LT Michael Murphy, leader of SEAL Team 10, faces an ethical dilemma during a 2005 mission in Afghanistan when his team captures local goatherders who compromise their position. Murphy decides to release the captives, knowing it risks alerting the Taliban, in order to spare civilian lives. This decision leads to the death of Murphy and most of his team. Later, an Afghan farmer named Farmer risks his life and village by protecting the sole survivor Marcus Luttrell from the Taliban, adhering to his cultural code of hospitality despite threats to his family and community. Both Murphy and Farmer made courageous leadership decisions that prioritized ethics over military objectives, putting civilian lives and cultural traditions ahead of personal safety in high-risk

1. LeadershipEthicsatthe Movies
Lone Survivor,basedonthe bookby the same name, tellsthe storyof SEAL Team 10 – LT Michael
Murphy, PettyOfficersDannyDietzandMatt Axelson,andCorpsmanMarcusLuttrell – on a 2005
missionaspart of OperationRed Wingsto kill orcapture AhmadShah,a deadlyTalibanleaderof Kunar
Province. Afterbeingdroppedintothe mountainsabove Shah’slocationandwhileassessingthe
situation,the SEALswere discoveredbylocal goatherderswhichcompromisedthe operation. The team
quicklycapturesthe herders. Atthispoint,LTMichael Murphy, the seniorrankingleaderof the team,is
facedwitha numberof unpalatable optionsregarding the dispositionof the goatherders: aboy, an old
man,and twenty-somethingaboutthe age of manyTalibanfighters. Murphy makesa fateful decision
and directshisteamto release the captivesandtohike tothe nearesthighpeakto radioforpickup(the
difficultterrainhadallowedonlyintermittentcontactwiththe operationscenter) so(hopefully)they
can fightanotherday.
In the aftermathof releasingthe herders,the twenty-somethingrushesdownthe mountaintothe
village towarnShahand hisfighters.
Notonlydoes Murphy decide togenerouslytreatthe herdersasciviliansbut alsohe decidestoabort
the mission. There are a numberof ethical andmoral impactsthat he musthave considered.
Ultimately,he,Dietz,andAxelsonare killedbyShahandhismen. As well,16Americanspecial
operators,ledbyLCDR Erik Kristensen, are killedwhentheirhelicopterishitbyan RPG enroute to
rescue the SEAL team. It isestimatedthatabout30 Talibanwere killedbyMurphy,Dietz,Axelson,and
Luttrell.
Clearly,Murphyunderstoodthat,regardlessof hisdecision,histeamandanyrescue unitwouldbe at
acute risk. We onlyhave Luttrell’saccounthow Murphy made the decisionsowe cannotknow
everythingMurphywasthinking. DidMurphyconsiderkillingthe herdersandcontinuingthe mission?
Didhe considerholdingthemprisonerwhilethe teamcontinuedthe mission? Didhe considerthathe
or some otherSEAL leaderwouldhave torepeatthe mission,withoutthe elementof surprise? Didhe
considerleavingthemtiedandgaggedwhile the teamhikedforpickup?
He wasthe leader;he followedhisleadershipethics,honedoverthe yearsasSEALleader (basedona
longhistoryof US militaryactions) andmade the decision.
Duringthe last act of the movie, anotherkeyleader,AfghanFarmer, makesaseries of courageous
decisions. While traversingthe mountainsinthe aftermathof the battle,AfghanFarmerstumblesupon
Marcus Luttrell andwhiskshimintohishome. He sendsone of the village elderstoaUS militarybase to
alertUS forcesthatLuttrell isalive. Then,foran undeterminedperiodof time,he leadshisfellow
villagerstoprotectLuttrell fromthe Taliban basedonthe Afghantraditionof lokhay. In the film, the
TalibanbreakintoAfghanFarmer’shome,seize Luttrell,andattempttoexecute him. AfghanFarmer
and hisfellowvillagersinterruptthe executionandwithweaponspointedatthe Taliban,informthe
enemythatLuttrell isa guestandunderFarmer’sprotection. Inanotherscene,Farmerandthe villagers
engage ina firefightwiththe Talibanandal-qaedatoprotecttheirvillage fromslaughterandtoprevent
themfromtakingLuttrell.
Clearly,Farmerunderstoodthathe riskedthe wrathof the Talibanandal-QaedabyshieldingLuttrell.
Didhe considerthatwomenandchildren,includinghisownson,couldbe killedandwoundedduringa

2. firefight? Didhe considerthathisfellowvillagerswouldturnonhimandside withthe terrorists? Did
he have secondthoughtsafterdays(or weeks) of protectingLuttrell?
He wasthe leader;he followedhisleadershipethics,honedoveralifetime of warfare (basedonalong
historyof Afghancode) andmade the decision.
What wouldyoudo?