How does the word sacrifice impact you? To each and every American Navy SEAL, sacrifice is a part of their everyday mentality. They don’t bat an eye at the thought of dangerous battles in unbearable conditions to better their country and keep Americans safe. Without hesitation, Navy SEAL’s travel to hostile countries across the world filled with brutal enemies who want nothing more than to kill them. They exemplify the meaning of bravery and selflessness at a level that most Americans cannot fathom. SEALs complete tasks that may be deemed impossible to most, from navigating through the steep Mountains of Afghanistan to destroying extremely volatile weapons underwater.
While engaging in these activities, many lost their lives, such as various Navy SEAL’s did during the dramatically unsuccessful Operation Redwing. They complete these draining tasks everyday, mentally and physically, without complaint and full of integrity and passion. The death’s and sacrifices of these men, among the most elite and physically maintained men in the world, affects everyone associated with them. In Marcus Luttrell’s the Lone Survivor, the author analyzed the ultimate sacrifices of Navy SEAL’s by leaving their lives, bootcamp training, and Operation Redwing to emphasize their commitment to their country.
Luttrell scrutinized the sacrifice Navy SEAL’s make when they leave their lives behind to fight for their country. According to The U.S. Navy SEAL Survival Handbook, those who want to become a Navy SEAL must go through 6 months or BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) and an additional 11 weeks of training before they are certified to protect our country (Mann and Pezzullo 18-19, 22-23). Including preparation and traveling, those dedicating themselves to becoming a SEAL put almost a year of their lives into being put down and yelled at to become a Navy SEAL, when they weren’t even sure if they would make it.
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This time away from their families also continues as they put a majority, or the rest of their lives, into being a NAVY Seal. He stressed how these courageous individuals travel to locations foreign and frightening, such as Afghanistan, to selflessly fulfill their duties for their nation. Luttrell does this in the memoir through vividly describing their lives outside of being a Navy SEAL. While doing so, they leave behind the individuals who make their world go round. For instance, in the novel, Luttrell began by introducing some of the SEAL’s that he has worked side by side with, including details about their hometowns and families. While introducing Chief Daniel Richard Healy, he included the fact that Healy was married and had seven children (Luttrell 19).
Luttrell added these specific facts about this valor SEAL into his memoir to make the reader understand that a SEAL is fully committed to his work. Even though they may have many reasons to leave, such as kids and a wife in this case, they choose to miss major life events and leave behind loved ones for America. In continuation to the last idea, Luttrell used the description of his closest companion, Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy, to demonstrate that SEAL’s leave the lives they have ahead of them when becoming a part of this elite group. For instance, Luttrell informed the reader that during Lieutenant Murphy’s younger years, he had achieved many accomplishments and guaranteed himself a successful future. He was “an honors graduate from Penn State” and was “accepted by several law schools” (Luttrell 17).
This description given by Luttrell makes it understood that Navy SEAL’s leave these accomplishments behind and join a force that they know will be rigorous and could very likely cost them their lives. Murphy sacrificed a life that he worked hard to build all for the benefit of the United States of America. Luttrell deeply identified the idea that Navy SEAL’s leave behind their lives in order to keep the freedom America is known for.
Secondly, Luttrell scrutinized the idea that Navy SEAL’s endure one of the most rigorous physical and mental training known to man and sacrifice their freedoms such as a warm bed, free time, and a proper amount of rest. According to the survival guide that SEAL’s live by, experts consider BUD/S, which is a part of Navy SEAL boot camp, to be the toughest training there is, in the entire world (Mann and Pezzullo 18). As enhanced in Luttrell’s memoir, these brave men are woken up abruptly during all hours of the night to perform drills that seem unbearable to most, such as running three miles after plunging into the freezing Pacific ocean with dripping wet combat boots. While the rest of America is sleeping, Navy SEAL’s are reaching their highest physical and mental peak. They can leave at anytime and go back to their normal lives, but their commitment is unwavering.
In the memoir, Luttrell, a renowned Navy SEAL himself, added the fact that only the strongest men could become Navy SEAL’s because they were too committed to quit. For instance, in the middle of boot camp, while these men were enduring exhaustive exercise, they came across helmets and “each of those helmets have been owned by a friend” who had given up and decided they could not endure any more boot camp (Luttrell 126). This reiterates the fact that the men were sacrificing their sanity and freedom, which others could not, to do as they please to be a Navy SEAL and commit to providing safety to their country. According to Luttrell, these individuals give up the freedom and fatigue-free life that they could have easily given in to like the others by quitting bootcamp, but their commitment to America was too powerful of a force.
Lastly, Luttrell analyzed the ultimate sacrifice his team in SEAL Team 10 made when they voluntarily traveled to a foreign land and fought in Operation Redwing. Operation Redwing was a mission to kill or capture a powerful Taliban leader in the hostile region of Afghanistan. During this battle in Afghanistan, Luttrell and his three teammates were faced with extreme conditions that included dangerously steep mountain tops, minimal equipment, inadequate radio reception, and Taliban men who would go to no end to get them out of their country, preferably dead. Through Luttrell’s recollection of the event, it is revealed to the reader that SEAL Team 10 was ambushed for a majority of their time in Afghanistan and faced a brutal and intelligent army who knew the terrain like the back of their hand.
During this mission, the men came across native goat herders in the mountains. According to Luttrell, “To let these guys go on their way was military suicide” because they would blow their cover to the Taliban which whom they were affiliated with (203). If they killed the villagers, the media would take the incident and exaggerate it to new height, leaving a lasting negative imprint on the Navy SEAL name that has taken many years to earn. The team decided to let the men go, sacrificing their own cover and eventually their lives for the reputation of their country.
Continually, the biggest sacrifice known to man is deeply analyzed by Luttrell as the battle came to a close and the three other men died in vain. In this rigorous and nearly inhumane battle, Michael P. Murphy, Matthew G. Axelson, and Danny P. Dietz lost their entire lives for America. According to Hume, the only way for the SEAL Team to receive support during the ambush was for one of the members to step out in the open where radio reception was available. They could call for backup, but his would most certainly lead to death. Michael Murphy did just that and “died that day, laying down his life for his friends” (4). He knew that sacrificing his life was the only way that America could make it out of the battle successfully, even though that wasn’t the case. All of these brave men had families who loved and valued them. They had futures ahead of them that they build when they were younger that they will never get to experience. They went into Operation Redwing with doubts, but still sacrificed their lives, which leads to the conclusion that no sacrifice is too much for a Navy SEAL.
In conclusion, Luttrell analyzed the sacrifices of a Navy SEAL such as leaving behind their current lives, enduring bootcamp, and Operation Redwing to show that they fully dedicate their lives to the work of a SEAL in his memoir Lone Survivor. They travel far and wide, risking their lives everyday for the benefit of others and to keep hostile enemies out of American territory where they could cause harm to Americans. The SEAL’s that he analyzed the most in SEAL Team 10 during Operation Redwing which were, Danny, Axe, Mikey, and himself, left their families and hometowns to go through the rigorous process of becoming a Navy SEAL. This included various physical activities, mental tests, and traveling with little to no rest.
These four galiant men endured a type of boot camp that creates the strongest men in the world. The biggest sacrifice analyzed by Luttrell involved the mission in Afghanistan, Operation Redwing, to pursue a very dangerous and life threatening Taliban man with a large army and ruthless beliefs to back him up. The three of these men were chosen to be analyzed by Luttrell because they gave the ultimate sacrifice to America, which was their life. These men are put in the spotlight for their incredible sacrifices in Luttrell’s memoir, but it can’t be forgotten that Navy SEAL’s, men and women, around the United States of America sacrifice the same assets for our country today and every day. It is vital that they are honored the same way Luttrell so proudly honors these unwaveringly gallant men.
