Discover the Best Books Written by Marcus Luttrell

Marcus Luttrell is a retired United States Navy SEAL who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in June 2005 against Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wings, in which he was the lone survivor. Luttrell became an SO1 by the end of his eight-year career in the United States Navy. Luttrell co-hosts After Action, a TV show in which former special operations veterans talk about issues in the United States. Glenn Beck is the show's executive producer, which airs on TheBlaze.

Luttrell was born in Houston, Texas, on November 7, 1975. He began training for the U.S. Navy SEALs at the age of 14, with U.S. Army veteran Billy Shelton, who lived near Luttrell's home. Luttrell trained every day with his twin brother, Morgan, and others who aspired to join the U.S. Navy and other special operations forces. Shelton trained them using various weight and endurance exercises. After high school at Willis High School, Willis, Texas, Luttrell attended Sam Houston State University, where he was a member of the Epsilon Zeta chapter of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. In 1998 he graduated with a B.S. in International Business.

Luttrell enlisted in the U.S. Navy in March 1999. After graduating from boot camp and Hospital Corpsman A-school, he transferred to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Class 226. However, due to a fractured femur, he suffered from falling off a rope. He graduated with Class 228 on April 21, 2000. After completing BUD/S, Luttrell attended Army jump school and SEAL Qualification Training (SQT).

Luttrell earned his Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326 Combatant Swimmer (SEAL) and Naval Special Warfare Insignia on February 2, 2001, after completing SQT. He was then sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for the Special Operations Combat Medic (SOCM) course. SOCM was an additional six months of advanced training in conventional and unconventional medical skills, ranging from diagnosis and treatment of many conditions to advanced emergency medicine and battlefield life support. He was deployed to Iraq with SEAL Team 5 on April 14, 2003, during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, to root out and destroy leftover Iraqi resistance and joined in the search for WMDs. Afterward, he carried out operations to eliminate or capture terrorists.

He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 with SEAL Team Ten as part of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (SDV-1). While in Afghanistan, he was involved in Operation Red Wings, during which local herdsmen noticed the four-man Special Reconnaissance element with SDV-1. The team understood that the local herdsmen might reveal their whereabouts to Taliban fighters but also recognized that they were unarmed and did not appear to be combatants. Despite the risk, the SEAL team allowed the herdsmen to leave. Soon thereafter, the SEAL team was ambushed, and only Luttrell survived. Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the operation.

During the ambush of Operation Red Wings, the four SEALs were attacked from three sides and took fire from RPK machine guns, AK-47s, RPG-7s, and 82mm mortars. The attack forced the SEALs into the northeast gorge of the Shuryek Valley side of Sawtalo Sar. The SEALs made a number of attempts to contact their combat operations center with a PRC-148 MBITR (Multi Band Inter/Intra Team Radio) and then with an Iridium satellite phone.

However, they could not establish consistent communication other than for a period long enough to indicate that they were under attack. Three of the four team members were killed, and Luttrell, the only survivor, was left unconscious with a number of fractures, a broken back, and numerous shrapnel wounds. Members of SEAL Team 10 attempted a rescue during the firefight, but their helicopter was shot down, and all aboard were killed. Luttrell regained consciousness and evaded the pursuing enemy with the help of local Pashtun villagers, one of them being Mohammad Gulab, who eventually sent an emissary to the nearest U.S. base to secure Luttrell's safe rescue and ultimately save his life.

He was rescued on July 2 by Army Rangers and Afghan National Army soldiers in the woods when Gulab and several villagers were trying to get Luttrell to a safe location. Capt treated Luttrell. Joshua Appel and Technical Sergeant Christopher Piercecchi of the United States Air Force Pararescue.