When we talk about the book Lone Survivor, our thoughts immediately go to Marcus Luttrell and his heroic – albeit harrowing – experience in the Hindu Kush. What most people probably tend to push aside is the fact that Lone Survivor was not a lone writing endeavor but a collaboration between Luttrell and author Patrick Robinson.

Spending time with Marcus Luttrell, listening to his story and committing Luttrell’s recollections to paper have undoubtedly made Robinson a part of Luttrell’s experience somehow. And he talks about working on the book with Luttrell in a feature on The Huffington Post.

Robinson witnessed a side to a Navy SEAL that most of us probably take for granted. While we do not wish to generalize people’s general impression of who a SEAL is, we dare say that for the most part, the image on people’s minds is that of a tough guy – the ultimate commando. But beyond that tough exterior is a man filled with sadness and anguish over losing his best buds.

Robinson shared his thoughts on the SEALs: “Their strength, their physical power, their refusal to quit — no matter what — their sense of pride, their sense of honor, their patriotism, their loyalty, their steely determination to carry out their given mission on behalf of the Government of the United States of America. I’m not sure any other nation has access to such men. Somehow, Navy SEALs are uniquely American.”