Dansbury, Kenard C
CPT Lehman
7 Nov 2014
MSL3010
UCF Army ROTC MS III Book Report
‘Lone Survivor’ By Marcus Luttrell The United States Armed Forces plays a huge role in the history of the American culture. Looking back in history, the US has embarked in many lengthy battles that have resulted in a high number of lives lost. In the past decade or so we have been involved in various conflicts with the Middle East. Sometimes a soldier’s personal beliefs and moral code comes into conflict with the military way of thinking. The book ‘Lone Survivor’ is a riveting first account of an Operation that was essentially compromised and resulted in lives being lost due in part to the Code of Conduct known as the Rules of Engagement (ROE) set forth by the US Armed Forces. The rules of engagement place the burden on US troops to confirm with certainty that members of the opposing force are armed combatants before engaging the personnel. Lone Survivor is a first-hand account of an operation that left every member of Navy SEAL Team 10; four man counterinsurgency team comprised of Danny, Michael (Mikey), and Matthew (Axe), and Marcus Luttrell, dead except Luttrell. Patrick Robinson, a best-selling author who has written other works about the U.S. Navy, contributed to the book, which was published in June 2007. As a result of reading the book I have a higher level of respect for those who complete Navy SEAL training, the preparation and skill set that is needed from a SEAL is incomparable. In this essay I will discuss lessons learned from the text concerning tactics, techniques, and leadership skills. ‘Lone Survivor’ written by Marcus Luttrell; the only SEAL to survive Operation Red Wing, tells the in depth story of Navy SEAL Team 10 as they were trained, transported, and instructed to fight the Taliban. SEAL Team 10 was targeting a Taliban commander named Ahmad Shah, whose attacks had taken a high toll on U.S. Marines in the area. The operation took the lives of three men during early summer of 2005. In the book, Luttrell focuses on bringing the accomplishments of the lost heroes of Navy SEAL Team 10 to light. On the night of the operation, which involved infiltrating a Taliban stronghold to retrieve a known Al-Qaeda leader, the team members left their post in Afghanistan to head for the border of Pakistan. While traveling through the Middle East the SEALs came in contact with some very difficult terrain with no cover and concealment whatsoever. Their tactics were very limited and had to be adjusted to the terrain which is crucial when conducting a mission. Movement can be the deciding factor between death and survival, METT-TC being a part of the 8 Troop Leading Procedures. Because of the terrain SEAL Team 10 had to find better routes to achieve coverage and utilize deliberate movements. On their journey they came in contact with three goat herders; which becomes a crucial part in their mission, causing a difficult moral and tactical decision. The soldiers were aware that the decision they make in regards to the three herders could jeopardize their mission and they knew they had only a few chooses. They could either let the herders go and risk them notifying the Taliban members of their whereabouts, or they could kill them and risk being scrutinized by the media and face moral and ethical issues. The SEALs knew it would not matter whether it was the correct tactical decision and that by letting them go they may be causing their own deaths. After a lengthy discussion and tense vote, team leader Murphy made the final decision to let the goat herders go. The herders were let go and disappeared over the mountain ridgeline. By letting the herders go, the suspected outcome happened and the men were embarked in a full-fledged gun fight with the Taliban members which ended in the deaths of three of the four men of SEAL Team 10. Backtracking a little, the SEAL Team did not plan very well when they decided to rest in the mountains. In the book there