The Only Survivor

By: Veronica B.

            Marcus Luttrell did not start his career out as an author. He began as a loyal and brave Navy SEAL, who went on the tell his personal account of the killing of Osama Bin Laden in Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and The Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, more commonly known as simply Lone Survivor. Since the book being written in 2007, he has also written Service: A Navy SEAL at War. Luttrell writes narrative nonfiction stories that bring most readers to tears.

            Marcus Luttrell plays the main role in his own story as a team leader of a Navy SEAL operation that includes three other men. It is called Operation Redwing and their mission is to capture or kill the notorious al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden.  Luttrell takes you through his journey to join the Navy SEALs, which started at a very young age, then through his BUD/S training, and then off to Afghanistan where he is chosen along with three other men, his best friends Danny, Murph and Axe, to join Operation Redwing.  A heart wrenching and fearless voyage that embodies valiant efforts and endures terrible terrains as the SEALs attempt to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. As the title reveals, one heartbroken SEAL stands as the lone survivor and faces all the glorious aftermath of the operation alone.

            You could tell that the story came easy to Luttrell as he wrote Lone Survivor, he truly spoke from his heart. The story flows effortlessly and the readers gain all the brutal details as seen exactly from Luttrell's eyes. It is as though you are right alongside with the SEALs, experiencing the battle. The pace of the plot was slow in the beginning, starting with Marcus as a young boy and taking you through his long and hard path to join the Navy SEALs. The book allowed me to gain an entirely new level of respect of the armed forces, SEALs especially. It would be surprising if the story didn't do that for you. I found no major flaws while reading the book, I simply could not put it down. The story's ending is beautifully strung together and will undoubtedly leave the reader in tears.

            Luttrell gains my many praises for Lone Survivor and a strong recommendation to anyone interested in learning more about an incredible battle that changed America forever.  The compelling book can be found in stores across the country and has been made in a major motion picture, staring Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Luttrell.

            Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and The Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, by Marcus Luttrell, Back Bay Books, 2007, 388 pages