Friday, March 21, 2014

How is this real?

I sit here in study hall, in the library, with my friends. I can't imagine losing them, let alone having them die in my own hands because of decisions I've made. Well, that is what Marcus Luttrell, a Navy Seal, has to go through. He wrote, "Danny Dietz died right there in my arms. I don't know how quickly hearts break, but that nearly broke mine" (Luttrell 58%).  Currently in my book, Marcus and three other Navy Seals are fighting hundreds of Taliban fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan. The Navy Seals were on a mission when they were seen by goat herders. They decided not to kill the goat herders because they could be charged with murder at home and the after the herders were let go, they told the Taliban. Now in my book they are getting bombarded and they are down to three men after Danny Dietz died.

The book is unbelievable. I obviously know that is book is non-fiction but the things that have happened to Marcus are mind boggling. He talks about his time training to be a Seal which is the hardest thing I've ever heard in terms of physical exertion (for more information on that go to http://navyseals.com/nsw/hell-week-0/). One of his teachers says, "the real battle is won in the mind. It's won by guys who sit and think about it, plotting and planning to improve. Attending to the detail. Work on their weaknesses and overcome them. Because they can" (Luttrell 31%). This quote sums up the Seals and the way to get through the training. Everything is mental, can you go further and push yourself past the pain. That is what the select few people, the Seals, can do. There is something in them that keeps them going. This quote also foreshadows to the battle. One of his teammates, Danny, who, before he dies, has been shot 5 times but continues to fight. He mentally puts the pain past him and continues to fight.

As for the rest of the book, well I assume that Marcus gets out alive, somehow. If I didn't know the author, book title or anything about the book I would assume he and the rest of his team would get out alive but that is somehow not the truth. I can't wait to see how Marcus does it. Also, I can't wait to feel the emotions along with Marcus. I felt pain when he talked about Danny dying in his arms. This book really grabs your emotions and is a rough read but that is what makes it incredible. The blows are hard but the story is incredible. Hopefully the rest of the book was as good as what I've read.

Marcus and his team. Marcus is the third from the left. Note only 4 of the 6 went on the mission.


NOTE: I'm reading book on kindle so it gives percent not pages.









2 comments:

  1. I think it was interesting how you discovered a thematic meaning in a nonfiction book. I feel kind of compelled to read it no; thank you for describing it so well (although it was unclear about the page numbers as they pertain to "percentages").

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  2. Hahaha the percentage thing should be fixed. The way you started this post was great. The thing that many people don't realize is the struggle these soldiers go through. It just explains why many of them suffer from PTSD. But you described their struggle well in this post

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