. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Each one of us had grown a beard in order to look more like Afghan ?ghters. Murphy, Dietz, and Axelson were killed. We started our careers as SEALs at the same time, and we were probably ?ung together by a shared devotion to the smart-a** remark. In the film, Taraq comes to the village, grabs Luttrell, and drags him out to a log to behead him, raising a machete in the air. . Marcus Luttrell was born in Houston, Texas, on November 7, 1975. But his heart was in the right place at all times. He was devoted to his wife and his parents and his brother. Gregory Rockwood . Some of them just had their front faade, the entire rear area having been blown out by U.S. bombs as the troops fought to run down the murderous Saddam Hussein. Like "This Week" on Facebook. Do they attack? Unfortunately, the ACM was waiting. Operation Red Wings became a deadly mission for four US Navy SEALs in Afghanistan. Well, in the view of most Navy SEALs, the public does not have that right to know, not if it means placing our lives in unnecessary peril because someone in Washington is driving himself mad worrying about the human rights of some cold-hearted terrorist fanatic who would kill us as soon as look at us, as well as any other American at whom he could point that wonky old AK of his. As a child, he already knew what he wanted - to become a Navy SEAL, a member of the elite special operations unit that was the cream of the US military. Lone Survivor(screenplay): At least 50 fighters. For example, Luttrell didnt flatline, Shah probably wasnt a member of al Qaeda, and the final battle depicted in the film never happened. why wasn't james suh in lone survivorwhat is the indirect effect of temperature on orcas. Tune in to 'This Week' on Sunday for an interview with Marcus Lutrell. You must ?ght like him, or he will surely kill you. A quick backslap, a friendly bear hug, no one uttering what we're all thinking: Here we go again, guys, going to war, to another trouble spot, another half-a**ed enemy willing to try their luck against us . This resulted in a heated debate about what to do. Submissions should be for the purpose of informing or initiating a discussion, not just to entertain readers. Axe was Marcus' twin brother's best friend. They were part of the same crowd who knocked down the North and South towers in the Big Apple on the infamous Tuesday morning in 2001. You know that feeling when you're playing a first-person shooter and you just can't get past a certain point? And that's the issue: Was Saddam spinning for uranium-235, and if so, where did he get the uranium in the ?rst place?