Marcus Luttrell Biography

(Retired Navy SEAL Who Received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for His Actions Against Taliban in 2005)

Birthday: November 7, 1975 (Scorpio)

Born In: Houston, Texas, United States

Advanced Search

Marcus Luttrell is a former American Navy SEAL, best known as the lone survivor in the Operation Red Wings undertaken by the American armed forces against the Taliban. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Marcus received hard physical training from his father and a neighbor, a former American soldier. Marcus trained hard, dreaming of a career in the Navy SEALs, and following his college graduation, he joined the Navy SEAL training program, completing it in the early 2000s. In 2003, he was deployed to Iraq, and in 2005, he was sent to Afghanistan on an American mission to tackle the Taliban terrorists. There, he was one of the four Navy SEALs who were part of Operation Red Wing, which claimed the lives of 19 American soldiers. Marcus emerged as the only survivor. Upon his return, he was honored with a Navy Cross. He also wrote a book titled Lone Survivor,’ which inspired a famous Hollywood blockbuster of the same name. Marcus suffered from PTSD and survivor’s guilt. He later laid the foundation of the Lone Survivor Foundation to help U.S. soldiers attain mental, financial, and emotional well-being.

Quick Facts

Nick Name: Southern Boy, The One, The Lone Survivor

Age: 48 Years, 48 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Melanie Juneau Luttrell

siblings: Morgan Luttrell

children: Addie Luttrell, Axe Luttrell

Born Country: United States

Sailors Soldiers

Height: 1.96 m

Notable Alumni: Sam Houston State University

City: Houston, Texas

U.S. State: Texas

More Facts

education: Sam Houston State University

awards: Purple Heart
Navy Cross

Recommended For You

Lynndie England Kyle Carpenter Dakota Meyer Jake McLaughlin

Recommended Lists:

American PeopleBiographersAmerican MenMale WritersScorpio Writers Childhood & Early Life

Marcus Luttrell was born on November 7, 1975, into a middle-class family in Houston, Texas, U.S. He had a twin brother named Morgan. His parents owned a ranch in Houston, where he grew up with his brother. He is also known by the nicknames "Southern Boy,” "The One,” "The Lone Survivor."

As a child, he was not too good in academics and was more interested in extra-curricular activities. Managing a ranch was not easy. Hence, his father trained both his sons and toughened them up. He wanted them to manage the ranch. However, Marcus had other interests. He wanted to join the U.S. armed forces.

When he was 14 years old, he found out that his neighbor, Billy Shelton, a former U.S. army man, trained youngsters to prepare them for a career in the armed forces. He thus joined him. Both the brothers trained heavily under Billy. By the time Marcus joined high school, he was a bulky young man who aspired to become a U.S. Navy SEAL.

Along with that, he also worked on the ranch with his father. He joined the Houston State University, from where he received his bachelor’s degree in international business in the late 1990s. In college, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Following his graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy and completed his basic training, followed by his advanced training in the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Class. However, his training was delayed a bit, owing to a fractured leg that he had suffered during the training. Nevertheless, he resumed his training a few months later, and in 2000, he came out of the training academy as a fully trained U.S. Navy SEAL.

Following a few more courses, he was sent to North Carolina, where he received the Special Operations Combat Medic Training. Thus, he also became trained in battlefield emergency medical care.

Continue Reading BelowRecommended Lists:American WritersAmerican SoldiersAmerican BiographersScorpio MenNavy SEALs & Operation Red Wings

His Navy SEAL career officially began in 2003, when he was deployed to Iraq in 2003, during the American invasion of Iraq, as part of the American war on terrorism after the 9/11 attacks on the WTC towers. It was an operation to find out the remaining resistant soldiers in Iraq and to look for weapons of mass destruction. Later, Marcus Luttrell was part of many operations to seek out and kill terrorists.

In 2005, he was deployed to Afghanistan along with the SEAL Team Ten and became part of Operation Red Wings. The operation served many purposes, such as seeking out the local Taliban leaders and bringing peace to Afghanistan, so that the country could hold the 2005 parliamentary elections peacefully.

The operation was big in scale, and the marines were also involved in it. Marcus had three others on the SEAL team, and their main mission was to capture or execute the Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. They began their search operation in the Pech District of Afghanistan. The military activity in the region was carried out mainly by Ahmad Shah, who had deployed a group of young men as militants.

Marcus Luttrell was 29 years old back then, He was a trained sniper and medic, and he landed there as part of the operation in late June 2005. On the morning of June 28, Marcus and the other SEALs were hiding behind a fallen tree when they were discovered by a local goat herder.

There were about 100 goats, with bells jingling around their necks, and the SEALs’ hideouts were compromised. More herders came, but the SEALs’ plan did not involve killing civilians. They could not connect to their superiors to take further orders, as their camouflage was compromised. Hence, Marcus and the other SEALs captured the men and freed them later.

However, there was a risk that the herders would warn the Taliban terrorists about their hideouts. The SEALs were few in number, which could mean certain death for them. The mission was already compromised. About an hour later, the SEALs saw Ahmad Shah’s forces approaching them with assault weapons in their hands. The SEALs tried to move into a defensive position.

Soon, the enemies opened fire on the SEALs with AK-47 guns. Grenades were also hurled at them. The terrain, too, was difficult. The SEALs fell 100 feet down the mountain, with Marcus ending up hurting his spine.

One of the SEALs died when an enemy bullet hit his head, while a second one was shot dead while trying to connect to his superior to ask for reinforcement. A third died in a grenade attack. Within minutes, Marcus was the last man standing from the American side.

Though the reinforcement had arrived by then, the two Chinook helicopters carrying American soldiers were shot down by the Taliban. Now, it was up to Marcus Luttrell to save his own life. Almost 19 American soldiers had died in that little battle, and Marcus was all set to be the 20th person.

Continue Reading Below

Despite a broken spine and badly damaged legs, he crawled and ran to safety through the tough terrain, while killing several Taliban soldiers, thus escaping being caught. He was thirsty and low on energy. Suddenly, he was spotted by a local named Mohammad Gulab, who convinced Marcus that he was not a terrorist. He brought him home and administered first aid. Taliban terrorists encircled the village and ordered the villagers to hand over Marcus to them, but the villagers kept him safe and shuttled him from house to house.

Eventually, the U.S. army base was informed about the situation by Mohammad’s father, and a rescue operation was initiated. Hence, Marcus was rescued. He later said that even though he was alive, he felt he, too, had died on that mountain.

Later Life

Upon returning to America, Marcus Luttrell was honored with a Navy Cross. His fellow SEALs, who could not survive that attack, were also honored posthumously.

He was welcomed home as a celebrity, and he ended up co-authoring a book titled Lone Survivor. The book later inspired a film titled Lone Survivor, which had Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg playing Marcus.

In 2007, Marcus was medically discharged from the navy, and 2 years later, he was granted medical retirement.

In 2010, Marcus Luttrell laid the foundation of the Lone Survivor Foundation. Its main goal was to look after the families of active military personnel and to provide financial, emotional, and mental support to the soldiers returning from the battlefield.

In 2012, he wrote another book, titled Service: A Navy SEAL at War.

Personal Life

Marcus Luttrell suffered from many mental disorders, as is common with soldiers returning from war operations. He suffered from survivor’s guilt, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and many physical after-effects.

He got married to Melanie Juneau in 2010. They had a son named Axe, who was named after his friend and fellow SEAL Matthew Axelson. Matthew had died during Operation Red Wing. The couple also has a daughter named Addie.

His twin brother, Morgan, also happens to be a former SEAL, who retired as a lieutenant.