A former decorated Navy SEAL who wrote Lone Survivor, about his experience fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan that was turned into a Hollywood blockbuster, delivered an emotional and passionate endorsement of Donald Trump in Cleveland on Monday night.
Marcus Luttrell, who with his SEAL Team 10 comrades faced down the Taliban in a deadly and grueling battle in Afghanistan, said he was raised to fight for his country “without hesitation or hopes of individual achievement.”
His father, who he said fought in Vietnam before being “shamed out of his uniform,” “solidified his resolve to train his sons, twin boys” to “love this country more than we loved ourselves.”
Luttrell said he spent 10 years of his Navy SEAL career in combat and the next 12 touring the country meeting fellow veterans after writing his book.
“I think it’s important to say that the hell the veterans return from is not the hell they come home to, okay?” he told the crowd to applause.
“That’s what was promised and that’s what’s deserved,” he said, as the cameras panned to members of the audience with tears in their eyes.
Since Trump announced his run for president, Luttrell said he had a chance to spend time with the billionaire businessman. He left encouraged that Trump would be able to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I know he understands what it’s going to take to fix this,” he said. “The only way we’re going to keep America safe is to have an elite military, all right?”
“We need to have our leaders lead by example and show the American public [that] each and every life under the flag are family and should be treated accordingly,” Luttrell said.
He then appeared to address the Black Lives Matter Movement, at least obliquely.
“Look, either way, the only way we survive this is together, not apart,” he said. “In order for every life to matter, we all have to matter, understand?”
He then exhorted the millennial generation to rise to the occasion and fight for the country against the ongoing terrorist threat to America and the west.
“I challenge all of you to fight for this country, for each and every one of us,” he said. “The world outside of our borders is a dark and scary place … America is the light.”
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry introduced Luttrell, describing the chance encounter he had with the man now famous for being the “Lone Survivor.”
“In 2006, Anita [Perry’s wife] and I had the pleasure of touring a Naval base in San Diego,” Perry said. “Our guide that day happened to be a big ol’ tall drink of water Navy SEAL recovering from combat-related injuries. He was a Texas boy, plainspoken and respectful, and his love for America came through loud and clear. As we parted ways that day, we told him if you’re ever in Austin, come on by.
“Now, some might call that meeting blind chance or a twist of fate … but I call it the grace of God.”
Perry said the two kept in touch over the years, “until one day, he showed up on our doorstep … unannounced … with nowhere else to turn.”
“We welcomed him into our home … helped him get the care he needed … and today, he’s like a second son,” Perry said.
“Many know about the battles he fought in Afghanistan … but few know about the battles that he … and thousands of veterans like him … face when they come home,” he said.
“Tonight, our commitment is this: Making America great again starts by taking care of our veterans,” Perry concluded.
