I am honored to welcome my husband, Brian Jones, as a guest blogger today on Of Sound Mind and Spirit. He has supported my writing hobby and the blog for many years, so I am thrilled for him to make his first appearance with his own post. Welcome Brian.
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Veterans Day has a very special meaning to the members of
my family. On a cold September day in
1950, my maternal Grandfather willfully charged onto the battlefield to save his
company from being pinned down under machine gun crossfire. He knew there was a
very good chance he would not be able to go home, however, his duty to tend to
the aid of the men under his command outweighed any thoughts regarding his own
personal safety. Master Sargent J.T. Dunn died that day, Monday, September 11,
1950, a hero. I never had the privilege
of knowing him, although the stories of his selfless acts of bravery have had a
dramatic impact on my life.
For this Veterans day, I decided I would spend a few hours each
day reflecting on the sacrifices our past and present soldiers have made, for the
defense of the individual freedoms we take for granted on a daily basis. I immediately looked around our home for “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10” by Marcus Luttrell. This was
to be my second read of Lone Survivor in so many years. As I expected, the second reading of this
book instilled an equal, if not greater level of respect and admiration for the
members of our Armed Forces.
Lone Survivor is the
detailed account of a team of Navy SEALs and an ensuing battle that took place
deep inside the Hindu Kush Mountain range in Northern Afghanistan. The story is
focused on the personal experiences of Marcus Luttrell, the only survivor of
what has become know as “The Battle of Murphy’s Ridge”. Aptly named after Lt. Michael P. Murphy, the
officer in charge and subsequent posthumous Medal of Honor recipient.
Marcus Luttrell, a proud Navy SEAL, was raised in a small
community about 50 miles north of Houston, Texas. The book is written from Marcus’s point of
view and vernacular. Having been born,
raised and still residing in the suburban Houston area, I was immediately drawn
to the stories Marcus told from his youth.
His ability to communicate his upbringing along with his pride in the unique
values shared by the people of Texas is uncanny. He builds credibility and respect by relaying
his honest thoughts and feelings about everything from his relationship with
God to political correctness.
With Marcus Luttrell, you get exactly what you see, a trait that is
rarely found outside of a true Texan.
As a result, Lone Survivor is written in such a way that I found myself not simply reading
the book, but pulled into the captivating
narrative. As each night passed, I picked
up the book to continue the story and felt Marcus Luttrell sitting in the chair
across the room reading the next chapter.
Even though I had read the book once before, I still found myself
laughing at his banter with his fellow Navy SEALs while becoming emotional when
he was describing the events during the fateful battle. This truly is one of my favorite books, and I
will read it again this time next year.
This past September, my wife, Lisa, and I decided to take a
night off from our children to
celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary in downtown Houston. I had secured a hotel room and made dinner
reservations at a local restaurant, which had recently reopened due to a
natural disaster. We were excited. This was our special night, little did we know how special this night would become.
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| Founder of Lone Survivor Foundation |
As we arrived at our Hotel and rounded the corner to the
registration desk, we were surprised to find Marcus Luttrell standing directly
in front of us waiting for a member of his party to finish checking into the
hotel. Lisa and I recognized him
immediately. I was instantly flooded
with the memories of his story. We stood
there in line for what seemed like half an hour, although I am sure it was only
five minutes. All the while, the heroic
actions of his friends lost in battle, his journey tumbling and crawling down
the rugged mountainside as well as the story of his narrow escape from the
Taliban was racing through my head. I
could not help but become emotional inside.
My wife stood there in awe as well. She leaned in and asked me if I
thought we should say something to him. I pondered it for a moment, turned my head and simply said no. It was an easy decision. He was with his friends, laughing and
carrying on. In my mind, this was one of
“his” moments. A few moments throughout
the day where had a taste of normalcy in his life. A few
moments where he could talk amongst friends without the reminder of what
happened to him in that Afghan valley. A
few moments where he could enjoy the peace for which he and his Brothers in Arms
have paid so dearly.
With this said, I would like to take the opportunity to do
so now. Thank you Marcus Luttrell for
your service, your unmitigated dedication to our country and for sharing the
heroic story of your experience in the Hindu Kush Mountains the last week of June
2004. Thank you for making this country a safer place
so that my children may have the opportunity to live their lives enjoying the
same freedom in which our generation was raised. And lastly, thank you for coming home and
dedicating your days to helping the returning soldiers that so deserve it via The Lone Survivor Foundation. It is yet
another testament to your character and unwavering generosity.
