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Brandon Huerta

Mrs. Hoffmeister

War in Literature

20 April, 2021

Lone Survivor Analysis

“These men of the special forces have had other options in their lives, other paths, easier

paths they could have taken. But they took the hardest path, that narrow causeway that is not for

the sunshine patriot. They took the one for the supreme patriot, the one that may require them to

lay down their lives for the United States of America. The one that is suitable only for those who

want to serve their country so bad, nothing else matters. That's probably not fashionable in our

celebrity-obsessed modern world, But special forces guys don't give a damn about that

either.....They are of course aware of a higher calling, because they are sworn to defend this

country and to fight its battles”(Luttrell 54). In 2005, Marcus Luttrell faced a life or death

situation during his mission, called Operation Red Wings, which resulted in Luttrell being the

lone survivor of his division. In “Lone Survivor,” Luttrell shares his life of trying to live after

experiencing the tragedies on the battlefield and how he dealt with the effects of warfare.

In the beginning of “Lone Survivor”, Luttrell shares what it is like to deal with the

memories of his decisions. He stated “I heard that terrible, terrible scream, the same one that

awakens me, bullying its way into my solitary dreams, night after night, the confirmation of

guilt. The endless guilt of the survivor”(Luttrell 2). Luttrell carries a deep burden that will affect

him for the rest of his life and at the moment he isn’t dealing with it well as he always gets

recurring nightmares and carries endless guilt. This shows the haunting reality of what soldiers

could go through when they experience terrible events like Marcus Luttrell faced.
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In “Lone Survivor”, Marcus Luttrell shares his train of thought and what the country

expects of him and this helps Luttrell move on and believe that the decisions he made were the

best he could ever make and do for his country. Luttrell states “I will never quit. My nation

expects me to be physically stronger and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down I

will get back up, everytime”(Luttrell 219). Luttrell is a fighter and will always find a way to

overcome his obstacles in life. Everyone is capable of much more than they think, but it matters

if they are determined to do what it takes to get there.

At the end of “Lone Survivor”, Luttrell gives a brief statement on his great pride for his

country. He says “You can die for your country. I’m going to live for mine” (Luttrell 260).

Luttrell has gotten better as a person trying to better himself from all the hell he has been

through. He has learned a lot from his experiences and

Luttrell gave a good explanation of what it’s like for a soldier to go through war and

showing how he overcame his adversity. His overall message in this story was never lose hope

and to never give up. Knowing he was outnumbered, he kept fighting, and knowing he had no

chance of survival, he kept pushing. Luttrell has shown an amazing journey of surviving the

unthinkable and overcoming many obstacles to get to where he is today and it shows that anyone

can overcome anything if they set their mind right.

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Works Cited

Luttrell, Marcus. Lone Survivor. Little, Brown Book Group, 2014.