Military

Former Navy SEAL On Combat, Service & His Own Rescue

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer

Published May 28, 2012 at 8:30 AM PDT

This story was published more than 11 years ago.

Marcus Luttrell wanted to be a Navy SEAL since he was a kid. Now a former Navy SEAL, Marcus Luttrell has written about his experiences in the Middle East,where he was the lone survivor of his four-man team after a fierce and deadly ambush in the hills of Afghanistan. His first book, "Lone Survivor," is also the story of his eventual return to war in Ramadi as a member of SEAL Team 5 in 2006.

Luttrell's new book, "Service: A Navy Seal At War," is the result of his attempt to discover what makes some people, including himself, willing to sacrifice everything, even their own lives, to serve "family, nation and freedom." What is it that makes them walk toward combat, rather than walk away?

"Service" tells the stories of those who rescued him and lets us hear the voices of women married to SEALS, as they talk about the rewards and challenges such marriages impose. He reflects on the men he has seen lose their lives for their country and on the legacy of those who did the same before.

Military

Maureen Cavanaugh

twitter

Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

What do you want to hear host Jade Hindmon talk about on Midday?

Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

See stories by Pat Finn