It can be argued that the United States has been at war with Islamic jihadists since the mid-1970’s. That ongoing conflict has cost many American lives in a number of countries all over the globe, often including innocent civilians. There is no greater cause for war than to protect the lives of a nation’s citizens from enemies, foreign or domestic, and the war against Islamic jihadists has permeated every day of my adult life. My friends have fought in it. My children have lived with it, and I study and write about it.
For the last film of this series, I would like to revisit a pivotal moment in this war, depicted in the film Lone Survivor.
Setting: Hindu Kush mountains, Afghanistan, 2005
A four-man U.S. Navy SEAL unit is on a counter-insurgent mission to locate Taliban leader Ahmad Shah who is responsible for killing over twenty United States Marines, as well as villagers and refugees who were aiding American forces. SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, Marcus Luttrell, Matthew Axelson, and Danny Dietz were on surveillance when local goat herders stumbled upon them. Despite knowing it would almost certainly lead to getting attacked, the Americans let the civilians go and were soon embroiled in a firefight. The ensuing battle and lack of communication due to the terrain forced the SEALs into a desperate defensive position. Lt. Murphy, knowing that without air support they would soon be overrun, decided to expose himself to enemy fire in order to make a satellite phone call to ask for help.
This battle was the single greatest loss of life in SEAL history, claiming the lives of sixteen special operators and pilots on the Quick Reaction Force that was dispatched as a result of Murphy’s call. There are few words I can say to express how deeply I appreciate men like this who put their lives on the line every day to protect ours. Lt. Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. He wasn’t the first and he certainly will not be the last, because in this world we will always have enemies bent on doing us harm. But we will also have men willing to fight them — men like Michael P. Murphy, Matthew Axelson, Danny Deitz, Marcus Luttrell, Tyrone S. Woods, Glen Doherty…and the list goes ever on.
Watch the full film on Amazon Prime Video.
This is the final post in a six-part series on great war films and the lessons we can learn from them.
Prior posts:
Black Hawk Down
Gettysburg
Saving Private Ryan
The Longest Day
We Were Soldiers