Category Archives: Lone Survivor

I’m stepping out of my comfort zone here. I usually refrain from writing about politics, war, or conflicts between nations, states, or parties. But seeing Lone Survivor moved me so much that I feel compelled to share what I took away after watching the movie in tears with my husband and someone else (who has asked to remain anonymous).

The theater audience was silent during the entire show. The movie was tense, almost unbearable, while I squirmed and gasped, holding my husband’s hand tightly. These Navy SEALs were brave men, tough men, and man’s men. They lived hard, fought hard, and died hard. We can infer from the title that only one of these men lived to tell his incredible story. However, here’s what I took away.

At the end, as I watched the credits and some actual footage of these men, a stark reality hit me. The video featured segments of these real men interacting, laughing, and sharing tender moments. They wed, danced with their bride, and held their newborn. I witnessed a new bride kissing her husband over and over with crumbs of wedding cake on her face, mingled with tears streaming down. At that moment, she is living her dream.

These soldiers who died were someone’s son, brother, uncle, boyfriend, fiancé, husband, and father. I wondered about the women left behind and suffering in silence. We don’t hear much about them: Left behind is the torn heart of a woman who loved a soldier. Her heart aches and bleeds, paying the price of loving someone whom she has had to share with strangers while he fought for their country. I pray she finds comfort and strength knowing that her courageous soldier didn’t die in vain.

And lastly, while walking to our cars, the one who had joined us to watch Lone Survivor with tears in his own eyes said, “I learned a hard lesson tonight. I would’ve killed the goat herders originally. And then, when I saw what the man and the boy did for Marcus — even though it put their lives and the villages in jeopardy — I was convicted. It wasn’t an easy thing. But they did the right thing.”

And those very words moved me more than anything …

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