Lone Survivor, a movie based on a true story, finally put the hard, naked truth about war on display for everyone to see; it was a real eye-opener. it is a heart-wrenching story of four soldiers who were sent into a three-day mission as a part of Operation Red Wings that quickly took a turn for the worst.

    War is hard, and Lone Survivor puts that concept in the spotlight. When Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Matthew Axelson (Ben Foster), and Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch) embarked on what was supposed to be a short mission to locate and identify Ahmad Shah, a Taliban leader and loyalist, they found themselves thrown in the wrong direction when three goat herders stumbled upon the men’s camp. With no way to communicate back to base, the men were by themselves. The decision to let the goat herders go resulted in a gunfight against the Taliban troupe.

    Throughout the fight the soldiers endured multiple gun shot wounds and broken bones. But the reality of the deaths that occur in active duty wasn’t realized until the deaths of Dietz and Murphy. Dietz, who was already in bad condition, had been accidentally left at the top of a mountain side that the other three soldiers stumbled down in order to find shelter from the Taliban. He was shot and killed. Murphy, who was shot trying to reach the top of a rock to make a satellite call, was awarded the Medal of Honor for committing such a selfless act. The death of Axelson was much like the death of Dietz; he didn’t stop fighting until he had run out of bullets.

    Marcus Luttrell was the only survivor of the mission. Luttrell survived thanks to the kindness of a man named Mohammad Gulab, whose village followed the code of honor called the “Pashtunwali”, meaning that they would protect anyone in need against their enemies.

    Much of the movie was true to the actual event with only a few scenes added for Hollywood flare. Lone Survivor makes it almost impossible to not feel an immense amount of pride in our soldiers.