“Lone Survivor”

Posted by Tina

I saw the movie “Lone Survivor” yesterday after my nineteen year old granddaughter told me that although some of it was difficult for her to watch, it gave her a better sense of what we’ve been doing in Afghanistan, the things our troops go through and endure, the good people that risk their lives to help us, and the terrible ruthlessness of the terrorists we fight. She was absolutely right on all counts.

Peter Berg’s movie is the true story of how U.S. Navy Seal, Marcus Luttrell, became the only survivor of a mission gone bad in Afghanistan. “Operation Red Wings” was a kill mission to take out a ruthless Taliban leader who had been spotted in a village in the mountains. The four man team is first dropped from a helicopter and after a long hike reach their destination where they take up positions on the mountainside. They spot the target in the village below but their mission is soon compromised and quickly falls apart when a group of goat herders come upon them. The team is able to quickly subdue them but now a decision must be made to either kill them or let them go. The men are not in agreement and begin to weigh the choices. Since the radio is not working they can’t count on direction from commanders back at the base. Finally they agree the right thing to do is to release the locals even though they realize the risk they are taking would be deadly. As the locals fly down the mountain toward the enemy the team begins their new mission, a fierce battle for their own survival.

“Lone Survivor” passionately recreates true life events and men of strength, endurance, dedication, compassion and heart. In the telling we are introduced to the terrible and vicious killers we know as terrorist enemies and to men who will risk their lives and the lives of others to offer shelter and help. It is a sobering reminder of the danger and death of war but ultimately it’s a survivors experience of shared humanity and shared valor expressed at the leading edge in the fight for freedom and peace in the world.

I won’t offer more details. I do want to say that this movie gave me even greater respect for those who proudly and vigorously rush toward the hard fight in defense of our nation. It gave me deeper awareness about their devotion to each other and their work. I also have renewed appreciation for the good people in the Middle East who must live side by side with the ruthlessness of terrorists zealots and who so bravely do what they can to help the United States and our allies to rid the world of the darkest of enemies.

It does not surprise me that this film has attracted the usual snide cadre of critics saying that the film “glorifies war”. I suspect my granddaughters reaction may be what bothers them most. They are wrong and I’d enjoy taking them on. But there isn’t a better response to their ignorance than the one given by Marcus Luttrell:

“Bottom line is that there’s bad people everywhere. And every now and again we are going to have to step to them to make sure that we preserve our way of life,” Luttrell added. “It’s people like my teammates and I that have to do that, and the men and women in the military. But there’s nothing glorious about it, there’s nothing pro-war — nobody wants war, it’s the most horrible thing in the world.”

Thank you sir.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect two corrections, 1. The operation was called “Operation Red Wings” not “Operation Red Wing” and, 2. The team was comprised of four men not six.