One thing Marcus Luttrell wanted to clear up right off the bat:
“I’m not a hero. I don’t even like that word. I’m just a Texas boy (who) grew up on a small horse and cattle ranch. When I joined the Navy and started training as a SEAL, we trained long and we trained hard to form a blood bond tighter than any other. In my class of 164, only 10 were left at graduation.”
Luttrell, keynote speaker for a luncheon benefiting , transported the audience to a mountainous region of Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border, where he and three other Navy SEALSs were sent to scout Ahmad Shah, the leader of a guerilla group aligned with the and .
His vivid account of the once-classified , a hard-fought mission from which only he emerged alive, is both a chilling tale and a testament to the courage, integrity and patriotism of this tight-knit brotherhood.
His 2007 book, ” ,” was No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was later made into a movie by the same name starring Mark Wahlberg.
Six hundred people were at the to hear Luttrell’s talk that was both a fundraiser and the official kickoff for a display and auction of masks decorated by 588 celebrities, athletes, politicians and community leaders. The masks are on display at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center through Oct. 5.
“Marcus represents a great example of a veteran’s courage in telling his story,” said Bev Sloan, chief executive officer for The Denver Hospice. Choosing him as a speaker, she added, helped bring attention to the commitment her organization has to military veterans.
Thirty percent of those served by The Denver Hospice are veterans, and the not-for-profit organization has been recognized nationally as a Level Four Partner of We Honor Veterans, a program of the Veterans Administration and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
Luncheon guests included Mayor Michael Hancock, who presented Luttrell with No. 5 of only 100 commemorative coins that the city of Denver will award to visiting dignitaries; Bonnie Mandarich, who hosted a table on behalf of Speaker Sponsor MDC/Richmond American Homes Foundation; Craig Walters, an area director for luncheon sponsor Anadarko Petroleum; longtime hospice benefactors Louann and Micky Miller and Janet Mordecai; David Alexander, acquisitions chair for Mask Project 2014; Jim and Kay Burke; Project Style Denver CEO Benny Samuels;Norma Paige; Tony and Nancy Accetta; Robin Glickstein; Tom Allee; and the families of Navy SEALs Danny Dietz of Littleton and Matthew Axelson of Cupertino, Calif., who died in Operation Redwing.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@ denverpost.com or twitter.com/joannedavidson
