On Saturday the 10^th of November I attended the Navy UDT SEAL Museum Muster and met Marcus Luttrell for the first time.  Like many in the community who had not had the fortune to work with Marcus Luttrell, I received my information by reading his book and thinking about his actions and those of his teammates on that deadly mountaintop in Afghanistan.  At the Museum Muster banquet, Marcus received a standing ovation from the guests.  He was the only guest to receive a standing ovation, which doesn’t diminish the accomplishments of the other guests, such as Rudy Boesh, Richard Marcinko, Patches Watson...however it spoke volumes about the NSW community perception of Marcus.  I was curious if the success of his book, a movie deal and lavish attention from the press had taken a toll on him or penetrated his armor.  I was pleased to see that Marcus was still the quiet professional, and was left with the impression that he would much rather be in the field with the SEALs than receiving accolades for a book he wrote to honor the memory of his fallen teammates.  Events have a strange way of thrusting reluctant warriors into the spotlight.

Thus I was honored to meet Mr. Luttrell. The episode got me thinking about this man's historic role and what it meant for the SEAL community and the country. 

My contemplation was punctuated by a timely Blog post from a compatriot in the Special Forces who took great pains to lambaste Marcus Luttrell and his book The Lone Survivor.  This fellow warrior claimed that he read parts of the book to his teammates and they had a good laugh about it.  He seemed to think the idea of Marcus’ team having a democratic “vote” about the fate of the Afghan goat-herders who stumbled upon them was absurd.  In a military unit democratic discussions do not, and should not, take place.  Further, merely the notion that killing the goat-herders was an option was akin to contemplating murder.  Finally, this fellow was certain there were “at least 10” other options his team would have considered, none of which included killing the herders OR letting them go, which is what LT Murphy and his team did that day. 

While I respect the constitutional right to state ones mind in public, I would urge my Special Forces friend to take a deep look into his heart and set aside his service parochialism.  Special Operators are quiet professionals.  Same goes for Green Berets and Rangers.  Our missions and training are different, but we are all warriors in the service of a great country. 

In the Teams, our thinking is much less rigid than any other SOF unit.  Some of our best ideas come from the most junior enlisted man, whose mind has not become crusted with careerism and risk-mitigation.  It is not unusual to seek input from junior teammates on important operational matters.  As an officer I did this routinely and it got me out of some tight spots.  At the same time, the final decision always rested with me.  LT Murphy was no different.  He sought input, then made a call.  The way it happened may have appeared democratic to Marcus, but the bottom line is the LT Murphy had the final call.  The guys knew this, and supported their leader. 

Further, it is easy to second-guess what happens in the field. Unless you were there, however, it is best to be quiet about it.  The ground-level truth will be different depending on the observer, and never will it find it's way to the media.  SOF operators knows that compromise is a very real possibility, and surviving a compromise a dim prospect.  We train hard and develop Standard Operating Procedures so that we don’t have to agonize over decisions, rather act immediately and with confidence.  However, SOP’s fall short when the situation revolves around a serious ethical dilemma.

I have to believe that there were no good options for the team in Afghanistan.  Like the classroom ethics exercise where you have to decide who to throw out of the boat to keep it from sinking, or all will die, they had a choice between two equally unacceptable options:  kill the goat-herders, or let them go and face almost certain death.  LT Murphy chose the latter after some discussion with his team.  This is the “hard right” leaders talk about – doing things that are counter to your own needs or even survival because it is the right thing to do.

Making “hard right” decisions, and how you respond to a situation gone-bad is what separates great leaders from those just in charge.  LT Murphy made his choice.  Then he, Marcus Luttrell, Matt Axelson and Danny Deitz dealt with the consequences as heroically as any warriors in the history of mankind.  Marcus made it out alive through a combination of happenstance, his strong survival instinct and the support of the locals.  He has healed physically, but not a day will pass without remembering the teammates he left behind…and wondering about the decision.  He wrote The Lone Survivor so the memory of LT Murphy, Matt Axelson and Danny Deitz would survive with him.

This month, LT Murphy was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions trying to save his team.  This was the first MOH for a Navy member since Vietnam, and only the third in the Global War on Terror.  The MOH is an honor for Mike Murphy’s family, the SEALs, the Navy, the entire special operations community, and the country.

It would not have happened if Marcus had not survived to tell the tale and risked his reputation to write a book about it.  I believe that Murphy would want this award to be shared with his teammates – they earned it together.  It is no laughing matter.

God bless our heroes