Lone Survivor

I just finished reading Lone Survivor, the Eyewitness account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heros of SEAL Team 10. Everyone needs to read this to understand and appreciate the sacrifices being made by our young men and women everyday in order that this country can remain free and safe from terror.

This is an extremely emotional book as it recounts in excruciating detail the fatal operation in which 3 SEALs were lost in a battle in Afghanistan, along with another 16 SEALs and Rangers who died trying to rescue them. It was the largest loss of life in SEAL history. But it's not just about the battle and the dauntless, heroic actions of the men in battle. It's also about the training and sacrifice and mindset of becoming a SEAL, arguably the most potent Special Ops soldier in the world.

You learn from Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor of Operation Redwing and the author of the book, all about the famed SEAL boot camp and Hell Week. How men are pushed to their physical, mental and psychological limits in order to select only the best. And how it's the intangible, the unexplainable that separates the ones that make it from the ones that don't.

Some people may be put off by his tone. It's has a bravado tone to it. But this isn't a swaggering show of courage, it's the tone of a highly-trained, confident warrior, sure of his place and his mission. As the ole saying goes, "it ain't bragging if you can do it" And the SEALs can do it!

Enjoy this book and then take a moment to say a prayer for these fine men, some of our country's finest, and the families they left behind.

Here's Marcus Luttrell speaking at a recent NRA convention.