See below for an update.–Former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell pushed back at CNN’s Jake Tapper after the host suggested in an interview that the “lone survivor’s” fellow veterans died for nothing.“One of the emotions that I felt, while watching the film is first of all the hopelessness of the situation — how horrific it was and also just all that loss of life of these brave American men,” Tapper said in an interview that aired Friday.“And I was torn about the message of the film in the same way that I think I am about the war in Afghanistan itself,” he added. And at the same time I know that there were bad people there and good people that need help.”Watch the tense interview (comments come at around 3- minute mark): Luttrell hit back.“I don’t know what part of the film you were watching, but hopelessness really never came into it,” he said, shifting in his seat. Because there was never a point where we just felt like we were hopelessly lost or anything like that. We never felt like we were losing until we were actually dead.”. I don’t know what part of the film you were watching, but hopelessness really never came into it.”. Just the sense of all these wonderful people who died,” Tapper replied. I don’t mean to disrespect in any way, but it seemed senseless — all of these wonderful people who were killed for an op that went wrong.”“We spend our whole lives training to defend this country and then we were sent over there by this country — so you’re telling me because we were over there doing what we were told by our country that it was senseless?” Luttrell asked. Thank you for your interest in Marcus Luttrell, if you would like to visit with a member of the Marcus’s Management team, email or call, we would love to hear from. Two men found guilty of killing war hero's therapy dog . Lieutenant Colonel Norman Cooling, hailed from Texas. In the weeks following Marcus Luttrell's rescue. They died for nothing?”“No,” Tapper replied.“That’s what you said,” Luttrell countered. We didn’t complain about it.”(H/T: Mediaite)UPDATE, 1. Marcus Luttrell, was rescued. OPERATION RED WING KIAs. Rescue in Afghanistan . In June 2. 00. 5, it was home to the U. S. Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd regiment. Marcus luttrell texas patch president bush family tree 2043. Read More Chandler CFO Finalist by PA Business Journal. Emtec, Inc., a leading consulting. Didn't someone OUT former Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell, who wrote LONE SURVIVOR. The Taliban had welcomed them with a rain of rocket attacks. Every day and night, the base was rocked by mortars and probed with sniper shots. No wonder the Marines called it . A legend among SEALs in Hawaii and California, Healy was a few months into his first deployment in Afghanistan. Working out of a cubicle choked with maps and intelligence reports, he became obsessed with finding the Taliban warlord killing Marines in A- bad. On the morning of June 2. Healy called together four members of SEAL Team 1. Dan Dietz, sniper Matthew Axelson, medic Marcus Luttrell and Lt. Michael Murphy, the unit's commanding officer. Raised in Littleton, Colo., Dietz had recently married his wife, Maria. She went by the nickname . As a youngster, Dietz wanted to be a ninja until he found out it wasn't really a profession. After becoming a SEAL, he slept through his alarm one morning. As Dietz rushed in late for duty, he impressed everyone with his abject apology and even volunteered his own punishment. Matthew Axelson was the sniper. His plan was to serve his country until he turned 2. Chico. His wife, Cindy, was impressed by his humility. When people asked Axelson what he did, he would just say he was . He ran for hours with concrete blocks on both shoulders. He and his twin brother, Morgan, both dreamed of becoming SEALs, and they both made it. Later, the twins commissioned a special tattoo: each would have half of the SEAL trident tattooed on his back. Michael Murphy, the team's commander, hailed from Patchogue, N. Y. He stitched a patch from the New York City Fire Department inside his uniform. He proposed to his fianc. The couple planned to marry as soon as he returned from Afghanistan. A helicopter would drop off the SEAL team a few miles from a village where the warlord Shah had been sighted from the air. They would rope down and find a concealed position. If they spotted Shah, they would radio . With their weapons and gear, the four SEALs boarded a U. S. Army 1. 60th Special Aviation helicopter, and it thundered off toward the drop zone: a field of waist- high grass and rotting stumps. The men slid down ropes from the hovering chopper, then waited in frozen silence for 1. They heard only wind and the rattle of tree branches. As a storm moved in, the SEALs lined up and hiked into the tree line. Using a special GPS, they found their way to a rocky nook overlooking the sleeping village. Then storm winds pushed in a thick, gravy- like fog that cut off the team's view of the village. They had to move - a dangerous decision so close to a Taliban stronghold. Murphy found a finger of rock that looked down on the target - a perfect observation post, but a risky one. If they were attacked from behind, they could be trapped. Still, they settled in, hiding under brush and fallen trees. Shortly after dawn, the SEALs heard an eerie noise, a sort of tinkling sound that grew louder. Hundreds of them, with bells around their necks, flooded down the slope. Then came the shepherds, two greybeards and a boy, driving the flock right into the SEALs. In a flash, Murphy and his men captured them. Now came a painful choice. Shepherds often spy for the Taliban. The team briefly considered shooting them, but they decided against it. He ordered the prisoners to be released. As soon as the shepherds were gone, the SEALs ran over rocks and stumps, scaling the slope to their old location. They had to find a defensive position before the enemy found them. The Taliban were not long in coming. Initial intelligence reports put Shah's forces at 8. Taliban appeared on the ridges above them. The enemy held the high ground and started flanking the SEAL team on both sides; they were about to be surrounded. Luttrell began firing, followed quickly by Axelson and Dietz. Excellent marksmen, the men started dropping the turbaned fighters. Still, they were outnumbered 5. Wood splintered all around them as the Taliban sprayed AK- 4. The SEALs couldn't hold out for long. The radio only spoke static. They couldn't phone home. Murphy ordered them to retreat down the hill, gaining distance and time. But the Taliban pursued their prey relentlessly. In a singular act of bravery, Dietz volunteered to climb to a nearby slope to get a radio signal out of the narrow, jagged valley. He ran up a parallel steep slope as bullets made the dirt jump behind his steps. At the top, he frantically worked the radio. A stray shot took off his right thumb. More bullets pulverized the radio. Most likely, Dietz took at least two shots as he scrambled down the mountain to rejoin the team. Without medical treatment, he would die within an hour. Still, he kept firing at the ever- closer enemy. Without an air rescue, or close- air support from a plane, the SEAL team would die. The radio was gone, but Murphy had his cell phone. Stepping out of cover, the lieutenant walked into the open for a clear signal. He knew the enemy only needed seconds to target him. Murphy punched in the number for the SEAL command post at Bagram Air Base, and managed to report their dire situation right before a bullet tore his right side. Somehow, he summoned the strength to respond, . Bleeding and dying, he had given his men a chance. No matter the pain, the SEALs had to keep moving and shooting. They scrambled and stumbled down the hills, stopping only to fire back at their pursuers. It would take almost an hour for help to arrive - an eternity in battle. Would their ammunition and luck hold? Back at Bagram, Lt. Michael Mc. Greevy instantly approved a daylight rescue, though standard procedure was to fly helicopters only at night, when they were less vulnerable to ground fire. No one disagreed with his decision. He burst out of the SEAL command, almost bowling someone over. The men sprang into action, grabbing gear and guns while running for the door. Onboard trucks heading for the airfield, sergeants divided men into . Rotors already turned on the lead helicopter as the men clambered onboard. Healy said to a nearby enlisted SEAL, . He was taking charge, consumed with saving the lives of his men. Four helicopters beat into the sky, climbing at top speed. Less than 2. 0 minutes later, the pilot had bad news. The two Black Hawks, including Healy's, were too heavy to vault over the peaks of Afghanistan's eastern Konar province. As precious minutes ticked past, the choppers diverted to Jalalabad, where 1. Black Hawks. With more than 1. Contact with the trapped SEAL team had been lost. There was no time to spare. Soon, they were in the landing zone. The lead chopper moved into position, and the SEALs and Night Stalkers stood up to rope down from the helicopter. No one saw the two- man Taliban crew load a rocket- propelled grenade launcher. In less than a second, the grenade found its mark and a fireball erupted inside the helicopter. The SEALs onboard the second Black Hawk were horrified to see the lead chopper explode, tilt its nose upward and spill men to the ground. The remaining air crew, belted in, were trapped inside a flaming comet, plunging down into a boulder- choked ravine. Healy, Mc. Greevy and a dozen others were gone. Inside the second helicopter, the SEALs desperately wanted to land and make the enemy pay. But the radio gave different orders: leave now. No one had to explain. They had lost one aircraft and 1. Full of silent, angry and sad men, the second helicopter flew home. As night fell, the SEALs planned another rescue mission for their comrades. Survivors would be saved and the fallen would be taken home with honor. The agonizing mystery: no one knew the fate of the men on the ground. Gloating, Ahmed Shah phoned The News, a daily in Islamabad, Pakistan. He said his men had killed five commandos and brought down a helicopter. He would release a video soon. The news reached the United States the morning of June 2. No names were released. As the rest of the country prepared for July Fourth weekend, several frantic families waited for news of their loved ones. Back in Asadabad, rescue teams had landed and were marching toward the crash site and the ground team's last known position. Nearly every type of U. S. Special Forces - Rangers, Night Stalkers, SEALs - joined the mission. Afghan Special Forces provided translators and guides. Overhead, Navy and Air Force planes filled the sky, searching for the missing Americans and pounding enemy positions. On the ground, Luttrell climbed through the brush. Alone and burning with thirst, he had spent the night hiding in a shallow cave as Taliban footsteps crunched around him. He had no way to contact the Americans flying overhead. If he showed himself, the Taliban would shoot him before they could land. Dizzy and blurry- eyed, Luttrell collapsed on a mountain trail. He stirred as a shadow covered him. He looked up at a bearded shepherd. The man gave him a thumbs- up sign. Luttrell snatched a hand grenade off his vest and pulled the pin. Only the Texan's thumb prevented the explosion. Undaunted, the man helped Luttrell to his feet. Together, they lurched toward the village of Sabray, where Luttrell was deposited on a heap of cushions in a stone hut. Under heavy fire, rescuers scoured the battlefield. Within two days, they found Dietz. His autopsy report later revealed he had 1. He had died fighting, killing at least a score of Taliban. Nearby, they found Murphy. Riddled with bullets, he, too, had died a warrior. As the search went on, the Taliban seemed to hide behind every tree, squeezing off a few shots and running. But they were being beaten back. The Americans had arrived in force. All the men lost on the helicopter were recovered by July 3. Their bodies were respectfully prepared for transport to the United States, as the search continued for Axelson and Luttrell. Could they still be alive? On July 4, in Willis, Texas, the phone rang. Holly Luttrell answered it, fearing the worst. She listened intently and then told her friends the good news: her husband was alive.
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