Asadabad, Afghanistan—June 28, 2005: A fierce battle and frenzied call for help triggers a chain of devastating events that leaves a single Navy SEAL to battle the enemy, and the elements, in order to survive.

By nature, SEALs and other special op units operate under shield of secrecy. Most family members don’t even know what country their son is in at any given moment, never mind the title or nature of his specific operation. The reconnaissance taking place near Asadabad is unknown to the general public, but soon, the world catches a stunning glimpse into the deadly events that leave three SEALs dead on the ground and 16 specialists shot down from the sky.

It begins with a top-secret operation in the mountainous region of northwestern Afghanistan, where an elite force of Navy SEALs is embedded. Silent, motionless, they watch the al Qaeda operatives. The SEALs are poised to kill. At last, the opportunity comes to take out the enemy and the SEALs make their move.

And from there, the mission goes horribly wrong.

The al Qaeda terrorists are immediately engaged in battle by the SEALs lying in wait. But the SEALs find themselves outnumbered 3 to 1. Rockets and small-arms fire fills the air. The forested area keeps al Qaeda covered, and the ominous shadow of dusk adds to the confusion. Soon, the US forces are surrounded, and in a fateful decision, the SEALs radio for reinforcements.

Answering the frenzied call, eight Navy SEALs and eight troops from the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment take to the skies. As the MH-47 Chinook helicopter nears the region, militants hiding in the thick forest take aim. The flight is downed. With a lone RPG, terrorists deal the United States the deadliest blow in the war in Afghanistan to date, a Hail Mary that hands the elite Navy SEALs the biggest loss of life in its 40-year history.

Without further interference, al Qaeda turns its fury on the remaining soldiers.

The four-man squad succumbs to small-arms fire, mortars and RPGs in a desperate attempt to hold off the enemy. In the end, three of the SEALs are killed in close proximity of each other. The fourth is knocked out and blown backward by an RPG, a force that sends him tumbling down to the bottom of the steep and jagged mountainside. Satisfied, the terrorists leave him for dead.

The commando awakens, dazed and suffering multiple leg wounds. He knows he’s alone: he witnessed the flight go down; he saw his squad mates die on the ground. As the rain pours down, he pulls himself up and begins a painful, perilous journey to the nearest village. He is still armed, and if, for two miles, the SEAL can elude the enemy, he might possibly survive.