History Literature / LoneSurvivor

* BlatantLies: That's right, the [[HeroicBuild seven-foot tall]], mortally wounded Texan with the satanic-looking tattoo who fell into your village directly after that horrific gunfight, wearing a uniform with a [[Creator/RobLiefeld Liefeldian]] number of pockets, carrying a [[CoolGun Mk12 sniper rifle]] and enough computer technology to launch the space shuttle is from...wait for it...''Doctors Without Borders''. It's implied that the villagers knew Luttrell was full of shit but let it slide since they'd already decided to save him anyway.

The RealLife story of Marcus Luttrel, and the disaster known as Operation Red Wings. [[Film/LoneSurvivor A film adaptation]] was released on December 27, 2013, starring Creator/MarkWahlberg.

* AuthorFilibuster: Several places in the book, Luttrel pauses the action to talk about how little he likes the news media, or how awesome Texas is. But the one topic he keeps coming back to is the Rules Of Engagement that all military personnel must follow--and in Luttrel's opinion, how much these rules (or more specifically, the absurdly-restrictive ones used in Afghanistan and Iraq that were based entirely on PR with the realities and complexities of warfare being little more than an afterthought) hinder the military from doing its job right.

* BeingGoodSucks: Luttrel directly attributes the everything-went-to-hell events of the novel to the team's decision to let some Taliban-friendly civilian goatherders live.
* BlatantLies: That's right, the [[HeroicBuild seven-foot tall]], mortally wounded Texan with the satanic-looking tattoo who fell into your village directly after that horrific gunfight, wearing a uniform with a [[Creator/RobLiefeld Liefeldian]] number of pockets, carrying a [[CoolGun Mk12 sniper rifle]] and enough computer technology to launch the space shuttle is from...wait for it...''Doctors Without Borders''. It's implied that the villagers knew Luttrel was full of shit but let it slide since they'd already decided to save him anyway.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Luttrel has no idea why the villagers are so hell-bent on defending him against the Taliban, and simply comes to accept that their motivations as different from his own, without really understanding. His explanations in the text about Pashtun honor codes (especially ''[[SacredHospitality Lokshay]]'') are actually post-facto intelligence from cultural experts.

* ComeWithMeIfYouWantToLive: The friendly Pashtun villager offers to save the injured and understandably suspicious Luttrel.

* EverythingIsBigInTexas: Has Luttrel mentioned he's from Texas today? Because he's from Texas.

* HeroicBSOD: Luttrel has one. {{Justified|Trope}} since he's just seen his three teammates and close friends die in a hail of gunfire, he's been shot, battered, and blown up, and now he's stuffed in a hole while his enemies scour the countryside for him and he's slowly dying of thirst. Since the ordeal he's suffered from [=PTSD=] and insomnia.

* HowWeGotHere: So nice, they did it twice. The prologue is about Marcus Luttrel visiting the other widows of SEAL Team 10. Chapter 1 skips back to SEAL Team 10's arrival in Afghanistan, with a flashback to their prior deployment to Iraq. ''Then'' Luttrel skips back to his childhood in Texas, his enlistment in the Navy, and his training to become a SEAL.
* IGaveMyWord: Closely related to SacredHospitality. Once the village offered Luttrel asylum, they were honor-bound to defend him to the last man. As Luttrel points out, the members of the Taliban that sought to kill him were likely Pashtun themselves, possibly originally from that very village, and relatives of his protectors.

*** Marcus Luttrel later helped Mohammad Gulab emigrate to the United States. They are now next-door neighbors in Texas.

* InterServiceRivalry: When the US personnel who arrive to extract Luttrel from the village turn out to be Army Rangers, Luttrel jokingly complains needing to be rescued by Rangers is something he'll never live down.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Marcus Luttrel notes the many times that he dropped his rifle while falling down the mountain, yet it always landed right next to him. It's not explicitly miraculous, but he attributes these unlikely events to God's divine intervention all the same.

* NeverFoundTheBody: Lampshaded: you should never believe a SEAL is dead until you've seen the corpse. So the Navy insists that Luttrel is just MIA--in spite of the news reporting him dead--and is ultimately proven right when they contact Luttrel five days later.

* NotSoDifferentRemark: Despite the rampant DeliberateValuesDissonance, Luttrel is impressed by the villagers' honor, courage, and commitment. That's a pretty big deal.

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: The US news media jumps the gun and declares that ''all'' the [=SEAL=]s in Operation Red Wing had died. Representatives from the [=SEAL=]s, and Marcus's twin brother, reassure Mama Luttrel that Marcus is ''just'' Missing In Action, not confirmed dead.

* TwinTelepathy: Marcus Luttrel and his twin brother Morgan insist they have a connection to each other. When word reaches Texas about how badly Operation Red Wing went, Morgan is certain that Marcus us hurt but still alive, in spite of the news reporting his death.

* WarIsGlorious ''and'' WarIsHell: Luttrel strongly believes in his work as a Navy SEAL and enjoyed it. But he's also upfront about some of the horrors of the battlefield. He argues that sometimes [[IDidWhatIHadToDo the military needs to do awful things]] to prevent worse atrocities, and that anybody who can't stomach that fact has no business giving orders.

* HonorBeforeReason: It's kind of the Pashtun [[PlanetOfHats Hat]]. See Wiki/TheOtherWiki entry on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtunwali Pashtunwali]].

* SacredHospitality: Most cultures of the Middle East take hospitality very seriously, but the Pashtun take it UpToEleven with ''Lokshay''.

* BadassBeard: Luttrel notes that Special Forces operators are allowed, even expected, to grow beards--supposedly to better blend in with the locals.

* NotSoDifferent: Despite the rampant ValuesDissonance, Luttrel is impressed by the villagers' honor, courage, and commitment. That's a pretty big deal.

* HonorBeforeReason: It's kind of the Pashtun [[PlanetOfHats Hat]]. See TheOtherWiki entry on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtunwali Pashtunwali]].

* CombatPragmatist: Well, this is RealLife.

* BedouinRescueService: Pashtun, in this case.

* FromBadToWorse

* {{Badass}}: It's the Navy [=SEALs=]. Nuff said.

* HeroicBSOD: Luttrel has one. {{Justified|Trope}} since he's just seen his three teammates die in a hail of gunfire, he's been shot, battered, and blown up, and now he's stuffed in a hole while his enemies scour the countryside for him and he's slowly dying of thirst. Since the ordeal he's suffered from [=PTSD=] and insomnia.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Luttrel has no idea why the villagers are so hell-bent on defending him against the Taliban, and simply comes to accept that their motivations as different from his own, without really understanding. His explanations in the text are actually post-facto intelligence from cultural experts.

* AuthorFilibuster: Several places in the book, Luttrel pauses the action to talk about how little he likes the news media, or how awesome Texas is. But the one topic he keeps coming back to is the Rules Of Engagement that all military personnel must follow--and in Luttrel's opinion, how much these rules hinder the military from doing its job right.

* DespiteThePlan: What seemed like a well-devised and researched operation quickly collapses on itself as more and more unfortunate, unpredictable factors get thrown into the mix.

* HeroicSacrifice: LT Michael Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor for the action described in the book. Posthumously.

** The four sailors also spend a great deal of effort and pain fleeing from the overwhelming Taliban forces.

* NotSoDifferent: Despite the rampant ValuesDissonance, the Navy [=SEAL=] is impressed by the villagers' honor, courage, and commitment. That's a pretty big deal.

* BlatantLies: That's right, the [[HeroicBuild seven-foot tall]], mortally wounded Texan with the satanic-looking tattoo who fell into your village directly after that horrific gunfight, wearing a uniform with a [[RobLiefeld Liefeldian]] number of pockets, carrying a [[CoolGun Mk12 sniper rifle]] and enough computer technology to launch the space shuttle is from...wait for it...''Doctors Without Borders''. It's implied that the villagers knew Luttrel was full of shit but let it slide since they'd already decided to save him anyway.

* SacredHospitality: Most cultures of the Middle East take hospitality very seriously, but the Pashtun take it UpToEleven.

* BeingGoodSucks: Luttrel directly attributes the everything-went-to-hell events of the novel to the team's decision to let some goatherders live.

* SoleSurvivor: As expected. Marcus is the only survivor of his [=SEAL=] team.

The RealLife story of Marcus Luttrel, and the disaster known as Operation Red Wings. A film adaptation was released on December 27, 2013, starring Creator/MarkWahlberg.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lone_survivor_06_3470.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:SEAL Team 10]]

* BadassBeard: Again, the [=SEALs=]. In the film adaptation, at least.
** TruthinTelevision: Most of the pictures of [=SEALs=] who participated in Operation Red Wings, show them with beards.

* BoomHeadshot: In the film, the [=SEAL=]s score plenty of headshots, and it takes ''two'' for Axelson to finally go down.

* DefiantToTheEnd: Luttrel when he is nearly executed.

* DeskJockey: [=SEAL=] newbie, Shane, resents being relegated to this position, wishing to join the battlefield.
* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: The story starts off with introducing the audience to four Navy [=SEAL=] soldiers, their lives, backgrounds, and the close friendship they share. Keep in mind that the book is called ''Lone Survivor''.
* DiedStandingUp: Lt. Murphy in the film, who falls to his knees in death, but never completely to the ground.
* DwindlingParty: Until all that's left is one lone survivor.

* {{Gorn}}: The film is quite graphic with the [=SEAL=]s' [[HowMuchMoreCanHeTake injuries.]] [=SEAL=]s don't die easily.
* GunshipRescue: [[HopeSpot Subverted]] the first time. Played straight the second time.
* HeroicBSOD:
** Luttrel has one. {{Justified|Trope}} since he's just seen his three teammates die in a hail of gunfire, he's been shot, battered, and blown up, and now he's stuffed in a hole while his enemies scour the countryside for him and he's slowly dying of thirst. Since the ordeal he's suffered from [=PTSD=] and insomnia.
** Dietz noticeably begins to lose it as the odds shift steadily against them.

* HopeSpot: Thanks to Lt. Murphy's sacrifice, support aircrafts are eventually called in for the surviving [=SEAL=]s, but one is quickly shot down, killing all onboard, and forcing the other to withdraw immediately.

* IJustWantToBeBadass: Patton wants nothing more than to join his brothers in arms on the battlefield. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Considering the title of the book and film...]]

** The four soldiers also spend a great deal of effort and pain fleeing from the overwhelming Taliban forces.
** In the novel, the Taliban forces, realizing they are outnumbered by the Pashtun villagers, leave and do not return to fight.
* TheLadysFavour: Dietz's girlfriend wants him to return in one piece so they can remodel their home together.
* LanguageBarrier: Naturally between Luttrel and his Pashtan hosts, leading to somewhat humorous exchanges.
* LeParkour: In the film, one Taliban member is shown swiftly leaping his way down the mountainous terrain with little effort.

* TheMcCoy: Luttrel, who votes to spare the captured shepherds, thereby dooming the mission.
** TheSpock: Axelson, who suggests killing the shepherds for the sake of the mission.
** TheKirk: Lt. Murphy, who weighs both sides and ultimately chooses to abandon the mission and spare the shepherds.

* NervousWreck: As things become more and more hopeless, Dietz cracks under the pressure.

* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: Played straight at first, but as the fighting drags on, Luttrel's allies are gradually separated from each other, overwhelmed and killed.

* OffWithHisHead: Luttrel comes close to suffering this traditional method of execution, but is narrowly saved by friendly Afghan Pashtun villagers.

* ShootTheShaggyDog: In the film, Shane Patton, the young and eager [=SEAL=] newbie, is finally flown in to aid our heroes only to be immediately killed by an [=RPG=].

* YouCanBarelyStand: All four soldiers end up riddled with bullets, but keep fighting to the last.

** Most of the pictures of [=SEALs=] who participated in Operation Red Wings, show them with beards.