In a dramatic twist straight out of a scene from a John Wick film, retired US Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell went to extraordinary lengths to locate the two men who had brutally murdered his cherished puppy without cause. This gripping pursuit was captured in a 911 emergency call recording, in which the veteran could be heard driving at speeds exceeding 100 MPH.
Marcus Luttrell had a life-long dream of joining the US military
Marcus Luttrell was born in Houston, Texas, on November 7, 1975. With a strong desire to serve his country, he started preparing to become a US Navy SEAL at the young age of 14, mentored by US Army veteran Billy Shelton.
In March 1999, Luttrell enlisted in the US Navy and completed both Boot Camp and Hospital Corpsman A-school. Upon graduation, he was assigned to Basic Underwater/SEAL (BUD/S) Class 226. However, a fractured femur delayed his progress, leading to his graduation with Class 228 on April 21, 2000.
Afterward, Luttrell attended jump school and SEAL Qualification Training (SQT), where he earned his Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326 Combatant Swimmer (SEAL) and Naval Special Warfare Insignia on February 2, 2001. He concluded his training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, by completing the six-month Special Operations Combat Medic (SOCM) course.
Deployed to Iraq
Marcus Luttrell was deployed to Iraq on April 14, 2003, as part of the US invasion triggered by the 9/11 attacks. Serving from 2003-05, he and SEAL Team 5 were tasked with quelling resistance and searching for weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
Once that was completed, the team carried out the capture and elimination of terrorists. Their primary targets were supporters of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who had since gone into hiding.
Operation Red Wings
Following his deployment to Iraq, Marcus Luttrell was reassigned to Afghanistan with SEAL Team 10, as part of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 (SDV-1). During this time, he took part in Operation Red Wings.
Luttrell and the SDV-1 Special Reconnaissance unit were on a mission to locate Ahmad Shah, positioning themselves on a steep ridge with a view of the militia leader’s area. Despite efforts to remain hidden, their presence was detected, and Taliban fighters began attacking them with 82 mm mortars, RPK machine guns, RPG-7s and AK-47s.
In the fierce engagement that followed, everyone except Luttrell was killed, including a helicopter crew that was shot down while trying to rescue them. Luttrell was left unconscious and critically injured, suffering from a broken back, multiple fractures and shrapnel wounds. After regaining consciousness, he evaded the Taliban with the assistance of local Pashtun villagers and rescued by US Army Rangers and the Afghan National Army.
Ahmad Shah survived Operation Red Wings, but was killed in a confrontation with Pakistani police in 2008.
Marcus Luttrell recovered from his injuries
When he returned from deployment in the Middle East, Marcus Luttrell adopted a Labrador Retriever named DASY to honor his fallen comrades from Operation Red Wings. His courage in Afghanistan was recognized with both the Navy Cross and a Purple Heart. He later wrote Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, detailing his intense experiences during the mission.
The release of his book sparked controversy, particularly about the number of enemy fighters he encountered during Operation Red Wings. At first, Luttrell estimated there were 20-35 Taliban insurgents, but he later changed this to say it was between 80-200 in Lone Survivor. These figures are much different from what is recorded in the official reports.
In 2009, after recovering from his injuries, Luttrell returned to active duty with SEAL Team 5 in Ramadi, Iraq. Unfortunately, he was medically discharged due to a spinal fracture and injuries to both knees.
Lone Survivor (2013)
In 2013, a film based on Marcus Luttrell’s book was released. Titled Lone Survivor, it features Mark Wahlberg as the retired US Navy SEAL, with Eric Bana, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch as his comrades.
Lone Survivor is a dramatic retelling of Operation Red Wings. It was generally well-received, earning $154.8 million at the box office. The movie was named to the National Board of Review’s (NBR) list of the top 10 films of 2013 and received two Academy Award nominations for Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.
Marcus Luttrell avenges his dog’s death
On the evening of April 1, 2009, Marcus Luttrell heard a gunshot. After checking to ensure his mother was okay inside the house, he went outside and saw DASY, his Labrador Retriever, dead from a gunshot wound to her left shoulder. Not far from his home, he noticed a suspicious vehicle parked along the side of the road, which he suspected held those responsible.
“I could tell [DASY] tried to get away because there was a blood trail,” Luttrell told the Houston Chronicle. “When I saw she was dead, the only thing that popped into my head was, ‘I’ve got to take these guys out.'” His beloved pet had been given to him by America’s VetDogs to help him emotionally recover from his experiences in the Middle East.
Despite still recovering from surgery, Luttrell grabbed his 9 mm pistol, crawled under a fence and snuck up on the vehicle. As the car sped away, the US Navy SEAL jumped into his pickup truck and began what quickly became a high-speed chase, with both vehicles clocking in at over 100 MPH. Luttrell called 911 during the pursuit and remained on the line as he followed the suspect vehicle. While he eventually lost sight of it, Texas Rangers soon caught up with and arrested those responsible.
Alfonso Hernandez and Michael Edmonds were charged with cruelty to a non-livestock animal, while the car’s driver was cited for not having a valid license. According to police, they’d been linked to at least five other area killings in the months leading up to the shooting. Edmonds pleaded guilty to the charges against him and received five years probation. Hernandez chose to stand trial, was found guilty and received the maximum sentence of two years in state prison. He was also fined $1,000.
Marcus Luttrell’s post-war activities
Following the war and the incident with DASY, Marcus Luttrell dedicated his life to working with US military veterans. In 2010, he established the Lone Survivor Foundation, whose mission is to “restore, empower, and renew hope for our wounded warriors and their families through health, wellness, and therapeutic support.”
Luttrell released a second book, Service: A Navy SEAL at War, in May 2012. He has also since found a new furry companion, in the form of another Labrador Retriever named Rigby, who continues to provide the same emotional support DASY did.
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Following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, Luttrell condemned how it went and criticizing the White House for how government and military officials handled the situation.