Move over Jack Bauer: Meet Marcus Luttrell

If you haven't seen this video, or heard his interviews on the Glenn Beck radio program, you really need to. THIS is the epitome of what a hero should be. Marcus Luttrell is one of the baddest people on the planet. Glenn Beck said on his radio program said that Marcus makes Jack Bauer look like Screech from Saved by the Bell. This is the Navy SEAL that was the lone survivor (also authored the book Lone Survivor) of Operation Red Wing (for which he was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart).

Last week 4 low-life teenagers in TX were going around joyriding and shooting people's dogs (they had Michael Vick jerseys on, btw). First of all, you don't shoot people's dogs just for the hell of it. Second of all, you don't shoot the Lone Survivor's dog. Marcus chased them through 4 counties before the drivers were finally forced to pull over after hitting police rollers. Here's the thing. At one point he was able to ram them off the road into a ditch about 3 miles from his home. He had a gun leveled at the driver. No one was around. They just shot his dog (who, incidentally, was given to him as a coping mechanism after he retired from the SEALs, and is named DASY, with each letter representing him and his SEAL team). You know what he did? Nothing. He exhibited perhaps the greatest amount of self-control I have ever heard of. He was as a member of the most elite division of the most powerful military on earth. Every instinct he had must have been screaming at him to take them out. But he didn't. He trusted the justice system of the country to which he dedicated his life.

Just so there's no misunderstanding, I very seriously doubt I would have been able to do the same. Those of you who know me and know how much we love our dogs and consider them part of our family will understand. And DASY meant so much more to Marcus than I can imagine. If it were me, I think I would have walked up to them and happily have shot them between the eyes. I don't even know that I would have been conflicted about it. I'm sure I would have had that moment of general human conscience where I asked myself if I really wanted to do this. But I believe that in my mind it would seem (at the moment) incredibly justifiable. (Especially in TX, and given that the criminal had discharged a gun on my property).

And here's where I see Marcus as miles above me. Marcus not only had to overcome the knee-jerk, reactionary, revenge-driven response that all of us average Joes would have faced. He's been trained to eliminate a threat at the first opportunity. Threat identified. Threat eliminated. Simple as that.

Please keep Marcus in your prayers. He has by no means forgiven these punks, and he may not be able to restrain himself the next time he runs into one of them. (In fact, he found out where to find one of the kids during the day, so he left town so that he wouldn't be tempted to take him out). He's trying to cope with losses and horrors that neither you nor I can ever imagine.

UPDATE: Just in case you need more evidence of what kind of man Marcus is, check out the video below. 'Nuf said.