ROBERT MAJKA JR. – Lone Survivor
Not too long ago, I read Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson. The story is a fascinating nonfiction memoir of Luttrell’s June 2005 experiences of fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan with three other SEAL Team 10 members. Luttrell’s team was close to a target village, seeking to neutralize several Taliban members in the area, when they were discovered by goat herders.
They were faced with the moral dilemma of either neutralizing the goat herders to prevent their disclosure of the team’s location or letting them go, essentially ensuring they would be found out and a deadly battle would likely ensue. They let them go. Subsequently, all of Luttrell’s comrades are killed by the Taliban. The SEAL team kills 35 enemies in a fierce battle that only Luttrell survives.
He escapes to a nearby village. The residents take him in and, out of custom, are compelled to protect him from the Taliban until the Americans arrive to take him home.
I love this story because, for me, it elicited feelings of patriotism and pride to think about America’s most elite protecting our country with little regard for their own safety. These guys are forced to make decisions on the fly, deciding about life-and-death, and whether or not to kill an innocent person to protect their position.
In reading the book, my sense of patriotism gave way to introspection as I thought about the concept of moral dilemmas in a broader sense – we all face them, both personally and professionally. The right choice isn’t always the
easiest choice, but it is still the right thing to do.
ABOUT ROBERT MAJKA JR.
Robert “Bob” Majka, Jr., Bay County Manager, is responsible for the management of approximately 500 employees and the county’s $276 million budget. Bob began working in Bay County local government in 1988, in 2012 he left to assume the position of Manager of the City of Cocoa Beach. He returned to Bay County in 2015 after being appointed County Manager. Bob has earned a Master of Business Administration, a bachelor’s degree in business administration, an associate’s degree in fire science technology, and a certification from the U.S. Fire Administration’s Executive Fire Officer Program.