Petty Officer First Class Marcus Luttrell was born in Huntsville, Texas in 1975.
A graduate of BUD/S Class 228, he was the only survivor of the fateful events of June 28, 2005 in Afghanistan. Luttrell and three teammates from SEAL Team TEN were assigned to a reconnaissance mission, operation RED WING, in the Hindu-Kush mountain region of Afghanistan. Their objective was to gather intelligence on Taliban movement in the area. Luttrell’s team was eventually discovered and outnumbered by over 200 Taliban fighters. Petty Officer Luttrell was the only to survive enemy contact. In the rescue mission that ensued, 16 Special Forces personnel, including 8 SEALs, died when their helicopter was shot down by Taliban fighters. It was the largest single-day loss of life in the SEALs’ history.
In 2006, Petty Officer Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross for combat heroism.
His full story is documented in his heroic account of the operation, entitled: Lone Survivor.
Marcus’s twin brother, Morgan Luttrell, is also a SEAL, still on active duty.