“If I catch them I’m going to kill them.”

(Photo from navyseals.com)

You have probably heard of Marcus Luttrell – he was the only survivor of a firefight in Afghanistan in 2005, during which four SEAL team members were attacked by scores of Taliban. One of the SEALs was LT Michael Murphy, who received the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Luttrell saw his three brothers in arms cut down before he was knocked unconscious by a Taliban RPG. He regained consciousness and crawled seven miles before being discovered by friendly Afghans. The villagers believed that once a person is brought into their homes, they are obligated to protect him.

Eventually the Taliban came, but the villagers would not let them have Luttrell. Eventually, friendly forces were alerted and he was rescued after the Taliban surrounding the village were eliminated.

Fast forward four years. Marcus Luttrell was home in Texas, recuperating from his wounds between surgeries. His young dog, given to him to help with the recovery process, was named DASY, after his team (Danny, Axe, Southern Boy, and Yankee) in Afghanistan.

About a week ago, four young men killed DASY for fun.

Luttrell heard the gunshot, and his training kicked in. He ran outside and crept to within 25 yards of their vehicle. They didn’t know he was there. If they had looked, they would have seen a 9mm pistol being pointed at them by a former SEAL who knew how to kill.

But he didn’t kill them. Instead he followed them for miles, all the while talking to the local authorities on 911. He told the dispatcher to get someone out there right away. “I told them, ‘You need to get somebody out here because if I catch them I’m going to kill them.'” (chron.com)

They were eventually arrested, and two of them face charges of cruelty to nonlivestock animals, a felony.

I can’t imagine the thoughts that run through the mind of Marcus Luttrell, but I know what runs through mine. His heroism in battle was inspiring. And his restraint after the thoughtless and unspeakable cruelty toward his beloved dog is nothing short of phenomenal. He is a better man than most of us, and he is our hero of the week.

For the complete story of Operation Redwing, read his book, Lone Survivor.

A synopsis of the story can be read in the WashingtonPost.com.

A video of the Glenn Beck program that broke the story can be seen by clicking here.