# The Sole Survivor



## Boondocksaint375 (Jun 11, 2007)

*Lone Survivor: Marcus Luttrell*

*The Sole Survivor*

*A Navy Seal, Injured and Alone, Was Saved By Afghans' Embrace and Comrades' Valor*


By Laura Blumenfeld
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 11, 2007; Page A01

Marcus Luttrell, a fierce, 6-foot-5 rancher's son from Texas, lay in the dirt. His face was shredded, his nose broken, three vertebrae cracked from tumbling down a ravine. A Taliban rocket-propelled grenade had ripped off his pants and riddled him with shrapnel.
As the helicopters approached, Luttrell, a petty officer first class, turned on his radio. Dirt clogged his throat, leaving him unable to speak. He could hear a pilot: "If you're out there, show yourself."
It was June 2005. The United States had just suffered its worst loss of life in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001. Taliban forces had attacked Luttrell's four-man team on a remote ridge shortly after 1 p.m. on June 28. By day's end, 19 Americans had died. Now U.S. aircraft scoured the hills for survivors.
There would be only one. Luttrell's ordeal -- described in exclusive interviews with him and 14 men who helped save him -- is among the more remarkable accounts to emerge from Afghanistan. It has been a dim and distant war, where after 5 1/2 years about 26,000 U.S. troops remain locked in conflict.
Out of that darkness comes this spark of a story. It is a tale of moral choices and of prejudices transcended. It is also a reminder of how challenging it is to be a smart soldier, and how hard it is to be a good man.
Luttrell had come to Afghanistan "to kill every SOB we could find." Now he lay bleeding and filthy at the bottom of a gulch, unable to stand. "I could see hunks of metal and rocks sticking out of my legs," he recalled.
He activated his emergency call beacon, which made a clicking sound. The pilots in the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters overhead could hear him.
"Show yourself," one pilot urged. "We cannot stay much longer." Their fuel was dwindling as morning light seeped into the sky, making them targets for RPGs and small-arms fire. The helicopters turned back.
As the HH-60s flew to Bagram air base, 80 miles away, one pilot told himself, "That guy's going to die."
Luttrell never felt so alone. His legs, numb and naked, reminded him of another loss. He had kept a magazine photograph of a World Trade Center victim in his pants pocket. Luttrell didn't know the man but carried the picture on missions. He killed in the man's unknown name.
Now Luttrell's camouflage pants had been blasted off, and with them, the victim's picture. Luttrell was feeling lightheaded. His muse for vengeance was gone.

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]*Hunting a Taliban Leader*
[/SIZE][/FONT]
Luttrell's mission had begun routinely. As darkness fell on Monday, June 27, his Seal team fast-roped from a Chinook helicopter onto a grassy ridge near the Pakistan border. They were Navy Special Operations forces, among the most elite troops in the military: Lt. Michael P. Murphy and three petty officers -- Matthew G. Axelson, Danny P. Dietz and Luttrell. Their mission, code-named Operation Redwing, was to capture or kill Ahmad Shah, a Taliban leader. U.S. intelligence officials believed Shah was close to Osama bin Laden.
Luttrell, 32, is a twin. His brother was also a Seal. Each had half of a trident tattooed across his chest, so that standing together they completed the Seal symbol. They were big, visceral, horse-farm boys raised by a father Luttrell described admiringly as "a hard man."
"He made sure we knew the world is an unforgiving, relentless place," Luttrell said. "Anyone who thinks otherwise is totally naive."
Luttrell, who deployed to Afghanistan in April 2005 after six years in the Navy, including two years in Iraq, welcomed the moral clarity of Kunar province. He would fight in the mountains that cradled bin Laden's men. It was, he said, "payback time for the World Trade Center. My goal was to double the number of people they killed."
The four Seals zigzagged all night and through the morning until they reached a wooded slope. An Afghan man wearing a turban suddenly appeared, then a farmer and a teenage boy. Luttrell gave a PowerBar to the boy while the Seals debated whether the Afghans would live or die.
If the Seals killed the unarmed civilians, they would violate military rules of engagement; if they let them go, they risked alerting the Taliban. According to Luttrell, one Seal voted to kill them, one voted to spare them and one abstained. It was up to Luttrell.
Part of his calculus was practical. "I didn't want to go to jail." Ultimately, the core of his decision was moral. "A frogman has two personalities. The military guy in me wanted to kill them," he recalled. And yet: "They just seemed like -- people. I'm not a murderer."
Luttrell, by his account, voted to let the Afghans go. "Not a day goes by that I don't think about that decision," he said. "Not a second goes by."
At 1:20 p.m., about an hour after the Seals released the Afghans, dozens of Taliban members overwhelmed them. The civilians he had spared, Luttrell believed, had betrayed them. At the end of a two-hour firefight, only he remained alive. He has written about it in a book going on sale tomorrow, "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10."
Daniel Murphy, whose son Michael was killed, said he was comforted when "Mike's admiral said, 'Don't think these men went down easy. There were 35 Taliban strewn on the ground.' "
Before Murphy was shot, he radioed Bagram: "My guys are dying."
Help came thundering over the ridgeline in a Chinook carrying 16 rescuers. But at 4:05 p.m., as the helicopter approached, the Taliban fighters fired an RPG. No one survived.
"It was deathly quiet," Luttrell recalled. He crawled away, dragging his legs, leaving a bloody trail. The country song "American Soldier" looped through his mind. Round and round, in dizzying circles, whirled the words "I'll bear that cross with honor."
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]*News of a Crash*

In southwestern Afghanistan, at the Kandahar air field, Maj. Jeff Peterson, 39, sat in the briefing room with his feet up on the table, watching the puppet movie "Team America: World Police."
Peterson was a full-time Air Force reservist from Arizona, known as Spanky because he resembles the scamp from "The Little Rascals." He was passing a six-week stint with other reservists he called "old farts." In three days they would head home, leaving behind the smell of burning sewage and the sound of giant camel spiders crunching mouse bones.
Someone flipped on the television news. A Chinook had crashed up north.
Peterson flew an HH-60 for the 305th Rescue Squadron. Motto: "Anytime, anywhere." Their rescues had been minor. "An Afghani kid with a blown-up hand or a soldier with a blown-up knee," Peterson recalled in an interview at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson.
That was okay with him. Twelve men, including Peterson's best friend, had died during training in a midair collision in 1998. The accident, he said, "took the wind out of my life sails." He just wanted to serve and get back to his wife, Penny, and their four small boys.
Peterson is dimply, 5 feet 8, and describes himself with a smile as "an idiot. A full-on, certified idiot." He almost flunked out of flight school because he kept getting airsick. While the other pilots downed lasagna, he nibbled saltines. He had trouble in survival training because they had to slaughter rabbits: "I didn't want to kill the bunny."
Peterson dealt with stress by joking, singing "Mr. Rogers's Neighborhood" songs on missions: _It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood_.
Now, with the news of the Chinook crash, the tension in the Kandahar briefing room amped up as a call came over the radio. Bagram needed them. Peterson grabbed his helmet and a three-day pack. He asked himself, "What is this about?"

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]*Encounter With a Villager*
[/SIZE][/FONT]
The Seal wondered whether he was dying -- if not from the bullet that had pierced his thigh, then surely of thirst. "I was licking sweat off my arms," Luttrell recalled. "I tried to drink my urine."
Crawling through the night, as Spanky Peterson's HH-60 flew overhead with other search helicopters, he made it to a pool of water. When he lifted his head, he saw an Afghan. He reached for his rifle.
"American!" the villager said, flashing two thumbs-up. "Okay! Okay!"
"You Taliban?" Luttrell asked.  
"No Taliban!"
The villager's friends arrived, carrying AK-47s. They began to argue, apparently determining Luttrell's fate. "I kept saying to myself, 'Quit being a little bitch. Stand up and be a man.' "
But he couldn't stand. Three men lifted 240 pounds of dead weight and carried Luttrell to the 15-hut village of Sabray. They took his rifle.
What happened next baffled him. Mohammed Gulab, 33, father of six, fed Luttrell warm goat's milk, washed his wounds and clothed him in what Luttrell called "man jammies."
"I didn't trust them," Luttrell said. "I was confused. They'd reassure me, but hell, it wasn't in English."
Hours after his arrival, Taliban fighters appeared and demanded that the villagers surrender the American. They threatened Gulab, Luttrell said, and tried to bribe him. "I was waiting for a good deal to come along and for Gulab to turn me over.
"I'd been in so many villages. I'd be like, 'Up against the wall, and shut the hell up!' So I'm like, why would these people be kind to me?" Luttrell said. "I probably killed one of their cousins. And now I'm shot up, and they're using all the village medical supplies to help me."
What Luttrell did not understand, he said, was that the people of Sabray were following their own rules of engagement -- tribal law. Once they had carried the invalid Seal into their huts, they were committed to defend him. The Taliban fighters seemed to respect that custom, even as they lurked in the hills nearby.
During the day, children would gather around Luttrell's cot. He touched their noses and said "nose"; the children taught him words in Pashtun. At prayer time, he kneeled as best he could, wincing from shrapnel wounds. A boy said in Arabic, "There is no god but Allah." Marcus repeated: "La ilaha illa Allah."
"Once you say that, you become a Muslim -- you're good to go," he said. Luttrell offered his own unspoken prayer to Jesus: "Get me out of here."
On several occasions, he heard helicopters. In one of them was Peterson. _Come on, dude, show yourself_, Peterson would silently say, looking down into the trees. At dawn, as Peterson flew back from a search, he felt his stomach sink. _We failed_.
On July 1, with Taliban threats intensifying, Gulab's father, the village elder, decided to seek help at a Marine outpost five miles down in the valley. Luttrell wrote a note: "This man gave me shelter and food, and must be helped."
The old man tramped down the mountain.

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]*Preparing a Rescue*
[/SIZE][/FONT]
At 1 a.m. on July 2, Staff Sgt. Chris Piercecchi, 32, an Air Force pararescue jumper, picked up Gulab's father at the Marine outpost. He flew with him to Bagram. "He was this wise, older person with a big, old beard," Piercecchi recalled. Gulab's father handed over Luttrell's note and described the Seal's trident tattoo.
U.S. commanders drew up rescue plans. "It was one of the largest combat search-and-rescue operations since Vietnam," said Lt. Col. Steve Butow, who directed the air component from a classified location in Southwest Asia.
Planners first considered sending a Chinook to get Luttrell, while Peterson's HH-60 would wait five miles away to evacuate casualties. But the smaller HH-60, the planners concluded, could navigate the turns approaching Sabray more easily than a lumbering Chinook.
"Sixties, you got the pickup," the mission commander said to the HH-60 pilots.
"I was like, 'Holy cow, dude, how am I not going to screw this up?' " Peterson recalled. His chest felt tight. He had never flown in combat. "You want to do your mission, but once you're out, you're like, damn, I'd rather be watching the American puppet movie."
At 10:05 p.m. -- five nights after Luttrell's four-man team had set out -- Peterson climbed aboard with his reservist crew: a college student, a doctor, a Border Patrol pilot, a former firefighter and a hard-of-hearing Vietnam vet.
First Lt. Dave Gonzales, 41, Peterson's copilot, recalled that he felt for his rosary beads. "If you guys are praying guys, make sure you're praying now," Gonzales said. Master Sgt. Josh Appel, 39, the doctor, had never asked for God's help before. His father was Jewish, and his mother was a German Christian: "I don't even know what god I was talking to."
They flew for 40 minutes toward the dead-black mountains. Voices from pilots -- A-10 attack jets and AC-130 gunships flying cover -- droned over five frequencies. Peterson's crew was quiet, breathing a greasy mix of JP-8 jet fuel fumes and hot rubber.
As they climbed from 1,500 to 7,000 feet, Peterson asked about the engines: "What's my power?" In thin air, extra weight can be deadly. He didn't want to dump fuel; they were flying over a village. But he could sense the engines straining through the vibrations in the pedals.
Peterson broke the safety wire on the fuel switch. "Sorry, guys," he said, looking down at the roofs. He felt bad for the people below, but he needed to lighten the aircraft if he wanted to survive. Five hundred pounds of fuel gushed out. "That's for Penny and the boys."
Five minutes before the helicopter reached Sabray, U.S. warplanes -- guided by a ground team that had hiked overland -- attacked the Taliban fighters ringing the houses. "They started shwacking the bad guys," Peterson recalled. The clouds lit up from the explosions. The radio warned, "Known enemy 100 meters south of your position." The back of Peterson's neck prickled.
At 11:38 p.m., they descended into the landing zone, a ledge on a terraced cliff. The rotors spun up a blinding funnel of dirt. The aircraft wobbled, drifting left toward a wall and then right toward a cliff. Piercecchi lay down, bracing for a crash. Master Sgt. Mike Cusick, 57, the flight engineer who had been a gunner in Vietnam, screamed, "Stop left! Stop right!"
"I'm going to screw up," Peterson recalled thinking. He thought of his best friend's wife, how she howled when he told her that her husband, a pilot, had crashed. "Don't let this happen to Penny."
Then, suddenly, through the brown cloud, a bush appeared. An orientation point.
Luttrell was crouching with Gulab on the ground, watching them land. The static electricity from the rotors glowed green. "That was the most nervous I'd been," Luttrell said. "I was waiting for an RPG to blast the helicopter."
Gulab helped Luttrell limp through the rotor wash. Piercecchi and Appel jumped out and saw two men dressed in billowing Afghan robes.
Appel trained the laser dot of his M4 on Luttrell. "Bad guys or good guys?" Appel recalled wondering. "I hope I don't have to shoot them."
Someone shouted: "He's your precious cargo!"
Piercecchi performed an identity check, based on memorized data: "What's your dog's name?"
Luttrell: "Emma!"
Piercecchi: "Favorite superhero?"
"Spiderman!"
Piercecchi shook his hand. "Welcome home."
Luttrell and Gulab climbed into the helicopter. During the flight, Gulab "was latched onto my knee like a 3-year-old," Luttrell recalled. When they landed and were separated, Gulab seemed confused. He had refused money and Luttrell's offer of his watch.
"I put my arms around his neck," Luttrell recalled, "and said into his ear, 'I love you, brother.' " He never saw Gulab again.

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]*The Lessons*
[/SIZE][/FONT]
Two years have passed. Peterson, back in Tucson, realizes he may not be "a big idiot" after all. "I feel like I could do anything," he said.
On a recent evening, he took his boys to a Cub Scout meeting. The theme: "Cub Scouts in Shining Armor." The den leader said: "A knight of the Round Table was someone who was very noble, who stood up for the right things. Remember what it is to be a knight, okay?"
Peterson's boys nodded, wearing Burger King crowns that Penny had spray-painted silver.
Peterson had never spoken to Luttrell, neither in the helicopter nor afterward. Last month, the Seal phoned him.
"Hey, buddy," he said. "This is Marcus Luttrell. Thank you for pulling me off that mountain."
Peterson whooped.
Such happy moments have been rare for Luttrell. After recuperating, he deployed to Iraq, returning home this spring. His injuries from Afghanistan still require a "narcotic regimen." He feels tormented by the death of his Seal friends, and he avoids sleeping because they appear in his dreams, shrieking for help.
Three weeks ago, while in New York, Luttrell visited Ground Zero. On an overcast afternoon, he looked down into the pit. The World Trade Center is his touchstone as a warrior. He had linked Sept. 11 to the people of Afghanistan: "I didn't go over there with any respect for these people."
But the villagers of Sabray taught him something, he said.
"In the middle of everything evil, in an evil place, you can find goodness. Goodness. I'd even call it godliness," he said.
As Luttrell talked, he walked the perimeter fence. His gait was hulking, if not menacing, his voice angry, engorged with pain. "They protected me like a child. They treated me like I was their eldest son."
Below Luttrell in the pit, earthmovers were digging; construction workers in orange vests directed a beeping truck. Luttrell kept talking. "They brought their cousins brandishing firearms . . . ." The cranes clanked. "And they brought their uncles, to make sure no Taliban would kill me . . . "
Luttrell kept talking over the banging and the hammering of a place that would rise again.
[/SIZE][/FONT]


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## Crusader74 (Jun 11, 2007)

Excellent story Boon.


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## Marauder06 (Jun 11, 2007)

I remember when this happened.  Lost a lot of good 160th men as well that day.

I was always curious to find out what happened to the Afghans that helped Luttrell.


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## Gypsy (Jun 11, 2007)

I preordered Lone Survivor...it finally shipped today.


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## AWP (Jun 11, 2007)

Marauder06 said:


> I remember when this happened.  Lost a lot of good 160th men as well that day.
> 
> I was always curious to find out what happened to the Afghans that helped Luttrell.



I'll never forget the sight of an empty flightline at Bagram the day after this happened. It was surreal to see those black helos flying in the daylight.


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## Ravage (Jun 11, 2007)

A heart breaking story of heroizm and bravery. I'll only hope that the book will be available in Poland.

NSDQ and Hooyah !

EDIT: 

my way of saying "thank You":

[YOUTUBE]kNHLKFsda-w[/YOUTUBE]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNHLKFsda-w[/ame]


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## Roycroft201 (Jun 11, 2007)

That's beautiful, Ravage.  

Thank you.


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## Gypsy (Jun 11, 2007)

Nice video Ravage.  Let me know if you can't get the book...


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## Ravage (Jun 11, 2007)

Well just my way of sayin "Thank You" for the sacrifice these men make everyday. When I did read about the story of "Spartan 01" I just could not belive it. 11 SEALs in one day ! I was reading about the SEAL campaign in 'Nam at the time and, yeah, I was very sad to hear the news. Then the thread on MP.net came where I heard bits of the story and saw some of the photos. Still it's a very tragic loss for the NSW community as well for the amasing men of the 160th SOAR(A).
Yet these men died because they belived that if a single soldier calls for help, they have the duty of doing what ever is possible to get that guy/girl out of a tight spot. The men of "Spartan 01", the SEALs that went in and the crew of "Turbine 33" will be rembered not only as warriors of a just cause (I belive in the campaign and I belive in the troops - even if they are not mine, I simply belive in them) but also as heroes.
We will win this war, my God we will win.


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## Crusader74 (Jun 11, 2007)

Ravage said:


> Well just my way of sayin "Thank You" for the sacrifice these men make everyday. When I did read about the story of "Spartan 01" I just could not belive it. 11 SEALs in one day ! I was reading about the SEAL campaign in 'Nam at the time and, yeah, I was very sad to hear the news. Then the thread on MP.net came where I heard bits of the story and saw some of the photos. Still it's a very tragic loss for the NSW community as well for the amasing men of the 160th SOAR(A).
> Yet these men died because they belived that if a single soldier calls for help, they have the duty of doing what ever is possible to get that guy/girl out of a tight spot. The men of "Spartan 01", the SEALs that went in and the crew of "Turbine 33" will be rembered not only as warriors of a just cause (I belive in the campaign and I belive in the troops - even if they are not mine, I simply belive in them) but also as heroes.
> We will win this war, my God we will win.




Nice post and Vid Ravage..

RIP to the Men of the U.S Navy SEALs and 160th SOAR (A).

Lest we forget...........


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## Marauder06 (Jun 11, 2007)

Nice job Ravage.  Where'd you get all the pics?


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## Ravage (Jun 11, 2007)

Here You go:

http://www.mattaxelson.com/album/afghanistan/index.html


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## Boondocksaint375 (Jun 11, 2007)

I've seen the vid before, I had no idea you made it though.  Nice job.  I burned it to the media site.


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## Ravage (Jun 12, 2007)

Photos HERE


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## Centermass (Jun 12, 2007)

Interview of Marcus Luttrell. 

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=C4DA852C-3478-4444-9312-1141C9F66E31&f=00&fg=copy


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## Ravage (Jun 12, 2007)

Damn he's a big guy. Amasing story. I NEED to get that book


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## pardus (Jun 12, 2007)

I would be interested in reading that book.

Ravage, The Lone Survivor


Its easy to tell he is very affected by that (not surprisingly), I hope he can get himself in order and move ahead with his life, not sure If I could after that.


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## Ravage (Jun 12, 2007)

Shipping costs more than the book itself :doh: Thats why my friend (a hot hot female ) is willing to buy it for me, but shes coming back from the States in Spetember.


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## pardus (Jun 14, 2007)

http://http://www.newsday.com/search/ny-liseal135253760jun13,0,4825267.story

The father of Lt. Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL from

Patchogue who was killed in fighting in Afghanistan in 2005 and who is under consideration for the Medal of Honor for heroism, yesterday called the first public account of the mission by its only survivor a disservice to the men who died.

Former Petty Officer 1st Class Marcus Luttrell, 31, spoke on NBC's "Today" show about the June 2005 battle in which three SEALs were killed.

His appearance was timed to the publication of his book, "Lone Survivor."

In an interview with "Today's" host Matt Lauer, Luttrell spoke of how the four SEALs were discovered hiding out on a mountainside in eastern Afghanistan by three local goat herders while they waited to kill or capture a high-ranking Taliban leader. He said the four men voted to spare the herders' lives, and that 45 minutes later they were surrounded by 80 Taliban fighters. Killed were Murphy, 29, Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz, 25, and Petty Officer Matt Axelson, 29.

In the NBC interview and in the book, Luttrell describes a discussion by the four SEALs and then a vote to let the herders go. That account, said Daniel Murphy, a former Suffolk County prosecutor and now a law clerk in State Supreme Court in Riverhead, is a far cry from what he said Marcus told the Murphy family not long after the death of their son.

"That directly contradicts what he told [Murphy's mother] Maureen, myself and Michael's brother John in my kitchen," said Murphy, who watched Luttrell on television but said he hasn't read the book. "He said that Michael was adamant that the civilians were going to be released, that he wasn't going to kill innocent people ... Michael wouldn't put that up for committee. People who knew Michael know that he was decisive and that he makes decisions."

Luttrell suggests that he sugar-coated the story later in a visit to Long Island, where he met Murphy's mother Maureen. She asked, he writes, "He didn't suffer, did he? Please tell me he didn't suffer."

"No, Maureen. He didn't," Luttrell wrote that he responded. "I had told her what she'd asked me to tell her."

In the book, Luttrell, who was subordinate to Murphy on the team, casts himself as the decisive player in the drama, writing that he cast the deciding vote to release the herders. He says he was torn between his "warrior's soul" that favored an "ice-cold military decision to execute these cats," and his "Christian soul ... crowding in on me."

Luttrell could not be reached yesterday, and his publicist declined to comment.

According to the book, Murphy was against killing the herders not out of moral considerations but seemingly selfish ones. He quotes Murphy as saying, "The U.S. liberal media will attack us without mercy. We will almost certainly be charged with murder." He said Axelson was in favor of killing the herders, while Dietz said he didn't care.

"I looked Mikey right in the eye, and I said, 'We gotta let 'em go,'" Luttrell writes. "It was the stupidest, most southern-fried, lame-brained decision I ever made in my life ... I had actually cast a vote which I knew could sign our death warrant."

Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott Williams, a SEAL spokesman in San Diego, declined to discuss specifics of Luttrell's book but said it had been cleared ahead of time. The spokesman said the official rules of engagement in play for this incident remained classified. In nearly all situations in wartime, experts say, the killing of civilians can be considered murder.

"For this team to have been discovered like that really was a peril to their lives," Williams said. "I don't think it's unfair to say that the thought crossed their minds: 'Should we seal this breach in our security?'"

In the book and interview, Luttrell said he regretted the decision to spare the herders - this, too, upset Daniel Murphy.

"I died on that mountain, too, sir," Luttrell told Lauer. "It'd be worth me doing the time in prison if my buddies were still alive."

Daniel Murphy said that was a "disservice" to the memory of his son and the two others who died. He said his son "would not have changed his mind even though he knew the result. That's the type of leader he was ... I think he [Luttrell] did a disservice to Axelson and even to Danny Dietz to even suggest that they were ambivalent and prepared to dispose with civilians. Michael would never ... allow that to happen, ever."

Two years after his death, Michael Murphy is a candidate for the nation's highest military award, the Medal of Honor. In his NBC interview, Luttrell made it clear that Murphy all but sacrificed his life - receiving several gunshot wounds - while trying to make a mobile phone call atop the mountain for help.

Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross for the incident. In the book, he describes Murphy as "an iron-souled warrior of colossal, almost unbelievable courage." He said Murphy went into dangerous open ground to call for help and, wounded, kept fighting.

"An act of supreme valor," Luttrell writes. "If they ever build a memorial to him as high as the Empire State Building, it won't be high enough for me."

He also described Murphy pleading with Marcus to help him. A few minutes later, after the screaming stopped, four Taliban fired several rounds into Murphy's body.

--------------------------------------------------------

I think the Father is out of line, he wasn't there so shouldn't make judgements on this.

I do think however that Luttrell has probably ruined any chance Lt Murphy had of being awarded the CMH.


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## TaskForceT (Jun 15, 2007)

Freefalling said:


> I'll never forget the sight of an empty flightline at Bagram the day after this happened. It was surreal to see those black helos flying in the daylight.



I was one of the planners and knew Kristensen and Murphy well.  28 JUN 05 and the days that followed were downright shitty.

I'm about 25 pages into the book and I'm certain that I'll get nothing else done today.

Marauder06 - They were taken care of.  I'll PM you my ako-s addy for the rest of the story.


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## Ravage (Jun 15, 2007)

Planers for Redwing ? if I may ask.


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## TaskForceT (Jun 15, 2007)

Affirmative.


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## Ravage (Jun 15, 2007)

But you did get that bastard in the end right ?


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## TaskForceT (Jun 15, 2007)

Um....not going there on here....sorry.


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## Ravage (Jun 15, 2007)

No problem there friend, I understand :)
Thank You, stay safe.


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## Ravage (Jun 15, 2007)

Two additional vids made in tribute to 'Spartan 01' (not mine):

Matt Axelson
[YOUTUBE]rqxC3D5u530[/YOUTUBE]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqxC3D5u530"]YouTube - Navy SEAL Matt Axelson and his wife Cindy[/ame]

Danny Dietz
[YOUTUBE]ugPoSpvjvsU[/YOUTUBE]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugPoSpvjvsU[/ame]


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## Ravage (Jun 21, 2007)

Surviving SEAL tells story of deadly mission



In the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, 4 SEALs made a tough choice. Only one lived to tell

By Sean D. Naylor - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jun 21, 2007 11:56:23 EDT

With the midday sun beating down on them near the top of a mountain in eastern Afghanistan, four Navy SEALs faced an agonizing decision.

Their mission, to reconnoiter a village where a Taliban leader was thought to be holed up, had just been compromised by three goatherds who had almost tripped over the commandos. Now the SEALs were holding the goatherds — one a young teenager — at gunpoint and deciding whether to kill them or let them go.

The decision they would reach would cost three of the SEALs their lives and leave the fourth feeling “cursed” for having survived.

Marcus Luttrell, then a petty officer second class, was the lone survivor. This month, he left the Navy as a special warfare operator first class and, with co-author Patrick Robinson, published “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.”

The book is a rare look inside a SEAL operation, and covers in detail the fateful decision and the ferocious battle that followed. Instantly among the top 10 sellers on Amazon.com, its description of the decision has already stirred controversy.

Operation Redwing was aimed at capturing or killing Ahmad Shah, a Taliban leader in Kunar province whose attacks had been taking a heavy toll on Marines operating in eastern Afghanistan. The four SEALs — Lt. Michael Murphy, Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Matthew Axelson, Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz and Luttrell — were the leading edge of the operation, charged with locating Shah and his forces.

“We were to go in, lay up and monitor any movement,” Luttrell said in a June 14 interview.

After infiltrating by helicopter June 27, 2005, the SEALs’ orders were to get eyes on the village, stay in position for 24 to 72 hours and report any sight of Ahmad Shah or his forces. If they spotted him in the village, “then the main body was going to come in and take it down — that’s how we usually did business.”

But the four SEALs shared a deep unease about the mission.

The pre-mission intelligence was an area of particular concern to Luttrell.

“The intel reports were there were anywhere from 80 to 200 Taliban fighters,” he said. “That’s pretty obtuse. What have I got? Do I have 80 or do I have 200? I need to know. And then the terrain intel kept changing on us. We didn’t know whether we were going into rock beds or trees, or both.” Luttrell said he and his teammates voiced these concerns during the planning phase of the operation. “But it’s our job to do the mission, no matter what.”

After a night spent on a difficult movement up the mountainside to their hide site, the SEALs’ fears were realized June 28. Within two hours of letting the goatherds go, the special operators found themselves in a fight for their lives, all but surrounded and massively outnumbered by an estimated 140 Taliban fighters.

During this battle, which Luttrell describes in great detail in his book, the SEALs fought heroically against overwhelming odds as they tried to retreat down the mountainside to the flat ground, where they figured they could find cover in the village and hold out until help arrived.

They killed dozens of Taliban, but one by one, the SEALs fell, in each case — except for Luttrell — fighting on despite being shot several times. In both the book and the interview, Luttrell is determined to emphasize his comrades’ heroism:

**Dietz, the communications expert, stayed on the high ground with the radio, trying vainly to get out a call for help. “He stayed up there, as we fell back, trying to make comms, and he got shot two or three times,” Luttrell said. “He got the mike blown out of his hand.” Shot five times, Dietz was still firing when a sixth bullet caught him in the head. He died instantly in Luttrell’s arms. Dietz received the Navy Cross posthumously for his actions.
**Murphy was shot in the stomach early in the fight, but kept leading his men, before being shot again in the chest. Then he exposed himself to enemy fire in order to make a last-ditch satellite phone call back to the headquarters in Bagram, pleading for a quick reaction force to be sent. Luttrell describes Murphy being shot in the back as he made the call, slumping forward and then continuing the conversation — “Roger that, sir. Thank you.” — before returning to his position and firing at the Taliban. He is being considered for the Medal of Honor for his actions.
**Axelson, wounded first in the chest and then, mortally, in the head, fought on alone after becoming separated from Luttrell, expending two more magazines before succumbing to his wounds. He received the Navy Cross posthumously.

The battle went from bad to worse when the Taliban shot down the MH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying the quick reaction force, killing all 16 personnel on board — eight SEALs and eight aviators from the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

But Luttrell survived — knocked unconscious by a rocket-propelled grenade after Dietz and Murphy were killed and Axelson mortally wounded, he managed to stay hidden until he was given shelter by Pashtun tribesmen who risked their lives to save him from the Taliban. Several days later, a combined team of Army Rangers and Special Forces rescued him, and an Air Force helicopter flew him to safety.

Luttrell’s physical wounds, which included a broken wrist, a broken nose and three cracked vertebrae, healed faster than his mental wounds. In the book, he describes suffering nightmares every night in which he is haunted by Murphy’s dying screams.
‘Call it’

For the lone surviving SEAL of Operation Redwing, it all comes back to the decision he and his comrades made on the mountainside. According to his book’s account, the SEALs thought they had only two choices: kill the three goatherds, or let them go.

None of the four SEALs had much experience in this situation. They were three months into the deployment and were already veterans of missions that Luttrell said numbered in the double figures. “We had never been compromised before,” Luttrell said. “That was a reputation that we were proud of, that we had never been walked on. But we got walked on this time.”

For Murphy, Luttrell and Axelson, the Afghanistan deployment was their first taste of combat, Luttrell said, adding that he was not sure whether Dietz had done a previous tour to Afghanistan or Iraq. (Naval Special Warfare Command spokesman Lt. Steve Ruh said whether Dietz or any of the other SEALs had prior combat experience was “highly classified.”)

Although the possibility of being compromised had been discussed in preparations for the mission, there was no set plan for how to handle such an eventuality, Luttrell said. “It had to be an on-scene call, due to the severity of the compromise, the location of the compromise, how many people had walked on us,” he said.

As Luttrell relates in “Lone Survivor,” Murphy first tried to raise the SEAL tactical operations center at Bagram on the radio for guidance. He couldn’t connect. Then Murphy made an “on-scene call”: He put the decision to a vote. He would not impose his decision on the others.

Axelson voted to kill them, Luttrell said. “We’re on active duty behind enemy lines, sent here by our senior commanders,” the book quotes him as saying. “We have a right to do everything we can to save our own lives. The military decision is obvious. To turn them loose would be wrong.”

Murphy voted to let the Afghans go. Dietz abstained. “I don’t really give a s--- what we do,” Dietz said, according to Luttrell. “You want me to kill ’em, I’ll kill ’em. Just give me the word. I only work here.”

Then, Luttrell said, Murphy then warned his men that if they killed the goatherds, they would have to report the deaths, and the Taliban would publicize them, as well.

“[T]he U.S. liberal media will attack us without mercy,” Luttrell quotes Murphy as saying. “We will almost certainly be charged with murder.”

And then, according to the book, Lt. Murphy turned to Luttrell, the petty officer second class. “Marcus, I’ll go with you,” Murphy said. “Call it.”

A commissioned officer putting a life-or-death decision to a vote among his subordinates runs counter to most people’s notion of command responsibility. But Luttrell doesn’t see it that way. To him, this was a reflection of SEAL culture.

“Most people don’t understand how the SEAL teams are made up,” he said. “It’s not straight up, ‘You will do this my way.’ I guess it could be if you had some guy like that. But the teams are designed differently. That’s why the officers go through the same training as we do and we’re together the whole time.”

The SEAL mind-set, he said, was, “Two heads are better than one, three are better than two.

“So if you’re stuck in a situation like that, would you want to make the decision that killed all of us? That’s why we talked about it ... A good officer listens to his men.”

Ruh, the Naval Special Warfare Command spokesman, said it was true that the SEAL community “is a brotherhood” whose officers and enlisted personnel train together so closely that they often call each other by their first names, “but whether they’re officer or enlisted, the senior guy ultimately has the ultimate authority.”

Asked whether putting an important decision to a vote is normal or accepted practice in the SEAL community, Ruh replied:

“This is the first time I’ve ever heard of anything put to a vote like that. In my 14 years of Navy experience, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that.”
‘I would have killed them’

By putting the issue to a vote, Murphy was not abdicating his command responsibility, Luttrell said. “Not at all. He had total control. He was in total command out there the whole time. He was a consummate professional.”

But Murphy’s father, Daniel Murphy, disputes Luttrell’s account. He maintains that his son would never have put such a decision to a vote. According to a report in Newsday, the Long Island, N.Y., newspaper and Murphy’s local paper, Murphy said Luttrell’s account dishonors the memory of his son and contradicts the version that Luttrell told the elder Murphy personally.
“He said that Michael was adamant that the civilians were going to be released, that he wasn’t going to kill innocent people,” the elder Murphy is quoted as saying in Newsday. “Michael wouldn’t put that up for committee. People who knew Michael know that he was decisive and that he makes decisions.”

Luttrell seemed pained by the disagreement.

“I can’t pretend to understand what Mr. Murphy’s going through with the loss of his son,” Luttrell said in an interview. “I’m sorry for his [son’s] death. Mikey was my best friend and I’m sorry that he feels that I’ve dishonored him in some way. If he thinks that I did, then I apologize for whatever I said. That’s not my intention. My intention is to honor his son in every way I can and I’m not going to stop doing that.”

But, by Luttrell’s own account, Murphy put the petty officer in the position of casting the deciding vote. Swayed by Murphy’s warning that killing the Afghans would lead to the SEALs being charged with murder, Luttrell voted to free the Afghans.

He now believes that decision sealed the fates of his three teammates.
“It was the stupidest, most southern-fried, lamebrained decision I ever made in my life,” he writes in the book. “I must have been out of my mind. I had actually cast a vote which I knew could sign our death warrant. I’d turned into a f---ing liberal, a half-assed, no-logic nitwit, all heart, no brain, and the judgment of a jackrabbit.”

But he remains conflicted. In the interview, Luttrell said, “If you put me back in the same situation, I’d probably do the same thing again, if I didn’t know the outcome. Knowing what I know now, knowing what we went through and what I go through every day, hell yeah: I would have killed them.”

Even at the time he made the decision, Luttrell said, he would have voted to kill the three goatherds if he was assured that he and his teammates would not get into trouble.
Second guesses

These are the wrong answers, said Air Force Lt. Col. David Bolgiano, the judge advocate general for Central Command’s Special Operations Command from 2002 to 2004 and the author of “Combat Self-Defense: 

Saving America’s Warriors from Risk-averse Commanders and their Lawyers.”
“The killing of non-combatants under the circumstances described is never legally justified unless as an act of self-defense,” Bolgiano said. “Use of deadly force in self-defense is reasonable when responding to demonstrated hostile intent, or a hostile act, which presents an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. While imminent does not mean immediate, it is quite a stretch to say that since the shepherds may tip off local Taliban as to the presence of the SOF [special operations forces], then it would be OK to kill them in self-defense.

“On the other hand, if the SOF had a reasonable belief that, in fact, these shepherds were acting as Taliban lookouts or sentries, then deadly force may be authorized. Once, however, any threat (combatant or non-combatant) becomes a prisoner, then one can’t simply execute them for convenience.”

Ruh, the Naval Special Warfare Command spokesman, said SEALs are not trained to kill unarmed civilians. “There is no instruction that would justify any of that,” he said.

Luttrell dismissed as impractical and dangerous another option, raised by an Army Special Forces officer: tying the goatherds up and leaving them behind.

But to Luttrell, this is all Monday-morning quarterbacking.

“There’s no right answer,” he said. “It’s what happened right then and there. You can’t plan this out. You can plan the best way you can, and then you deal with what you’ve got right there in the field. People can ... armchair quarterback us all day long, but the bottom line is, they weren’t out there.”

After recovering from his wounds, Luttrell was promoted to hospital corpsman first class, received the Navy Cross — pinned on by President Bush in the Oval Office — and deployed to Iraq in the fall of 2006. Getting back into the fight with his colleagues was critical to coping with the lingering mental trauma.

“I redeployed back overseas to get my head straight, to get back on the horse, and I’m doing well,” he said.

Now he’s out, having written the book, he said, to honor the men who fell fighting with him.

“The story’s not about me,” he said. “I’m the cursed one. I’m the one that made it out.”


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## Gypsy (Jun 21, 2007)

I finished The Lone Survivor...it touched and moved me profoundly.  Highly suggest folks pick it up and read it.


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## Laxmom723 (Jun 22, 2007)

Gypsy said:


> I finished The Lone Survivor...it touched and moved me profoundly.  Highly suggest folks pick it up and read it.



http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=1774

Interview with Marcus Luttrell on Breitbart TV. Filmed at the US Capitol. Lengthy (13:11 mins). His take on the ROEs, trust and the art of war are very well thought out. 

As an aside, he looks like he's much more accustomed to interviewing now. Nice to see him even smile a few times.


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## EATIII (Jun 22, 2007)

He is on the Glen Beck Radio show right now for the next Hour, Part 2


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## Laxmom723 (Jun 22, 2007)

EATIII said:


> He is on the Glen Beck Radio show right now for the next Hour, Part 2




Not on here in NYC until midnight. I'll check it out, thanks for the heads up.


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## EATIII (Jun 22, 2007)

Glen cut him off at an Hour again, Fucker. What a story, Ive got to get the Book now.

Lax Mom it is still a good listen, ML has some really funny lines "Man PJ's" is just one of them.lol


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## Gypsy (Jun 22, 2007)

EATIII said:


> What a story, Ive got to get the Book now.



Yes you do.  I promise you will laugh your ass off, and and you will cry your eyes out.  And you will give thanks we have men like him (and others) on our side.


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## EATIII (Jun 22, 2007)

Gypsy said:


> Yes you do.  I promise you will laugh your ass off, and and you will cry your eyes out.  And you will give thanks we have men like him (and others) on our side.



you know it was Fathers Day, Hint, Hint


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## Gypsy (Jun 22, 2007)

EATIII said:


> you know it was Fathers Day, Hint, Hint



Yes...yes I do know.  But you're not my dad.


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## pardus (Jun 22, 2007)

Gypsy said:


> Yes...yes I do know.  But you're not my dad.



LMAO!!  :)


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## EATIII (Jun 22, 2007)

Gypsy said:


> Yes...yes I do know.  But you're not my dad.



True,but .............. well I will follow my own advice and not use Grunt Humor,
it was a Try/grasp/Hail Mary kind of thing.lol


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## Gypsy (Jun 22, 2007)

EATIII said:


> True,but .............. well I will follow my own advice and not use Grunt Humor,
> it was a Try/grasp/Hail Mary kind of thing.lol



Ahh.  Well say two Our Fathers and call me in the morning.


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## Ravage (Jun 23, 2007)

Damn I gota get that book !


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## Laxmom723 (Jun 23, 2007)

EATIII said:


> Glen cut him off at an Hour again, Fucker. What a story, Ive got to get the Book now.
> 
> Lax Mom it is still a good listen, ML has some really funny lines "Man PJ's" is just one of them.lol



Thanks Eat, I found transcipts :)

The 2 transcripts are at
http://www.glennbeck.com/news/06212007a.shtml
http://www.glennbeck.com/news/06222007a.shtml

I believe it was this story you liked:

snip...

And then they put me -- their local -- what they wear, I call it man jammies, I don't know exactly what their proper term was.

GLENN: Who would have guessed you were a Texan, man. All right. So now you're -- now you're in man jammies.

LUTTRELL: Yeah. They put these man jammies on me. I remember, I finally had to use the restroom. I was like, I need to use the rest -- so they take me outside to use the restroom, and, you know -- and their custom, you know, you have to squat, even if you're a man to use the bathroom. So they were pushing down on my shoulders, and I was, look, I can't -- you know, get your hands off of me. Well, I fell, and they just thought that was the funniest damn thing. And by the time I --

GLENN: It's like a tribe of Jerry Lewis?

LUTTRELL: Right.

GLENN: Like they're into slapstick.

LUTTRELL: Right. The kid -- the adolescent and the young kids thought that was great, because you know, I was trying to tie these pants, you know, my thumb -- my hand's all busted up, I couldn't tie these pants, I had to have someone tie the pants for me, and they just thought that was great.

/snip


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## EATIII (Jun 23, 2007)

Yep, Dam your Good!


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## Ravage (Jun 23, 2007)

sorry, wrong thread :doh:


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## Ex3 (Jun 23, 2007)

Late to this thread, but thanks for posting that, Boon.

This might seem like a small thing.....I have a huge problem with certain newspapers (Washington Post and NY Time to name two) that refuse to capitalize SEAL.  I actually had an e-mail argument with the NYTimes public editor about it in 2005: 



> Subject: The correct use of 'Navy SEAL'
> 
> Good Day,
> 
> ...



Of course I didn't get a response to that last e-mail.


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## Ravage (Jun 23, 2007)

Hey in Poland the media uses the phrase" 'commandos' (komandos in Polish) to every soldier that wears a balaclava or traines H2H combat :doh:

The news guys usually are sooooo dumb.

You know the thread that Boon made about "The Navy neads more SEALs" ?
They made it in Polish and it was sooooooo fucking corny I just had to say "FUCK !" 

You can't beat them, belive me I tried.


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## pardus (Jun 23, 2007)

I've written to the NYT a couple of times over a quite major mistake they repeatedly make (they say aparthied ended in South Africa in  1994 with the ANC coming to power, when in fact the last aparthied laws were repealed in 1992) a big mistake for a paper that is talking specificly about the history of this country, I recieved no response and they continue with their false history.


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## Marauder06 (Jun 23, 2007)

Newspapers and other print media have different style manuals they use to try to maintain consistency and correctness.  We used the Chicago Manual of Style when I was in school; I don't know what the Times uses.  One of the manuals we use in the Army is AR 25-50.  The media is not bound by the same writing guidance that the military is. 

For example, the rank "sergeant" is abbreviated SGT in the Army, but in print you will always see it "Sgt." or something close thereto.

The military abreviates "Central Command" as CENTCOM, but, as the response states, _When an acronym serves as a proper name and exceeds four letters, capitalize only the first letter:_  So you'll see "Centcom" in print a lot.

Also, while you will see "Marines" captialized when talking about individuals (because it's a proper noun), "soldier" in most cases is not.  I capitalize "Soldiers" in my writing, knowing that it is incorrect, because I believe it is appropriate to treat the word as a proper noun.  Same with Sailor, etc.

I do think the editor's own words prove your point though- SEAL is in fact an acronym, and by his style manual's own guidance, it should be capitalized.

What's my solution?  Change the freakin' style manual and stop pissing us off.


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## Ex3 (Jun 23, 2007)

Marauder06 said:


> I do think the editor's own words prove your point though- SEAL is in fact an acronym, and by his style manual's own guidance, it should be capitalized.
> 
> What's my solution?  Change the freakin' style manual and stop pissing us off.



But if they have to make it plural and say 'SEALs'?  Then that's five letters. 
I hate the press.


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## Ravage (Jun 23, 2007)

You know Einstein once sad:

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former...."


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## Marauder06 (Jun 23, 2007)

Ex3 said:


> But if they have to make it plural and say 'SEALs'?  Then that's five letters.
> I hate the press.



LOL.  Quite a conundrum for them.


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## Ravage (Jun 24, 2007)

> this video is a continuation of the video of shane patton and other navy seals going through jump school. i had helped shane create this video and the arnold schwarzenegger thing at the end was just for laughs.



[youtube]jnReNhPTqLs[/youtube]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnReNhPTqLs"]YouTube - Navy SEAL Skydiving Shane Patton and SDVT-1 Tears Of The Sun[/ame]



> Shane Patton and some other Navy Seals in jump school. Great skydiving video. Look up "Shane Patton" on any search engine and read his story. He was a U.S. Navy Seal and was KIA June 28, 2005 in Afghanistan. Also, the new book "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell is in stores now and tells the story of what happened to Shane and the other Navy Seals on June 28, 2005


[youtube]HIFPJ8wVh5o[/youtube]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIFPJ8wVh5o"]YouTube - Navy Seals Skydiving Shane Patton[/ame]


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## Laxmom723 (Jun 24, 2007)

The second one was darned pretty, thanks for sharing that.

I'm in the middle of reading Marcus' book, I put it away last night, not necessarily bedtime reading. But it was nice to see a video of Shane enjoying himself.


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## Alpha (Aug 13, 2007)

i doubt i can say anything of value or consolation, thanks though for the story.


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## DDSSDV (Aug 13, 2007)

Shane Patton was a fanatic about VW bugs. I would yak with him about the VW scene now and again when we would cross paths at the Team. We heard the news from the XO out on a sub during SDV OPS. Sad day.The list held the names we all had known. I remember coming back to the team area and driving by Shane's Bug sitting in the parking lot. The tires had gone flat and the cover had blown off from the trades that blew late in the day. A monument for me. Even to this day it is a reminder of those times talking about engines, body work or whatever. I heard they sent it back to the mainland to his Dad. I hope he restored it to its elegant condition that Shane wanted to do after his deployment. Memories...


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## Ravage (Aug 15, 2007)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f_nagPZ3lU[/ame]


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## Gypsy (Aug 15, 2007)

Thanks Ravage, never have seen him interviewed.


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## Echo300 (Aug 16, 2007)

I finished Lone Survivor, good book.

And interesting video, Ravage, thanks.


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## EATIII (Aug 20, 2007)

Just Finished it, WOW!


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## Gypsy (Aug 20, 2007)

Marcus Luttrell is being interviewed live on Bill O'Reilly right now.  19:20 CST.


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## Ravage (Aug 20, 2007)

Don't have that channel :doh:


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## Gypsy (Aug 20, 2007)

Aww sorry Ravage.  He wasn't on near long enough...was talking about much the same as the interview you posted.


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## Ravage (Aug 20, 2007)

Well I'm getting the book after all so, no prob here :)


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## Typhoon (Aug 20, 2007)

Marcus Luttrell appeared on "The Factor" this evening to talk about his experiences. Unfortunately the segment didn't last long enough to go into some of the details of his amazing story of survival...


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## Ravage (Aug 21, 2007)

Universal Pictures has emerged victorious in the battle for the film rights to the nonfiction best-seller "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10."

Peter Berg, who is directing Universal's upcoming Middle East thriller "The Kingdom," will write and direct the adaptation, which did not come cheap. Sources said the studio paid $2 million against $3 million to acquire the rights to the tome as well as the underlying rights.

Akiva Goldsman is producing via his Weed Road banner along with Barry Spikings, one of the Oscar-winning producers of Universal's "The Deer Hunter," and Sarah Aubrey, Berg's producing partner at his Universal-based Film 44 shingle.

Written by Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, "Survivor" tells the true story of how Luttrell led a small team in northern Afghanistan to capture or kill an al-Qaida leader housed in a Taliban stronghold. On foot, they encountered two adult men and a teenage boy, and a debate broke out about whether the SEALs should execute the trio to keep them from alerting the Taliban or let them go.

Luttrell made the decision to spare their lives and free them. An hour later, the SEALs were attacked by the Taliban. 


Luttrell, blown off a cliff, was the only one to survive the attack and spent four days hiding out in the mountains evading Taliban assassins. He eventually was taken in by an Afghan tribe, who cared for him and risked everything to protect him when the Taliban arrived on their doorsteps.

Although the book triggered a bidding frenzy, the buildup for the project was slow. Luttrell worked on the book in 2006 while recovering from his injuries, then did a six-month stint in Iraq. It was not published by Little Brown until June, after the author had left the military.

When it first made the Hollywood rounds, the studios passed, the common wisdom being that the subject was too tough to take on and that there already were a growing number of Middle East-set war movies.

Attorney Alan Schwartz, who repped Luttrell, set up a series of high-profile meetings with such producers as Brian Grazer and Anthony Minghella in late July. By then, Luttrell's book had become a surprise best-seller, and producers and execs were clamoring to meet the 6-foot-5-inch Texan.

Although Goldsman tried to bring the project to Warners, the producer proved instrumental in guiding it to Universal. He heard of the book via Spikings, his father-in-law, and introduced Luttrell to Berg, a friend with whom Goldsman is shooting the Will Smith superhero movie "John Hancock." The director and author took to each other since Berg is a fellow Texan with a love for the SEALs, who appear in "Kingdom." 

For Luttrell, the most important item on his list was that any adaptation had to respect his fallen comrades, so he wanted to achieve a comfort level with his suitors. According to sources, Schwartz said he did not want an auction scenario but was going to let Luttrell decide where to place the project.

Schwartz, however, left for a weeklong vacation after the meetings, and it was then that the bidding began in earnest.

Sources said the competition got under way when latecomer DreamWorks made a high-priced offer, escalating bids into the seven figures. DreamWorks proposed a team of Michael Bay attached to direct, with Scott Rudin and David Permut producing and Steven Spielberg as executive producer.

Instead, Schwartz opted for the Universal package. The plan is for Berg to write the script once he has wrapped "Hancock" and make it his next directorial outing.

"(Schwartz) is either an innocent dove or a complete genius," one source close to the bidding said.

Berg and Weed Road's Kerry Foster will executive produce.

Berg is repped by Endeavor.


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## Boondocksaint375 (Aug 21, 2007)

I called the movie thing lol; it's gotten too much of a buzz for Holyweird to ignore it.


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## Ravage (Aug 21, 2007)

Yeah, a big boobed chick will propably get a good sex scene in this movie :doh:
Please, please don't screw this up LA !


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## pardus (Aug 21, 2007)

As long as it's made along the lines of 'saving private ryan' or 'bravo two zero' and not a hollywood war movie.


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## DDSSDV (Aug 21, 2007)

pardus762 said:


> As long as it's made along the lines of 'saving private ryan' or 'bravo two zero' and not a hollywood war movie.



Not another "Navy SEALS" type flick but my confidence goes with the Hollywierd stupid rendition.


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## pardus (Aug 21, 2007)

DDSSDV said:


> Not another "Navy SEALS" type flick



Exactly!


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## Ravage (Aug 21, 2007)

Black Hawk Down anyone ?


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## Gypsy (Aug 21, 2007)

pardus762 said:


> As long as it's made along the lines of 'saving private ryan' or 'bravo two zero' and not a hollywood war movie.



Yep.  Although I do fear they will screw this up, and it's going to piss me off.


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## Ravage (Aug 21, 2007)

It's going to piss everybody off. But no matter, MTV will make it look "cool".


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## DDSSDV (Aug 21, 2007)

Gypsy said:


> Yep.  Although I do fear they will screw this up, and it's going to piss me off.



I hope for Luttrell's sake it doesn't bomb. Its quite the story and along with what his mates did its needed to show the world what price is paid for the freedom of others.


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## Ravage (Aug 21, 2007)

Yeah and show all the ignorants back home what kind of enemy the troops are fighting against. It's no damm PC game where a Tomahawk strikes a bulding and the problem is solved.


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## Gypsy (Aug 21, 2007)

DDSSDV said:


> I hope for Luttrell's sake it doesn't bomb. Its quite the story and along with what his mates did its needed to show the world what price is paid for the freedom of others.



Agree wholeheartedly.  IF done right...it would be an amazing movie.


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## Laxmom723 (Aug 26, 2007)

Gypsy said:


> Agree wholeheartedly.  IF done right...it would be an amazing movie.



Finished the book. I had put it away right after I read the part about LT Murphy using the cell phone. My soon to be DIL came to visit, told me it was worth gettting through to the end. So one full box of kleenex later, she was right. It was worth the tears to read the story of all of the heroes of that day(s). It was tough, I remember meeting Mr & Mrs Murphy & Heather. Ex went with me. That wake & funeral still leaves me speechless, the utter sadness in his family, the gratefulness of what seemed to be all of Long Island for his military service. Marcus did a great job with the book, I'll be passing it along to my students this fall as an extra credit reading assignment. They need to know about the angels who died to protect us.


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## Gypsy (Aug 26, 2007)

I'm glad to hear you finished it, and your idea for the students' extra credit reading assignment is an outstanding one Laxmom.  I hope they will appreciate the incredible sacrifices these men made.  And that our Military makes every single day...


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## EATIII (Aug 26, 2007)

DDSSDV said:


> I hope for Luttrell's sake it doesn't bomb. Its quite the story and along with what his mates did its needed to show the world what price is paid for the freedom of others.



We always cover our Brothers Back, no matter WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Laxmom723 (Aug 27, 2007)

Gypsy said:


> I'm glad to hear you finished it, and your idea for the students' extra credit reading assignment is an outstanding one Laxmom.  I hope they will appreciate the incredible sacrifices these men made.  And that our Military makes every single day...



Usually at the words extra-credit they perk up, so I could have as many as 100 read it this year, we'll see. I have LT Murphy's prayer card along with a SEAL flag in my room, so the kids already know the broad strokes of the story. I thank Marcus for telling the details. 

I'd like them to know the names of the fallen, have those names be touchstones for bravery like Audie Murphy & Rocky Versace.


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## Queen Beach (Aug 27, 2007)

Laxmom723 said:


> Usually at the words extra-credit they perk up, so I could have as many as 100 read it this year, we'll see. I have LT Murphy's prayer card along with a SEAL flag in my room, so the kids already know the broad strokes of the story. I thank Marcus for telling the details.
> 
> I'd like them to know the names of the fallen, have those names be touchstones for bravery like Audie Murphy & Rocky Versace.


 
Have a question:

Do you have any issues with parents who do not support or agree with your teachings? 

I think it is fantastic and wish that more teachers would help our youth understand the sacrifices many give for our freedoms. 


It is the political correctness of our nation that may well be it's downfall!


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## Laxmom723 (Aug 27, 2007)

Queen Beach said:


> Have a question:
> 
> Do you have any issues with parents who do not support or agree with your teachings?
> 
> ...



Well I teach at a private school, so the PC is much less. I leave it to them to draw their own conclusions, in some cases they disagree with mine. That's fine as long as they give a well-written and well-argued response. It's exposure they need, exposure to the sacrifices given by so few for so many. 

Also, I give a short list of extra-credit assignments that is pretty flexible, I enjoy the students creating their own extra-credit assignment & grading criteria. They know the simple rule is NO FLUFF, I don't grade garbage. 

You know QB, so far I have found both parents & students really supportive & willing to really listen. The kids raised money & sent care packages to the 82nd in Afghanistan (a colleague's son). They "get it", if you know what I mean. A contributing factor might be that we are on LI, I have numerous students whose families were/are affected by 9-11. For them I think Marcus' book will resonate deeply.


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## Queen Beach (Aug 27, 2007)

That is fantastic!

You are truly one of the speical teachers out there!  

Thank you for educating the youth of today!  






Laxmom723 said:


> Well I teach at a private school, so the PC is much less. I leave it to them to draw their own conclusions, in some cases they disagree with mine. That's fine as long as they give a well-written and well-argued response. It's exposure they need, exposure to the sacrifices given by so few for so many.
> 
> Also, I give a short list of extra-credit assignments that is pretty flexible, I enjoy the students creating their own extra-credit assignment & grading criteria. They know the simple rule is NO FLUFF, I don't grade garbage.
> 
> You know QB, so far I have found both parents & students really supportive & willing to really listen. The kids raised money & sent care packages to the 82nd in Afghanistan (a colleague's son). They "get it", if you know what I mean. A contributing factor might be that we are on LI, I have numerous students whose families were/are affected by 9-11. For them I think Marcus' book will resonate deeply.


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## EATIII (Aug 27, 2007)

Laxmom723 said:


> Well I teach at a private school, so the PC is much less. I leave it to them to draw their own conclusions, in some cases they disagree with mine. That's fine as long as they give a well-written and well-argued response. It's exposure they need, exposure to the sacrifices given by so few for so many.
> 
> Also, I give a short list of extra-credit assignments that is pretty flexible, I enjoy the students creating their own extra-credit assignment & grading criteria. They know the simple rule is NO FLUFF, I don't grade garbage.
> 
> You know QB, so far I have found both parents & students really supportive & willing to really listen. The kids raised money & sent care packages to the 82nd in Afghanistan (a colleague's son). They "get it", if you know what I mean. A contributing factor might be that we are on LI, I have numerous students whose families were/are affected by 9-11. For them I think Marcus' book will resonate deeply.



Thank you and please keep up the good work!:2c:


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## Laxmom723 (Aug 27, 2007)

Queen Beach said:


> That is fantastic!
> 
> You are truly one of the speical teachers out there!
> 
> Thank you for educating the youth of today!



Thanks to you and EATIII, ya'll made my day :)


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## pardus (Sep 6, 2007)

I finished the book a few days ago now and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I waited a couple of days to get my thoughts together on this.

I have two comments.

One, Religion has no place on operations and making operational decisions.


Two,  This one is far more important. 
I am more than a little confused as to why a call wasn't put in to HQ once the goat herders were captured to ask for an immediate extraction, the mission had been compromised and was therefore over.
I would have held the goat herders until the helo arrived therefore all potential charges for killing them is avoided as that scenario is rendered moot, no one gets hurt, everyone goes home to fight another day.

An unnecessary tragedy IMO. :2c:


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## Queen Beach (Sep 6, 2007)

I am now in the possession of this book (thanks D):).  Just trying to find the time to actually sit down and read it. :uhh:


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## Gypsy (Sep 6, 2007)

pardus762 said:


> One, Religion has no place on operations and making operational decisions.
> 
> 
> Two,  This one is far more important.
> ...



I think the biggest reason they let them go, at least from what I got out of reading that segment...was being judged for their actions, as in violation of ROE.  Which is fucked up.

I thought they had no comms, couldn't call HQ?  Have to re-read that part again...


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## pardus (Sep 6, 2007)

They had a cell phone that worked and would have worked better there than the spot they eventually used it to make their SOS.

The goat herders were let go because it was unlawful to kill them, not to mention that that action in itself would have drawn attention to themselevs.

It just seems like this could have been avoided if other actions were attempted. :2c:


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## Ravage (Sep 11, 2007)

PO (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell receiving his Navy Cross.






HiRes


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## Jester23 (Sep 11, 2007)

Have there been any updates around Mike Murphy and the MOH?  To date, he's still the only one of the four not to be decorated for his actions.  I know it was mentioned that there is a two-year period from the date of action, however I don't know how accurate that is....


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## Ravage (Sep 15, 2007)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FPLCKdI_fs"]YouTube - Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell Honors Fallen Brothers[/ame]


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## EATIII (Sep 15, 2007)

pardus762 said:


> They had a cell phone that worked and would have worked better there than the spot they eventually used it to make their SOS.
> 
> The goat herders were let go because it was unlawful to kill them, not to mention that that action in itself would have drawn attention to themselevs.
> 
> Again totally unnessasary if they had done the prudent thing IMO. :2c:



Tony I'm with ya, but didnt he say in the Book that was the only place a call could of been made. I serously dont think Seals nor any force would of waited to use the phone! hell I'm sure QRF was on speed dial


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## pardus (Sep 16, 2007)

They were higher up the mountain when comprimised, which _should've_ meant better phone service, they didnt try it from there in the hour or so they waited to be attacked.  :uhh:


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## AWP (Sep 16, 2007)

pardus762 said:


> They were higher up the mountain when comprimised, which _should've_ meant better phone service, they didnt try it from there in the hour or so they waited to be attacked.  :uhh:



I have a great deal of experience with sat phones in Afghanistan. The coverage isn't what it should be, your altitude means little.


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## Gypsy (Sep 16, 2007)

pardus762 said:


> They were higher up the mountain when comprimised, which _should've_ meant better phone service, they didnt try it from there in the hour or so they waited to be attacked.  :uhh:



After they were compromised, they did try to get HQ on the radio...to no avail.  

Page 204, 1st paragraph.  (This is happening just after letting the goatherders go)



> We both turned to Danny, who had fired up the comms system and was valiantly trying to get through to HQ.  We could see him becoming very frustrated, like all comms operators do when they cannot get a connection.  He kept trying, and we were rapidly coming to the conclusion the goddamed radio was up the creek.



That wasn't the only time they tried to make comms, as you know.  After the goatherders were out of site, they moved out.  I'm sure you didn't mean your comment to come out the way it did...about waiting to be attacked, though they obviously thought they would be...and were.  And Freefalling's comments can attest to the coverage problems.  

Either way, none of us were there that day...to second guess them, their actions and their thoughts isn't really appropriate.


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## pardus (Sep 16, 2007)

I just dont understand why they released the goat herders _before_ attempting to make make comms via the raido and apparently not try to establish comms via the cell phone.
It just doesnt make sense to me, I'm sure there's more to the story though.


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## EATIII (Sep 16, 2007)

Here are more clips, The first is Taliban propaganda.

[ame="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6777595885571084453&q=Taliban+Seals&total=30&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0"]Operation Red Wing ambush propaganda video[/ame]


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## pardus (Sep 16, 2007)

If those coward pricks are so brave/morally justified/right in their jihad why do they always cover their faces?

I hate them, I hate hearing that damn allah akbar, I hate them videoing us dying and dead


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## Freelance (Sep 16, 2007)

Bravery is the act trying to live but willing to sacrifice, compassion against personal belief, honour in the face of adversity, and a sense of duty and focus amidst chaos and destruction. Bravery are the soldiers who stands on guard when no one knows they are there, meeting combat when no one seems to care.


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## Ravage (Sep 16, 2007)

Can't watch that vid, just can't....


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## DDSSDV (Sep 16, 2007)

Freelance said:


> Bravery is the act trying to live but willing to sacrifice, compassion against personal belief, honour in the face of adversity, and a sense of duty and focus amidst chaos and destruction. Bravery are the soldiers who stands on guard when no one knows they are there, meeting combat when no one seems to care.



Well said. And a piece of tin with some colored cloth doesn't mean shit.


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## Ravage (Oct 16, 2007)

HiRes


> LITTLETON, Colo. (Oct. 12, 2007) - Members of Navy Special Warfare Operational Support Group San Diego pay their respects to their fallen comrades at the Danny Dietz SEAL Memorial. Chief Special Warfare Operator Chad N. Stodden, far left, and Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Shaun P. Carrizales, left, were subsequently awarded the Bronze Star Medal with combat V distinguishing device, in ceremonies conducted the following morning at the Denver Navy Operations Support Center. Both men exemplified themselves through extensive combat operations while serving in Ramadi, Iraq. U.S. Navy photo by Mr. Dan Puleio (RELEASED)


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## pardus (Oct 16, 2007)

Thats awesome, glad to see they made it with a weapon too!


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## Jacobman (Oct 17, 2007)

Im 60 pages from the end, this is one of the most moving books i have ever read. Thank god for men like that, i cant even imagine.


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## Ravage (Dec 25, 2007)

Got my coppy. Worth every penny !


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