Service: A Touching Testament to Our Heroes in Uniform by Elise Cooper over at American Thinker
Marcus Luttrell with James D. Hornfischer has written another emotional story that the reader will not want to put down. Titled Service, this one is the sequel to the compelling and gripping Lone Survivor.
(Lone Survivor chronicles what happened to Marcus in Afghanistan. It documents a reconnaissance mission, Operation Redwing, in June 2005 when four US Navy SEALs were dropped into the mountainous region between the Afghan-Pakistan borders to observe the activities of a top al-Qaeda leader. It is believed that local goat herders who had crossed the SEALs' path, yet were released by them, informed the Taliban of the SEALs' whereabouts. After an intense firefight, three of the four SEALs were killed. The local villagers rescued Luttrell, who had received multiple fractures and wounds. After fighting off the Taliban from attempting to extract Luttrell, the villagers eventually sent an emissary to the nearest U.S. base. Unfortunately, the first rescue mission helicopter was shot down, but a second attempt was successful.)
Service, for its part, is a very moving tribute to those who selflessly put their lives on the line out of love for their country, sometimes paying the ultimate price. In Service, Luttrell provides more facts about Operation Redwing and the mission to rescue him. There is also a very detailed description of conditions in Ramadi, Iraq, from 2006 to 2008, involving American troops and the Iraqi citizens. American Thinker interviewed Marcus about his book and thoughts regarding the War on Terror.
Marcus told American Thinker that as he was recovering from his wounds, he thought about G-d, country, and family. Service was written to honor all. He wanted people to understand that "it's going above and beyond yourself for the better good of everybody. I get more of a reward for helping others than helping myself. Our Founding Fathers knew that. I wanted to point out in the book that soldiers are fighting for our freedoms. Just look up at our flag. That is the most perfect representation of why we do what we do. We have endured the chaos, terror, and horror that happened over there. We fight for our flag. In Lone Survivor, I explained my mentality, that the bad guys dropped two towers in one of my cities, and I wanted to get them."
American Thinker asked Marcus if he could expand on some of the details talked about in Service. He noted that even though his rescuer, Gulab, had to endure his car being blown up and his house burned down, "he told me that he would save me again if he had to do it all over, because that is what a man does, no matter what are the consequences. They still follow the 1,000-year-old traditions. That is why I am here today, because they respected the tradition to help me. I hope that Americans recognize that there are very good people out there in these countries."
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