"Never Out of The Fight", Lone Survivor!

My Thoughts on Marcus Luttrell's Thrilling Biopic by Eric Power

The story of Marcus Luttrell and his SEAL brothers is told in a gritty, unrelenting fashion in the movie adaptation of his book from 2007, "Lone Survivor: TheEyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEALTeam 10". I took  my 14 year old son, Alex, to see it on opening night (and then saw it again with my wife, a week later). It was a hard movie to watch, and I admit that I was moved to tears at many points throughout the movie. Before the credits rolled, they played a dedication to all the men who perished in that operation. I am not one who cries easily, certainly not in public. But seeing the sacrifice that these men gave for their country, their loved ones, and their Brothers-in-Arms, in living color on the big screen, was more than I could handle. It was probably a good 10 minutes before I could trust myself to speak steadily with Alex about what we had just seen. These guys have more honor in their left hand than I have in my entire body and I am humbled to know their story, and more importantly, to pass on their story. If seeing his old man in tears helps him to understand that point a little better, then so be it.  

I had Alex read the book about a year ago (I had read it in 2008), because I wanted to show him the meaning of true grit, honor, determination, a never-quit attitude, and to show him what a real American hero is like. They don't have capes, they can't fly, and they unfortunately can't stop a bullet. But they are heroes all the same. Even more so, I believe, because The Green Lantern and Spiderman simply do not exist outside of a comic book or a movie theater; Marcus Luttrell and SEAL Team 10 do, along with the other members of the military. Unfortunately, I think Alex is way too prone to taking the easy road, always asking for help for seemingly easy tasks, and quitting when it gets rough and tough. I desperately want to knock that mindset out of him.

--Allow me to go off on a little tangent, if I may. I am, as you can probably tell, pretty gung-ho on the military.  Full disclosure - I was not in the military myself.  I don't see that as a bad thing; the vast majority of the country has not performed military service. My reason for not going into the military was primarily due to my extensive hearing loss. They simply would not accept me. I'm okay with that; I don't know that I would have been a good fit in the Armed Forces honestly. I am the son of a volunteer Vietnam Veteran, and also the grandson of WWII Vets. To say that I have a soft spot for Service members would be an understatement; I support and love them 110%! Okay, back on the trail!--

Alex is a boy, like many his age, who is fascinated by video games. In particular, he prefers games like Modern Warfare and the endless stream of 1st Person shooters. I wanted him to see that REAL war is a far cry from the BS fantasy that is portrayed in games; when you are shot in real life, it hurts like Hell, and may just kill you. There are no medi-kits that let you immediately jump back to 100% health.. You don't get up from a head-shot and just restart the mission. You're DEAD. The ridiculous tactics that work in "Battlefield", won't work ON the battlefield.

Another concern with video games is that they can make real life seem much harder. Why take the time in the real world? Do it in "Virtuality"!! You want to show off your building chops? No, don't go to college for four-plus years and study architecture. Just play MineCraft! Point and click your creations into being...well, a virtual being anyway, that have no meaning or substance anywhere but in the online universe. Want to go “shredding” on your skateboard? OK, but why do it at the skate park? You could get hurt!! Load up Tony Hawk on your XBOX 360 and D-Pad your way to 540's and 1080's all day long! The best part is that all you'll suffer from is a sore thumb. You want to trick out your car? Cool....visit your garage in Gran Turismo 5, just click a few buttons, and BAM...it's done. The Car of your Dreams! Oh no, wait....no, there's a lot more work to be done in real life. It's dirty and greasy and hard. It takes practice, skill and sometimes even studying. But if that's something that you like doing, then it's well worth it. If the younger generation doesn't realize that, they may just eventually end up like the Human race portrayed in the movie Wall-E: big, fat, lumps of flesh who can't even walk from point A to point B without a robot to do it for them. That may be a stretch, sure. But do you think that the generations of the 1700's, 1800's or even the Early 1900's would have foreseen our society in the state that it is now?  What would the Founders of our country think of us in 2014?  I can't imagine that it would be flattering.

Nobody in this whole wide world ever became a Navy SEAL because they turned on a PS3. There is an untold amount of training and pain and misery that goes along with becoming the elite warfighter, second to none in the world; these giants among men sacrificed themselves in training, knowing it would be likely the most arduous trial they ever faced in their lives up to that point. BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEAL) training lasts for six months, split

into three phases. The first phase is the most grueling, with a five week period of basic training that culminates with Hell Week. It's everything you can imagine and probably more. They test you to the absolute limits of your sanity and endurance. They throw everything they can at you, possibly including a kitchen sink. Many quit during Hell Week; fewer still make it to the end and become a SEAL. But they see this as something worthwhile, and they put aside their temporary pain for a bigger goal, a goal much larger than themselves, that took dedication and commitment to see it through to the end. In this world, and I believe the world that we are soon about to become, we will need men and women of Honor and Courage and Commitment, like the kind we see in our Armed Forces and Special Forces. That's not to say that they'll necessarily need the skills that our Armed Forces possess, but they definitely will need their character traits. Even if that world does not come to fruition (I pray that it doesn't), I hardly think that a person having those traits would do poorly in life.

Marcus Luttrell (3rd from Right) with SEAL Team 10

For all those who appreciate our troops, I highly recommend Lone Survivor, the book as well as the  movie. Take someone with you. Take that wacko liberal friend who thinks that our soldiers are just a bunch of bloodthirsty animals. This film will prove them wrong. Because, if they were that way, the film would have never been made; there would be no story to tell. They could have eliminated the compromise, continued their mission, and gone home at the end of the day. It was because of their compassion that they were attacked. Take someone who just has no clue what it's all about in the world. Take your kids. Tell them that what they are about to see will be difficult to witness and comprehend at times. (My son turned his head away during a couple of scenes.) It should be. Violence, like war, should never be glorified. However, I wouldn't recommend taking a child under the age of 12. It's that brutal. Speaking of brutal, I can promise you this: you won't EVER look at a mountain the same way again after seeing them tumble down this one. The mountain takes on a life of its own, and transforms into a sadistic and vicious antagonist that will make you wince in sympathy. God Bless you, Marcus Luttrell and your fallen brothers, Michael Murphy, Matt Axelson, and Danny Dietz; not to mention all those who perished in the downed helicopter trying to rescue them. Your sacrifices will not be forgotten. You are all heroes of mine; I hope and pray that you are heroes to my son as well.


UPDATE:  Gotta love having a hearing impairment, especially when it makes me look like a buffoon.  Originally I titled this piece, "Never End The Fight", Lone Survivor!  I took this from a quote in the movie (at least I thought it was) said to Marcus Luttrell by Michael Murphy.  I have since SEEN the actual quote from multiple sources on the internet and I have changed the title to reflect the correct quote.  Thank you and my apologies!