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A war hero from Huntsville rues a decision made in Afghanistan
Houston Chronicle ^ | July 2, 2007 | FRITZ LANHAM

Posted on 07/02/2007 11:52:31 AM PDT by Dubya

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1 posted on 07/02/2007 11:52:34 AM PDT by Dubya
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To: Dubya

His book is an amazing story. Truly a must read. A shame that the MSM never reported his story only the deaths.


2 posted on 07/02/2007 11:54:19 AM PDT by Long Island Pete
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To: Long Island Pete

God Bless our troops and their families.

“...In the book, Luttrell describes how the team talked it out, trying to find the best course of action. If they killed the men, they worried, the American media would get wind of it, and they’d be charged with murder....”

Fighting a war now-a-days involves not only the enemy, but also dealing with our media...


3 posted on 07/02/2007 11:58:05 AM PDT by Former MSM Viewer ("We will hunt the terrorists in every dark corner of the earth. We will be relentless." W 2001)
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To: Dubya
"It was the stupidest, most southern-fried, lamebrained decision I ever made in my life," Luttrell writes. "I must have been out of my mind. I had actually cast a vote which I knew could sign our death warrant. I'd turned into a (expletive) liberal, a half-assed, no-logic nitwit, all heart, no brain, and the judgment of a jack rabbit.

On a larger scale - how dems think today...

4 posted on 07/02/2007 11:59:34 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: Dubya
SOF always gets compromised by goat boy. It happened in the first Gulf War to Bulldog and his shooters.

Where ever you go in the ME there is goat boy, and in SE Asia or Asia in general it’s an older women peeing in the woods. Never fails.

5 posted on 07/02/2007 12:02:49 PM PDT by BGHater (My Tagline will defend freedom.)
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To: BGHater

Same thing happened to those Bravo Two Zero guys from SAS during the first Gulf War.


6 posted on 07/02/2007 12:15:54 PM PDT by Rocky Mountain High
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To: Dubya

I bet he misses his friends.


7 posted on 07/02/2007 12:20:27 PM PDT by TheThinker
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To: TheThinker

God bless Texas.


8 posted on 07/02/2007 12:33:03 PM PDT by -=SoylentSquirrel=- (Bacon is the only thing that keeps me sane.)
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To: TheThinker

A couple of weeks back he was a guest on fox and friends in the AM.....the guys each asked him a reasonable question about his book and that day, for which he responded well......then it was Gretchen Carlsons tur; the ditz said “Being the lone survivor is a wonderful thing for you, but what about everybody else that died?”............obviously she had her peabrain somewhere else for the other diaglog and had absolutely no clue of how this fellow has lived every day of his life since then.......really, man, had I been within reach I’d have knocked every one of her teeth out with the back of my hand........he almost came to tears, and God or a producer intervened with cut direct to a commercial break.......


9 posted on 07/02/2007 12:47:07 PM PDT by Vn_survivor_67-68
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To: Dubya

Heard him on Glenn Beck ... utterly amazing. Was his story an influence on the theme of Army Wives I wonder (the “bosco” character)? ROE collides with reality more often than not.


10 posted on 07/02/2007 12:48:38 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (Brian J. Marotta, 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub, (1948-2007) Rest In Peace, our FRiend)
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To: NonValueAdded

Just bought the book because of the interview on Glenn Beck.
I’ve only read a couple of pages and it practically brought me to tears.

God Bless them all. God grant Marcus Luttrell peace.


11 posted on 07/02/2007 1:01:13 PM PDT by iceskater (Illegal immigration = invasion)
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To: Dubya

One of the overriding themes throughout the book is liberal yellow journalism . I’ve read many simimlar books on other conflicts and none have had so many references to such blantant liberal treason


12 posted on 07/02/2007 1:14:43 PM PDT by Ajnin (Neca Eos Omnes. Deus Suos Agnoset.)
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To: BGHater

Marines on a JTF6 mission in 1996 shot a goat herder on the US/Mexican border.


13 posted on 07/02/2007 1:21:26 PM PDT by Ajnin (Neca Eos Omnes. Deus Suos Agnoset.)
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To: Dubya
This was an absolute hellish, extended firefight. With AARs putting the number of Taliban fighters well over 120 + - Whom held the high ground, fire power and initiative.

These SEALs fought with amazing bravery, courage and skills (to a man). Three members of this SEAL Team gave their lives in this battle....but AARs also show not before that mountain side was littered with the corpses of well over 60 + KIA Taliban (with additional likely wounded).

SEAL Lt. M. Murphy is up for consideration for the MOH for his actions. It was suspected he might have been awarded it this past week (marking the 2 year anniversary of this day)....that did not happen....But still hopefully will.

God bless each of these men and their families. How they lived, fought and died shows all that is good about our great nation.

14 posted on 07/02/2007 1:52:04 PM PDT by SevenMinusOne
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To: Dubya

Just finished this book yesterday - saw it at Costco and picked it up. Hard to know what to think about it.


15 posted on 07/02/2007 1:56:35 PM PDT by 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
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To: DevSix
SEAL Lt. M. Murphy is up for consideration for the MOH for his actions. It was suspected he might have been awarded it this past week (marking the 2 year anniversary of this day)....that did not happen....But still hopefully will.

I don't know the protocol, but this guy Murphy was their commander. Isn't the bad decision HIS? If they voted on it, it's because HE let them vote on it, isn't it? Why give a medal to the guy who made the mistake?

16 posted on 07/02/2007 2:28:37 PM PDT by Huck (Soylent Green is People.)
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To: Dubya
In the terrible gun battle that followed, Murphy, Axelson and Dietz died. A few miles away, a Taliban grenade brought down a rescue helicopter on its way to help the trapped men, killing all 16 aboard. It was the worst day in the 40-year history of the Navy SEALs.

I agree it was absolutely the worst decision possible. But they were almost forced to make it.

Had they made the right decision, perhaps 19 expensive, highly trained fellow citizens might be alive today, but at least one, perhaps two of them would be scheduled for trial for murder.

Personally, I think whoever made the ROEs should be on trial as we speak.

17 posted on 07/02/2007 4:09:03 PM PDT by Publius6961 (MSM: Israelis are killed by rockets; Lebanese are killed by Israelis.)
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To: Huck
I don't know the protocol, but this guy Murphy was their commander. Isn't the bad decision HIS? If they voted on it, it's because HE let them vote on it, isn't it? Why give a medal to the guy who made the mistake?

Are you Fking kidding me!?! - There was no mistake made in terms of doing what was "right" - It was simply by doing such it put these men at much greater risk - A risk they took - A decision they came together as a TEAM (which is what being a SEAL is all about. Your TEAM). These men died for each other out there that day. Literally fought until their last breath for one another, after each being wounded multiple times.

These men were deep in Indian country (surrounded by some of the most evil SOBs this earth knows) on a highly classified Op

Lt. Murphy gave his life (knowingly put himself in position which would likely cost his life....Apprx 45/1hr into this hellish firefight in order to get a QRF on the scene in order to try and save his men).

You know absolutely nothing to even suggest such - Much less anything about SEAL doctrine and how they operate.

Furthermore killing these unarmed men was absolutely no guarantee of helping this SEAL RT (in the big picture looking back...nor for them specifically at that time in place). As when these goat herders didn't return or when it became obvious to those Taliban in the village that over a 100 goats were wandering haphazardly on the mountain face they would have been just as well alerted.

Why give a medal? You are a moron. These men voluntarily put themselves at such risk that 99.9999% would never even dream of doing (much less being capable of). Simply to ensure the safety of this nation.

In doing so they followed the ROEs that this Nation mandates on them (did so with honor) and fought with the skills, bravery, aggression and courage that most couldn't comprehend.

18 posted on 07/02/2007 4:50:12 PM PDT by SevenMinusOne
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To: Former MSM Viewer
Fighting a war now-a-days involves not only the enemy, but also dealing with our media...

That's redundant.

19 posted on 07/02/2007 4:51:26 PM PDT by eyespysomething
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To: DevSix
You know absolutely nothing

Take a prosac. I said I didn't know the protocol. While I was reading the article, I was wondering why this guy was taking on so much guilt when there was a commander there. Your rage aside, it's a fair question. I didn't mean offense.

20 posted on 07/02/2007 5:18:34 PM PDT by Huck (Soylent Green is People.)
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