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Overall Summary

Marcus Luttrell is a Navy SEAL in 2005. He’s about to be deployed to Afghanistan for a special mission. He thinks back on his relationship with the military, which he’s always admired and wanted to serve in. Growing up as a child, he was raised by his parents and ex-Marines who taught him how to fight and shoot guns.

Luttrell joined the Navy SEALs, one of the most difficult branches of the military. As part of his training, he attended a rigorous camp where he trained harder than ever before. He was taught by tough but fair instructors like Inspector Alberto and learned how to conduct himself on land and in water. The toughest part of Luttrell’s training was Hell Week, when recruits were pushed extremely hard without sleep or food for long periods of time. While dozens gave up their dream to become SEALs by ringing a tiny bell, Luttrell stayed strong and survived Hell Week. For the rest of his time in SEAL training, Luttrell learned about parachuting and firing guns as well as medical care for fellow soldiers.

Luttrell graduates from SEAL training in early 2002. By this time, the American military is deploying to the Middle East in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Luttrell wants revenge and believes that we need aggressive tactics to defeat al Qaeda and its allies. He doesn’t like people who criticize how America fights because he thinks they don’t understand what’s going on over there.

Luttrell saw firsthand the widespread opposition to America in the Muslim world. He also saw first-hand that this sentiment was especially strong in Afghanistan, where he believed terrorists planned 9/11. In 2005, he deployed there with his friends Mikey Murphy, Danny Dietz and Axe Axelson among others on a mission to search for wandering Taliban soldiers and track down important Taliban commanders.

Danny Luttrell, Mikey and Axe are sent on a secret mission to find Ben Sharmak. He is responsible for killing many US soldiers and commands a vast army of Taliban troops. The team must surprise him because they’re outnumbered if there’s an ordinary fight.

Late at night, The SEALs land near the village where Sharmak is suspected to be living. They watch the area and plan their next move. The next day they come across a group of Afghan goatherds who pose a challenge to them. If they let them go then there’s a good chance that either (a) the goatherds will reveal what happened or (b) they’ll get tortured by Taliban soldiers and forced to reveal what happened. Nevertheless, Luttrell and Mikey are reluctant about killing innocent people while Axe wants to kill them because he believes it’s necessary for self-defense. In the end, Danny doesn’t voice an opinion but everyone else votes not to kill anyone so they let the goatherds free.

Within hours, dozens of Taliban soldiers arrive in the mountains. They had been sent there by the goatherds. The SEALs were in an impossible position and fought back but were outnumbered so badly that they had to retreat down the side of a mountain again and again. In this conflict, Luttrell’s three fellow SEALs died, including his friend Marc Lee who was killed after giving his life to save others from a grenade blast. Luttrell tried to care for them as best he could since he was their medic, but during one fall down the mountain he lost all his medical supplies. In his moment of crisis, Luttrell prayed to God for mercy which seemed like it would never come until later when amazingly he held onto his rifle during one fall down a mountain while hiding from Taliban troops looking for him with dogs.