Marcus Luttrell
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| Marcus Luttrell | |
|---|---|
| Born 1975 | |
  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 |
| Awards | Navy Cross Purple Heart |
Marcus Luttrell (born 1975) is a former Petty Officer First Class[1] 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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[edit] 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 Green Beret Billy Shelton, who lived nearby. He trained every day with his twin brother, Morgan, and others who aspired to join the military.
[edit] Military career
Luttrell joined the United States Navy in March of 1999. He began Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training with Class 228 in Coronado, California. He graduated with Class 228 after suffering a fractured femur early in his training.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2005.
[edit] Operation Red Wing
On June 28, 2005, Luttrell and SEAL Team 10 were assigned to a mission to kill or capture a high-ranking Taliban leader responsible for killings in the Hindu-Kush mountains. The SEAL team was made up of Luttrell, Michael P. Murphy, Danny Dietz and Matthew Axelson. 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, and were subsequently released after much debate by the four SEALs. The goat herders betrayed the team's location to local Taliban forces and the SEALs were soon engaged in an intense gun battle against a force of between 80 and 100 enemy fighters[2]. All of Luttrell's teammates were killed. Team leader Michael P. Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the battle.
A 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.
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 and finally rescued by American forces six days after the gun battle.
Luttrell returned to the U.S. the following year, and authored the New York Times bestseller, Lone Survivor.
He retired from the Navy in 2007.
In 2008, he spoke at the Celebration of American Values Forum at the National Rifle Association's annual convention.[3]
[edit] Books
- Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 – Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson [4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. (ISBN 0316067598)
[edit] External links
- "Interview with Matt Lauer", Today Show, June 12, 2007.
- "A Former Navy SEAL Questions Rules of War", Morning Edition, NPR, August 13, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ‘Lone Survivor’: Breitbart. TV Talks to Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. breitbart.tv.
- Martin, Mark. Navy Seal Tells Story of Loss and Survival (interview). CBN News.
- West, Diane (August 17, 2007). Death by rules of engagement. TownHall.com.
- Interview with Luttrell. Pritzker Military Library (May 19, 2008).
