Jump to content

Marcus Luttrell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by RelentlessRecusant (talk | contribs) at 23:46, 19 September 2009 (correcting broken link.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Marcus Luttrell
Marcus Luttrell in 2007
Nickname(s)"Southern Boy"
"The One"
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service / branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1999 - 2007
RankPetty Officer First Class
UnitUnited States Navy SEALs
Battles / warsIraq War
War in Afghanistan
Awards Navy Cross[1][2]
File:PurpleHeart.jpg Purple Heart

Marcus Luttrell (born November 7, 1975) is a former Petty Officer First Class[3] (pay grade E6) and United States Navy SEAL. He received the Navy Cross for his actions in 2005 facing Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wing.

Early life

Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Willis, Texas, Luttrell attended Sam Houston State University. He joined Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He began training for the SEALs at age 14 with former United States Army Special Forces soldier Billy Shelton, who lived nearby. He trained every day with his twin brother, Morgan, and others who aspired to join the military. Billy Shelton, a former Green Beret, trained them using various weight and endurance exercises.

Military career

Luttrell joined the United States Navy in March 1999. He began Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training with Class 226 in Coronado, California. He graduated with Class 228 after suffering a fractured femur early in his training.[4] He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2005. [4]

Operation Red Wing

From left to right, Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson; Senior Chief Information Systems Technician Daniel R. Healy, Quartermaster 2nd Class James Suh, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell, Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Eric S. Patton, and Lt. Michael P. Murphy. With the exception of Luttrell, all were killed June 28, 2005, by enemy forces while supporting Operation Red Wings.
Main article: Operation Red Wing

On June 28 2005, Luttrell and SEAL Team 10 were assigned to a mission to kill or capture Ahmad Shah (nom de guerre Mohammad Ismail), a high-ranking Taliban leader responsible for killings in eastern Afghanistan and the Hindu-Kush mountains.[5] The SEAL team was made up of Luttrell, Michael P. Murphy, Danny Dietz and Matthew Axelson.[5] Luttrell and Axelson were the team's snipers, with Lutrell also being the team Medic; Dietz was in charge of communications and Murphy the team leader.

A small group of goatherds (three males) who were believed to be Taliban sympathizers stumbled upon the four SEALs, but the SEALs were unable to verify any hostile intent.[6] Luttrell claims that Murphy, the officer in charge of the SEAL team, put the fate of the goatherds to a vote. Axelson voted to kill the Afghanis, and Dietz abstained. Murphy told Luttrell that he would vote the same as him so with his vote it was decided to free the threesome made up of two men and a young teen about 14 years of age.[5]

This account is denied by Murphy’s father, who believes that his son would have never put such a decision to a vote and that Luttrell told him a different account when he spoke to him. "He said that Michael was adamant that the civilians were going to be released, that he wasn’t going to kill innocent people," said the elder Murphy. "Michael wouldn’t put that up for committee. People who knew Michael know that he was decisive and that he makes decisions."[5] The herders were subsequently released and disappeared over the mountain ridge. Luttrell believed they immediately betrayed the team's location to local Taliban forces and within an hour the SEALs were engaged in a gun battle against a force of 80-140 enemy fighters. The gunfight went on for hours.[7]

Luttrell's SEAL teammates were all 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, including Shane Patton, whose place on Operation Red Wings had been taken by Danny Dietz.[8]

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 tribesmen from Sabri-Minah, a Pashtun village. (This was done because of "Lohkay", a belief that any wounded man must be hospitalized.) [9] The villagers subsequently alerted American forces of Luttrell's location, and he was finally rescued six days after the battle by an HH-60 Pave Hawk Helicopter.[8]

Mohammad Ismail

Main article: Ahmad Shah (Taliban)

The target for Operation Red Wings, Mohammad Ismail alias Ahmad Shah, survived the American operation but was killed during a firefight with Pakistani police in the North-West Frontier Province in April of 2008.[10]

Returning home

Luttrell returned to the U.S. the following year, and co-authored the New York Times bestseller, Lone Survivor. He separated from the Navy in 2007.

In 2008, he spoke at the Celebration of American Values Forum at the National Rifle Association's annual convention.[11]

Dog shot at his home

On April 1, 2009, four teenage males approached Luttrell's property and killed his dog, Dasy, with a .357 Magnum revolver at approximately 1 A.M.

Each letter of the name "DASY" represents one of the fallen members of his team—Daniel "Danny" Dietz, Matthew "Axe" Axelson, Southern boy (Marcus), and Michael "Yankee" Murphy. She was given to him in recovery to help him through rehabilitation.

Luttrell proceeded to follow the individuals through three counties in his truck—apparently armed with two 9 mm Berettas—until Onalaska Police apprehended the individuals. Upon arrest, the suspects verbally threatened Luttrell's life and taunted him. Alfonso Hernandez was arrested on-scene for driving without a valid drivers license and later charged with animal cruelty. Michael Edmonds turned himself in on April 7, was booked, and posted bond on the same charge. The other two individuals were not indicted. The males are also suspects in the killings of other neighborhood dogs.[12]

Books

  • Luttrell, Marcus (2006). Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. Back Bay Books. ISBN 0316067598. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)


References

  1. ^ "Marcus Luttrell" (HTML). Navy Seals. 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-10. In 2006, Petty Officer Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross for combat heroism.
  2. ^ "LIEUTENANT MICHAEL P. MURPHY - United States Navy" (HTML). United States Navy. 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  3. ^ Marcus Luttrell | NavySEALs.com - Experience the SEAL Edge
  4. ^ a b Luttrell, Marcus (2006). Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. Back Bay Books. ISBN 0316067598. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. ^ a b c d Naylor, Sean D. (2007-06-18). "Surviving SEAL tells story of deadly mission". Army Times. Retrieved 2008-07-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ West, Diane (August 17, 2007). "Death by rules of engagement". TownHall.com. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Interview with Luttrell". Pritzker Military Library. May 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  8. ^ a b "Interview with Matt Lauer". Today Show. June 12, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "A Former Navy SEAL Questions Rules of War". Morning Edition. NPR. August 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |note= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Matt Dupee (April 17, 2008). "Bara bin Malek Front commander killed in Pakistani shootout" (HTML). long war journal. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  11. ^ "NRA'S ANNUAL MEETINGS & EXHIBITS 2008" (HTML). NRA. May 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  12. ^ Glenn Beck (April 6, 2009). "Glenn Beck: Teen punks murder American hero's dog" (HTML). Glenn Beck.com. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Marcus_Luttrell&oldid=315003502"