Marcus Luttrell Height, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Full name	Marcus Alan Luttrell [1]Texas State Cemetery
Names earned	The One, The Lone Survivor
Nickname	Southern Boy
Profession(s)	Former United States Navy SEALs operative, Social Worker, Author, Entrepreneur
Known for	• Being the only survivor of SEAL Team 10 that took part in Operation Red Wings (2005) in Afghanistan • Being the author of Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (2007)
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 196 cm in meters- 1.96 m in feet & inches- 6’ 5”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 90 kg in pounds- 198 lbs
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Military Career
Service/Branch	United States Navy
Rank	Petty Officer First Class
US Navy SEALs Teams	• SEAL Team 5 • SEAL Team 10 • SDV Team 1
Service Years	March 1999 - 2009
Military Decorations	• Navy Cross (2007) • Bronze Star with “V” device • Purple Heart • Navy Commendation Medal • Army Commendation Medal with 2 Oak leaf clusters • Navy Achievement Medal with 4 5/16 inch stars • Army Achievement Medal • Navy Presidential Unit Citation • Navy Unit Commendation • Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation • Navy Good Conduct Medal with 1 Service star • National Defense Service Medal • Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 1 Campaign star • Iraq Campaign Medal with 2 Campaign stars
Personal Life
Date of Birth	7 November 1975 (Friday)
Age (as of 2022)	47 Years
Birthplace	Houston, Texas, United States of America
Zodiac sign	Scorpio
Signature
Nationality	American
Hometown	Houston, Texas, United States of America
School	Willis High School, Texas
College/University	Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas
Educational Qualification	He left the Sam Houston State University in 1998 to serve in the US Navy. [2]Marcus Luttrell - Facebook [3]Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 – Google Books
Religion	Christianity [4]Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 – Google Books
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian
Political Inclination	Republican Party [5]TIME
Address	House number 28712, Lakeside Grn, Magnolia, TX 77355, United States of America
Tattoo(s)	• He got many tattoos inked on both of his arms. • He got Never Forget and the date of the Operation Red Wings "6-28-2005" inked on one of his biceps.
Controversies	The discussion regarding the precise count of Taliban combatants After Operation Red Wings ended, Marcus submitted a post-operation report detailing the events and claimed that his team came under intense attack from 35 to 40 Taliban fighters. However, in his book, Lone Survivor, he mentioned that the team was attacked by a larger group of 80 to 200 Taliban fighters and that the team was able to neutralize more than a dozen of them. In January 2011, the Marine Corps Gazette reported that, according to military intelligence, members of SEAL Team 10 engaged in a firefight with around 10 to 20 Taliban fighters. The United States Navy's Medal of Honor citation for Lt. Michael P. Murphy, who was commander of the SEAL Team 10, stated that his team was ambushed by 30 to 40 enemy fighters. [6]Michael P. Murphy’s citation Ed Darack disagreed with Luttrell's claims and wrote in his book Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalers that the Taliban group had around 8 to 10 members. Darack's estimate was formed after gathering information from intelligence reports, aerial and ground observations, accounts from rescuers, and Afghan intelligence, all collected after the events occurred. A former Colonel in the US Marine Corps who was part of the planning for Operation Red Wings, Andrew MacMannis, refuted Luttrell's claims of killing more than a dozen of Talibani terrorists and said that the soldiers searching the mountains after the ambush did not find any dead Taliban terrorists. [7]Newsweek Criticized for making false claims in his book Luttrell's book, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, mentions that Lieutenant Murphy contemplated shooting the Afghan herders who unexpectedly crossed paths with the SEAL reconnaissance team in June 2005. Nevertheless, his assertion has received strong backlash and has been widely discredited as a fictionalized account. Lieutenant Steve Ruh, a spokesperson for the Navy Special Warfare Command, emphasized that the highest-ranking individual holds the ultimate authority to make decisions in the field. He further stated that he had never encountered or heard of a situation where a decision was subjected to a vote during his 14 years of experience in the Navy. Lt Murphy's father also voiced his disapproval of Luttrell's claims. [8]Democratic Underground Murphy's father, while giving an interview, said, "That directly contradicts what he told Maureen, myself and Michael’s brother John in my kitchen. He said that Michael was adamant that the civilians were going to be released, that he wasn’t going to kill innocent people … Michael would not put that up for a committee. People who knew Michael know that he was decisive and that he makes decisions.” Luttrell's book mentioned that he ran out of ammunition during the ambush. However, Mohammad Gulab contradicted this statement by saying that when he found Marcus, he still had plenty of ammunition. Gulab also disputed Marcus' assertion that the goat herders had informed the Taliban about the SEALs' location and said, "The militants, like many others in the area, heard the helicopter drop the Americans on the mountain, Gulab claims. The next morning, they began searching for the SEAL’s distinctive footprints. When the militants finally found them, the Americans were deliberating about what to do with the goat herders. The insurgents held back. After Marcus Luttrell and the company freed the locals, the gunmen waited for the right moment to strike." Gulab revealed additional information that during a televised interview, a translator advised him not to express his own viewpoint and encouraged him to endorse all of Marcus' statements.
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	Melanie Juneau Luttrell (founder of Texas-based Root & Roux) Note: While serving in the US Navy SEALs, Marcus met Melanie.
Marriage Date	27 November 2010
Family
Wife/Spouse	Melanie Juneau Luttrell (founder of Texas-based Root & Roux)
Children	Son(s)- 2 • Axe Luttrell (named after Marcus' deceased friend Matthew Axelson who died during Operation Red Wings) • Hunter Juneau (stepson; businessman) Daughter- 1 • Addie Luttrell
Parents	Father- David Luttrell (passed away due to cancer; Vietnam War veteran, businessman) Mother- Holly Luttrell
Siblings	Brother- Morgan Luttrell (former US Navy SEAL lieutenant, politician) Note: During the Donald Trump administration, Morgan assumed the role of advisor to Energy Secretary Rick Perry. On 8 November 2022, he was elected as a representative for Texas's 8th congressional district in Congress.

Some Lesser Known Facts About Marcus Luttrell

• Marcus Luttrell is a former member of the United States Navy SEALs, philanthropist, author, and businessperson. He gained recognition for being the sole survivor among the Navy SEALs involved in Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan in 2005. Marcus wrote a book titled “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10,” which inspired the release of the Hollywood film “Lone Survivor” in 2013.

• While giving an interview, Luttrell said that at the age of 14, he and his twin brother Morgan initiated their preparation to enlist in the US special forces. Furthermore, he shared that they received guidance and training from a retired US Army special forces operative named Billy Sheldon, who used to live in their locality. Luttrell recalled their first meeting with Billy and said,
  

  He was a bull of a man, with rippling muscles, fair skin, and not carrying one ounce of fat. To my eyes he looked like he could have choke slammed a rhino. I made my hesitant request. And he just looked me up and down and said, “Right here. Four, tomorrow afternoon.” Then he shut the door in my face.”

• Marcus Luttrell joined the US Navy’s training camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Chicago, Illinois, in March 1999.

• Later, he reported at the Naval Hospital Corps School in Great Lakes, Illinois, where he trained as a Hospital Corpsman.
  

  Marcus Luttrell’s photo taken after he joined the US Navy

• Marcus participated in the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) program in 1999, aiming to become a US Navy SEAL. However, due to a fractured femur and subsequent medical treatment, he completed the training with Class 228 on 21 April 2000 instead of the original Class 226 he initially joined.

• After that, he went to the United States Army Airborne School, popularly known as Jump School, in Fort Moore, Georgia. There, he received basic training to become a paratrooper (military parachutist).

• Later, he completed a 26-week course called SEAL Qualification Training (SQT).

• On 2 February 2001, after successfully finishing SQT, Luttrell was given the Naval Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326 Combatant Swimmer (SEAL) badge.

• In January 2002, he received the Insignia for Naval Special Warfare, which is also known as the SEAL team trident badge.
  

  A photo of Marcus Luttrell taken while he was undergoing training to become a Navy SEAL

• He later went to Fort Bragg in North Carolina and underwent six months of advanced medical training, both conventional and unconventional.

• Marcus Luttrell went on his first foreign mission to Iraq on 14 April 2003 when the US-led NATO forces invaded Iraq. He was part of SEAL Team 5 and their mission was to find and seize the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) belonging to the Iraqi military. Once Saddam Hussein’s regime was overthrown, Luttrell’s team was assigned the job of dealing with the remaining Iraqi forces and insurgents.
  

  A photo of Marcus with his brother Morgan while serving together in Iraq

• In 2005, Marcus went on his second overseas mission to Afghanistan. There, he joined SEAL Team 10 as part of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (SDVT-1).

• SVDT-1 was assigned a mission in June 2005 to gather intelligence and apprehend or eliminate Ahmad Shah, a high-ranking Taliban leader suspected to be in hiding within Afghanistan’s Kunar Province.
  

  Marcus Luttrell disguised as a Mujahid in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan

• On 28 June 2005, a team of four SEAL members, including Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, Petty Officer Second Class Danny Dietz, Petty Officer Second Class Matthew Axelson, and Petty Officer Second Class Marcus Luttrell, was sent to the mountains near the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
  

  Marcus Luttrell with his team that took part in Operation Red Wings in 2005 in Afghanistan

• Their mission was jeopardized when a group of local goat herders found them. As per Marcus, his team had to make a difficult choice whether to kill the herders and continue the mission or let them go and give up. They chose to release the herders and proceed with the mission. Soon after releasing the herders, Marcus and his team were attacked by a large group of Taliban fighters, which led to the demise of Murphy, Dietz, and Axelson.
  

  A collage of the soldiers of the US Armed Forces that took part in Operation Red Wings

• Marcus Luttrell survived the ambush despite sustaining severe injuries. He was later saved by an Afghan man named Mohammad Gulab Khan, residing in Salar Ban village, Kunar Province. Gulab took Marcus to his home and provided him refuge for several days. He also persuaded fellow villagers to assist in shielding Marcus from the relentless pursuit of the Taliban. To elude the Taliban, Gulab continuously relocated to different areas. As per sources, Gulab decided to assist Marcus because his village had a strong bond with the US forces. In the past, the US had given Gulab’s village provisions like food, water, safety, and education.

• Later, Gulab made his way to the closest US Army base and disclosed all the details. Subsequently, the US Army assembled a group of Army Rangers and Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers to carry out a search and rescue operation.

• On 2 July 2005, the US Army and the ANA launched a search and rescue operation to find Marcus; however, rescuing him proved challenging as the Taliban forces attempted an assault on the troops. Following a fierce gunfight, the Taliban retreated, and Marcus was successfully saved. He was subsequently transported to a military hospital, where doctors treated his injured back, shrapnel wounds, and multiple fractures.
  

  Marcus Luttrell posing for a photo with Gulab

• In 2006, having recuperated from the injuries he sustained in Afghanistan, Luttrell was once more deployed to Iraq as a member of SEAL Team 5. There, he served in combat alongside the renowned Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle in Ramadi.
  

  Marcus in Iraq

• While serving in Iraq, Luttrell once again sustained injuries during an operation that caused severe damage to his knees and spinal cord, ultimately leading to his discharge from service in 2007.

• In the same year, Marcus received a Navy Cross for participating in Operation Red Wings from President George Bush.
  

  Marcus Luttrell (right) and his twin brother with President George Bush

• Jeri Exner, the owner of Jeri’s Springer Front End, constructed a personalized Harley Davidson on 25 January 2008 and named it “Lone Survivor” as a homage to Marcus Luttrell.
  

  Marcus Luttrell sitting on the customised Lone Survivor bike

• The Board for the Correction of Naval Records approved his medical retirement in 2009.

• With the intent of supporting war veterans experiencing various types of physical as well as mental ailments such as PTSD, Marcus founded the Lone Survivor Foundation in Houston, Texas, in 2010. The foundation later partnered with The Boot Campaign to serve the veterans of the US Armed Forces.

• Later, he set up Team Never Quit and established the TNQ Foundation to offer assistance to retired members of the US Armed Forces. Furthermore, he founded an online store that sells a variety of products. Under the TNQ foundation, Luttrell along with his brother Morgan hosts podcasts.

• In 2012, Marcus co-authored his second book Service: A Navy SEAL at War.

• In the film Lone Survivor (2013), Luttrell had numerous uncredited cameo appearances. The film is an adaptation of his book titled Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.

• In 2016, he made an on-screen appearance as himself in the zombie comedy film Range 15.
  

  Marcus Luttrell in a still from the film Range

• Marcus Luttrell is a Donald Trump supporter and delivered a speech endorsing Trump at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2016. Marcus actively campaigned for President Trump during the 2020 US Presidential elections.
  

  Marcus Luttrell while giving a speech at an event organised by the Republican National Committee in 2016

• Luttrell also guest-starred in an episode of Season 9 of the A&E Networks TV series Duck Dynasty.

• In Season 9, Episode 4 of the American automotive show Overhaulin, he made an appearance, and during that episode, they customized a 1967 Mustang as a tribute to Marcus’ service as a Navy SEAL.

• Marcus recounted in his book, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, that during his upbringing in Texas, he had an encounter where he wrestled an alligator.

• Marcus Luttrell drinks liquor occasionally.
  

  A post on Luttrell’s Instagram account

• He has a strong passion for dogs and owns two pet dogs, a Labrador named Mr. Rigby, and a Pomeranian named Tina.
  

  Mr. Rigby (left) and Tina (right)