Marcus Luttrell (born November 7, 1975) is a former United States Navy SEAL, who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in June 2005 facing Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wings. Luttrell was a Hospital Corpsman First Class by the end of his eight-year career in the United States Navy
Lutrell co-hosts After Action, a TV show where former special operations veterans talk about issues in the United States. The show is executive produced by Glenn Beck and airs on TheBlaze.
Luttrell was born in Houston, Texas on November 7, 1975. He began training for the U.S. Navy SEALs at the age of fourteen, with U.S. Army veteran Billy Shelton, who lived near Luttrell’s home. He trained every day with his twin brother, Morgan, and others who aspired to join the U.S Navy and other Special Operations Forces. Shelton trained them using various weight and endurance exercises. After high school, Luttrell attended Sam Houston State University, where he joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
Luttrell enlisted in the United States Navy in March 1999. After graduating training camp and Hospital Corpsman A-school, he transferred to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Class 226; however, due to a fractured femur he suffered on the obstacle course, he graduated with Class 228 on April 21, 2000. The book The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228 by Dick Couch describes the training of Class 228, and names Luttrell as one of the graduates of that class.
After completing BUD/S, he attended Army jump school and SEAL Qualification Training. He was then sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for the Special Operations Combat Medic (SOCM) course. SOCM was an additional six months of advanced training in conventional and unconventional medical skills, ranging from diagnosis and treatment of many conditions to advanced emergency medicine and battlefield life support. He was deployed to Iraq with SEAL Team 5 on April 14, 2003, during the 2003 invasion of Iraq to root out and destroy leftover Iraqi resistance and joined in the search for WMD’S afterwards he carried out operations to eliminate or capture terrorists.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 with SEAL Team Ten as part of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (SDV-1). While in Afghanistan, he was involved in Operation Red Wings, during which the four-man Special Reconnaissance element with SDV-1 was discovered by local herdsman, subsequently ambushed, and all killed except for Luttrell. Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the operation. The team knew the local herdsman might reveal their whereabouts to Taliban fighters but because they were not armed combatants, they were allowed to leave despite the risk to themselves and their mission.
The ambush during Operation Red Wings was intense. The four SEALs were attacked from three sides, and included fire from PK machine guns, AK-47s, RPG-7s, and 82mm mortars. The attack forced the SEALs into the northeast gulch of the Shuryek Valley side of Sawtalo Sar. The SEALs made a number of attempts to contact their combat operations center with a PRC-148 MBITR (Multi Band Inter/Intra Team Radio) and then with an Iridium Satellite Phone. They could not establish consistent communication, however, other than for a period long enough to indicate that they were under attack.
Three of the four team members were killed, and Luttrell, being the only survivor, was left unconscious with a number of fractures, a broken back, and numerous shrapnel wounds. Members of SEAL Team 10 attempted a rescue during the firefight but their helicopter was shot down and all aboard were killed. Luttrell regained consciousness and evaded the pursuing enemy, with the help of local Pashtun villagers, who eventually sent an emissary to the nearest U.S. base to secure his safe rescue, and ultimately save his life. After recovering from his injuries, he returned to active duty and deployed to Ramadi during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006 as part of SEAL Team Five. He later had his knee blown out. This led him to retire.
The target of Operation Red Wings, Mohammad Ismail alias Ahmad Shah, survived the American operation but was killed during a firefight with Pakistani police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in April 2008.https://www.warhistoryonline.com
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