We have just passed the 20th anniversary of Operation Red Wings, better known to the public as the story behind "Lone Survivor," the book and hit film. But to say there’s still confusion about what actually happened in those mountains of Afghanistan in June 2005 is an understatement.
From the outset, people started calling out the half-truths and exaggerations in Marcus Luttrell’s best-selling account of the disastrous mission that claimed the lives of 11 SEALs and eight Army aviators.
On the latest episode of The After-Action Report, I spoke with someone who was there, not in the firefight, but in the command center, then on the ground, and finally in the room where the first version of Marcus Luttrell’s story was told.
Jonathan Harmon, a former U.S. Air Force pararescueman and combat rescue officer, played a pivotal role in organizing the recovery of Luttrell and debriefing him in Germany. He led resupply operations, plotted intelligence, and helped piece together what had gone wrong.
And in his telling, some parts of the Lone Survivor narrative fall apart.
Take the now-famous moment when Luttrell and his SEAL teammates—Lt. Michael Murphy, Danny Dietz, and Matthew Axelson—debate whether to kill three unarmed goat herders, including a teenage boy, who stumble across their position. According to Harmon, that never happened.
“Marcus told me initially, coming right out of the field—that is something that Marcus wanted to impress upon me—that there was never ever a time where they debated the life of this young boy,” Harmon said. “I can imagine that Hollywood had their way with this story.”
To read what Harmon says about Lt. Mike Murphy’s call for help, the still-classified details he won’t share, and why the untold story may be even more incredible, subscribe here. Paid subscribers get access to the full podcast audio and transcript.
