A Bunch Of Goddamned Men
So I'm reading this book called Lone Survivor, about a SEAL operation that gets really fucked up and results in the highest SEAL Team loss in a single operation:
Why you should read this book:
"The team of four SEALs was, in enemy territory, discovered by goat herders. After a vote, the team decided to let them go, rather than execute them. The goat herders betrayed the team's location to the local Taliban forces and the team ended up in a fire fight against a force of about 150 veteran Taliban fighters, led by the man they were sent to kill. Each SEAL team member fought doggedly, even after being mortally wounded up to 5 times. Michael P. Murphy walked into the open to call in help for his team via satellite phone and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. After rejoining his teammates and getting back in the firefight Murphy was killed."
"By the end of the battle, 100 of the original 150 in the attacking Taliban force had been killed. Luttrell was the only SEAL survivor, covering seven miles while wounded, losing blood, hallucinating and nearly dying of dehydration. He managed to kill and evade most of those still in pursuit."
This is basically a modern version of 300. 4 SEALs vs. 150 Taliban troops, and something like less than 20 of the Taliban forces survive. He covers the experience of going through Indoc and BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training) before getting into the meat of the operation. I will admit that I have a definite fascination to jobs that require a different breed of man (this may be why I was so easily drawn into Rescue Me, even though firefighters are sort of difficult to compare to SEALs.) So perhaps what really interests me would not be so interesting to the next person, but it's a really good, if not fucked up, story that actually happened, which makes it better in my opinion. It's definitely worth checking out. I'm about halfway through it and I am hooked. There is a lot of military jargon though which doesn't phase me but may be hard for one not introduced to that sort of second language. Also, the guy's in the military, so his opinion of liberals and the media portrayal of the war is unflattering, just as a precaution. I always tend to value the words of someone who was actively engaged in a situation over reporters who have no or very little combat experience, and the SEALs are about as deep in the war as it gets. Reading some of the things he's said based on physical observation, I'm starting to have second thoughts on the validity of the Iraq War, big time. A lot of the stuff he talks about seeing come into direct contradiction with what was and is reported, which I find really interesting. For me at least, I trust the words of a SEAL over just about everyone, just based on the level of crap they have to go through just to become what they are. But now I'm going off on a tangent, so read it. Or don't, but it's a great book.
Why you should read this book:
"The team of four SEALs was, in enemy territory, discovered by goat herders. After a vote, the team decided to let them go, rather than execute them. The goat herders betrayed the team's location to the local Taliban forces and the team ended up in a fire fight against a force of about 150 veteran Taliban fighters, led by the man they were sent to kill. Each SEAL team member fought doggedly, even after being mortally wounded up to 5 times. Michael P. Murphy walked into the open to call in help for his team via satellite phone and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. After rejoining his teammates and getting back in the firefight Murphy was killed."
"By the end of the battle, 100 of the original 150 in the attacking Taliban force had been killed. Luttrell was the only SEAL survivor, covering seven miles while wounded, losing blood, hallucinating and nearly dying of dehydration. He managed to kill and evade most of those still in pursuit."
This is basically a modern version of 300. 4 SEALs vs. 150 Taliban troops, and something like less than 20 of the Taliban forces survive. He covers the experience of going through Indoc and BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training) before getting into the meat of the operation. I will admit that I have a definite fascination to jobs that require a different breed of man (this may be why I was so easily drawn into Rescue Me, even though firefighters are sort of difficult to compare to SEALs.) So perhaps what really interests me would not be so interesting to the next person, but it's a really good, if not fucked up, story that actually happened, which makes it better in my opinion. It's definitely worth checking out. I'm about halfway through it and I am hooked. There is a lot of military jargon though which doesn't phase me but may be hard for one not introduced to that sort of second language. Also, the guy's in the military, so his opinion of liberals and the media portrayal of the war is unflattering, just as a precaution. I always tend to value the words of someone who was actively engaged in a situation over reporters who have no or very little combat experience, and the SEALs are about as deep in the war as it gets. Reading some of the things he's said based on physical observation, I'm starting to have second thoughts on the validity of the Iraq War, big time. A lot of the stuff he talks about seeing come into direct contradiction with what was and is reported, which I find really interesting. For me at least, I trust the words of a SEAL over just about everyone, just based on the level of crap they have to go through just to become what they are. But now I'm going off on a tangent, so read it. Or don't, but it's a great book.
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