In the end of that first bout with the Afghan fighters, only Marcus Luttrell remained alive.

Before Murphy was killed, however, he was able to call for emergency support through his cell phone. Two MH-47D helicopters, four UH-60 Blackhawks and two AH-64D Longbows came for an extraction mission for the SEALs in Kunar. An MH-47D helicopter that carried eight Navy SEALs and eight 160th Nightstalkers was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. The pilot lost control of the aircraft; it hit a mountain ledge and fell through a ravine, resulting in the deaths of all sixteen people on board.

Ahmad Shah reportedly said the following in a later interview shown on NBC: “We certainly know that when the American army comes under pressure and they get hit, they will try to help their friends. It is the law of the battlefield.”

Luttrell eventually found protection and help from an unlikely source – Pashtun tribesmen from the village of Sabri-Minah. A village elder made his way to marine outpost Camp Blessing to give information regarding Luttrell.

Five years later, America is still fighting a war in Afghanistan. Marcus Luttrell told his story and his book, The Lone Survivor, has become best-seller. He has set up the Lone Survivor Foundation to help service members returning from combat recuperate and heal.

Dietz and Axelson were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross in September 2006, while Luttrell received his Navy Cross in a ceremony in the White House. Lt. Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2007.