A DAY THAT CHANGED A NATION

The first ever Lone Survivor crossover fic

JOHN EMMANUEL RAMOS

This is the first ever cross over fic for 2013's Lone Survivor with 2014's American Sniper (Note: I do not own these movies, plus the books upon which they are based plus Service: A Navy SEAL in War) written in the belated commemoration of Chris Kyle's 2nd death anniversary on the 2nd of February, 2015. In honor of this sad event, this crossover fic details what happened to Marcus Luttrell and the families of the Operation Red Wings fallen in the immediate aftermath of the news of the deaths of Chris and his friend Chad Littlefield on Feb.2, 2013, in a day the whole of America did not expect to happen.

This FF work that I am now presenting to you is also the FIRST based on American Sniper and thus, being a crossover fic with LS, is told in the viewpoints of Marcus and his family and of the families of the ORW fatalities. As Marcus met with Kyle in several occasions, including their BUD/S training in San Diego and later on in the middle of the 2nd Battle of Ramadi in 2006, it would, through flashbacks, include the characters from the 2014-15 hit movie.

IN MEMORY OF THE LATE CHRIS KYLE AND CHAD LITTLEFIELD

PROLOGUE: They did not expect it coming

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2013

LUTTRELL RESIDENCE, HOUSTON, TEXAS

1930H CENTRAL STANDARD TIME

Chris Kyle has died, together with his friend Chad Littlefield, on a gun range in Glen Rose, Texas, due to a shooting incident that day.

This was what the news headlines on TV and on the Internet were coming out that night, and that made Marcus Luttrell, his wife Melanie, and their 2 kids Axe and Addie, sad, for Chris had been a friend of him for such a long time. As he began to view the messages of sympathy sent to him in his social media handles within hours after Chris's death was announced, he thought of the many years and experiences he shared with what was, without a doubt, the most lethal sniper in United States military history. With a new movie about Operation Red Wings now on its final stages before being released, it was indeed a day that changed not just him and his family…..

It was indeed a day that changed a nation forever, and they, the American people, did not except that coming.

Including Marcus, his family and the families, relatives and friends of those who died in the infamous Operation Red Wings on June 28, 2005.

For truly, Chris Kyle, the most lethal and deadliest sniper in the military history of the United States of America, was no more.

Chris and Marcus were raised by patriotic families in the state of Texas. Marcus grew up in Houston and Chris, born in Odessa, grew up with his younger brother Jeff and his parents in a ranch just kilometers away in Midlothian. Both joined the United States Navy SEALs in the late 1990s, and they started their friendship when they were at BUD/S training in San Diego, CA.

Even though they spent their service in the SEALs in different SEAL Teams (Chris was with Team 3 and Marcus with Team 10) they both made their marks in the history of not just the Navy SEALs and of the Navy, but in the military history of the United States of America. After graduation, Chris moved on to sniper training and soon enough, just a year & several months after 9/11, and after his marriage to Taya Renae, started his sniper career in Nasiriya, Iraq, with SEAL Team 3 in 2003. And it was there where he made his first sniper kills, and for that he was dubbed "the Legend" by his peers and the Marines stationed when he moved on to Fallujah the next year. At the same time, he made several friends in the team, including fellow SEALs Kevin "Dauber" Lacz, Marc Lee and Ryan "Biggles" Job.

Marcus made his mark as the lone survivor of Operation Red Wings on June 28, 2005, that saw the deaths of his 3 teammates, LT Michael "Mike" Murphy and SO2s Danny Dietz and Matthew "Axe" Axelson at the hands of the Taliban in the mountains of northern Pakistan. Aside from them, 8 more SEALs (including SO2 Shane Patton and LCDR Eric Kristensen) were KIA due to a helicopter crash that the Taliban caused, which also killed 8 personnel of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment of the US Army. Thanks to the assistance of an Afghan villager, he was rescued on July 3 the same year.

It was indeed no surprise that they would meet up again in 2006, during the action of the 2nd Battle of Ramadi, and by the time they met again, Marcus, after his recovery, had moved to SEAL Team 5, and was thinking of writing down what had happened on that fateful day in June. In between their meetings, Chris had experienced the combat injuries that cost Ryan his sight and the sudden death of Marc on August 2. They would, in between combat duties or on breaks, meet up and talk about themselves, their families, and their service. Chris and Marcus, while in their respective SEAL Teams did their duties quite well, Chris as a sniper and Marcus as a regular SEAL warrior.

Marcus retired in 2007 (although his medical clearance for retirement would not come out until 2009), the very same year he published Lone Survivor, and Chris did the same two years later, the very year that Ryan passed away. In the years that followed, both met up at various times and places and shared stories of their wartime military service. They both had books published that were hits in the US and globally.

Indeed, Marcus and Chris shared the bond of brotherhood that all US Navy SEALs posess in themselves. Formed out of years of hard work, brutal training and service to the American nation, it was indeed no surprise that Chris' death on that February day that would end it all suddenly.

2200H CST

Before sleeping for the night, Marcus had learned that the one who shot dead Chris and Chad had turned himself in to the police. His name was Eddie Ray Routh, who was in the gun range at Glen Rose that day with the two, and was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He had PTSD like them, and the men were trying to help him recover, but afflicted by the disorder, he was forced to kill them.

Before he surrended voluntarily, he confessed to his sister about all that had happened, and how he had to kill two great US military heroes, the very veterans who were trying to assist in his PTSD recovery.

Indeed it was a life changing day for him and his family, and for the whole of America. But he was never alone in sadness, the families of those who died in that fateful June day in 2005 felt the same upon hearing the news of the death of America's deadliest military sniper in history. And so did so many SEALS past and present, and the families of those SEALs who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Truly, all roads would be leading to the state of Texas in the coming days, as so many past SEALs and their familes will be coming to say goodbye to Chris Kyle, America's most lethal military sniper, for one final time.

Marcus though to himself, "How did it would happen that one of my best friends that I had would be shot dead by the man he was trying to help?"

And he, Melanie and the kids knew in their hearts that they had lost one of the best friends they had.

For just as the nation was gearing up for the Superbowl, all the joy and excitement, in just one day, turned into mourning, because of the sad news of the death of Chris Kyle, America's most deadliest sniper ever in military history, and his friend Chad Littlefield, on that very Saturday in a Texas gun range. This was truly a day that changed a nation forever, a day the Navy SEAL veterans and all military veterans of the United States of America will never ever forget.

That very day of the murder, February 2, 2013, will soon go down into the military and national history of the United States of America.