Mark Wahlberg’s latest movie, Lone Survivor, premieres Friday, January 10.

College of William and Mary Student Elizabeth Marcello reviews the background on the film, which may be the first blockbuster of 2014.

Who doesn’t love a good patriotic action flick? Yet, the movie and its storyline goes much deeper than celebrating the heroism of our military and paying tribute to those we have lost. Based on Marcus Luttrell’s book, the plot follows the Navy SEALs who participated in Operation Red Wing, a mission in 2005 designed to capture high Taliban leaders in the mountains of Afghanistan. According to Luttrell, the real “lone survivor” of Operation Red Wing, American politics have once again interfered with the success and safety of our brave military.

Back in the comfortable meeting rooms of the Capitol, politicians write up the rules of engagement (ROE) for the American military in combat. Naturally, it is the liberal politicians who seek to put tighter restraints on combat rules, while certain Republicans have fought to give our soldiers greater safety. Luttrell explains the restraints in his book:

“And those ROE are very specific: we may not open fire until we are fired upon or have positively identified our enemy and have proof of his intentions. Now, that’s all very gallant. But how about a group of U.S. soldiers who have been on patrol for several days; have been fired upon; have dodged rocket-propelled grenades and homemade bombs; have sustained casualties; and who are very nearly exhausted and maybe slightly scared? How about when a bunch of guys wearing colored towels around their heads and brandishing AK-47s come charging over the horizon straight toward you? Do you wait for them to start killing your team, or do you mow the bastards down before they get a chance to do so?”

Luttrell scorns Washington for being so concerned with the “rights” of terrorists that compromise the safety of Americans willing to put their lives on the line for the freedom of our nation. The fact is, politics should be completely left out of combat rules. If we are in a war, our military has the right to properly defend itself. Unfortunately, liberalism seems to mix up the priorities of Congress, and as a result, Luttrell says “from firsthand experience that those rules of engagement cost the lives of three of the finest U.S. Navy SEALs who have ever served.”

…As a closing note, I’d like to thank Marcus Luttrell for his bravery, as well as all of our military men and women who have served and continue to serve today. Though words cannot do them justice, I must also pay tribute to the fine men and women who have died in battle, in particular those lost in Operation Red Wing. I pray their souls are at rest and that their loved ones understand that they will always have support from myself and many other grateful Americans.