[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5669-5670]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             LONE SURVIVOR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Pearce) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, this past week, I had the opportunity to 
read a book called ``Lone Survivor,'' a tale about four Navy SEALs that 
were inserted into Afghanistan territory, Lieutenant Mike Murphy, Petty 
Officer Matthew Axelson, Petty Officer Danny Dietz, and Marcus 
Luttrell. Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor, writes the book and says, 
``If they built a mountain as high as the Empire State Building for 
Lieutenant Murphy, it would not be high enough.''
  These four young men--physical specimens, men of valor, men of 
courage--were inserted into the dark on top of an Afghanistan mountain. 
Shortly after arrival, daylight hit. Three goat herders came upon them. 
They easily subdued them. Then the choice was to kill--if they 
represented a clear and present danger--or to let them go. One voted to 
abstain. There was a tie vote between the other two. Finally, Marcus 
Luttrell voted to let them go. He knew what the consequences would be. 
Twenty minutes later, the Taliban that they were after, over 100 came 
rushing over the top of the mountain firing their AK-47s and RPGs.
  The four young SEALs moved to the back of the precipice. They were 
forced back by the fire and finally jumped off the edge of the 
mountain, 200 to 300 yards, the equivalent of three football fields 
straight down.
  Lieutenant Mike Murphy had already been shot through the stomach. 
They were facing odds of 35 to 1, at least. They were worried about 
being tried for murder in this country because of their actions. They 
fell back off the mountain doing back flips headlong. Enemies swarmed 
after them. They were pushing through trees, grabbing limbs, trying to 
stop. Danny Dietz is shot. No SEAL is ever left behind. Mikey, bleeding 
out of his stomach, and Marcus move into the open and drag Danny back 
to cover. The enemy keeps closing in.
  They are forced back a second time to another precipice and jump off 
a sheer cliff, the equivalent of four stories, straight down. Danny was 
shot again in the lower back. It blew out his stomach. He was still 
firing. Grenades are now pouring in on them. The Taliban reinforcements 
are coming closer, yards away, 20, 30 away. Danny is shot again. This 
time he slumps over, drops his rifle. He props himself up miraculously 
and continues to fire.
  They have fallen over 900 feet down the mountain now. They fall back 
to the edge again and go over the edge. The SEALs had taken a heavy 
toll. Eighty Taliban are rushing after them, firing. Danny is shot 
again, this time in the neck. He slumps over. No SEAL is left behind. 
Marcus Luttrell steps out into the hail of gunfire to rescue him, props 
him up, and starts pulling him back by the pack. Danny is still firing 
his weapon.
  Again they have to go over the edge. This time, Lieutenant Murphy 
understands they've got one choice. He casually walks out with his 
severe wounds into the opening to where he can get his cell phone open 
and get a call for help. He sits there with thousands of rounds of AK-
47 rounds hitting near him. He makes a call and says, sir, taking heavy 
fire. Need help.
  A round hits him in the back, blood spurts out his chest. Marcus 
Luttrell listens to him saying, ``Yes, sir.'' He drops his rifle, he 
picks up his cell phone from the ground and says, ``Yes, sir, I'll tell 
the men, sir.''
  Mortally wounded, he sits there, rounds continuing to come in. 
Lieutenant Mike Murphy falls on the ground and says, ``Marcus, help me. 
Marcus, help me.'' Axelson, the third soldier to

[[Page 5670]]

die that day, is dying on the other side. Miraculously, Marcus Luttrell 
survives.
  We made this, yesterday, a discussion that was academic about 
supporting our troops. We have friends on the other side of the aisle 
saying it's a trick. We have the President saying he would veto it 
immediately. And for us to not give the pay to men and women like this 
who are putting their life in harm's way causes great shame on this 
Nation.

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