Factual error: In the scene at the evacuation hospital doctors are seen administering shocks to Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg) with paddles. The EKG shows a flatline. In reality, medical personnel do not give shocks for a flatline - a "shock" is to correct Ventricular Fibrillation into a normal sinus rhythm, if you have a systole there is no muscle activity in the cardiac area and a manual shock will not achieve anything.
Lone Survivor (2013)
1 suggested correction
Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch
Factual error: When the seals are tumbling down the mountain one of them almost lands on a rattlesnake. There are no rattlesnakes native to Afghanistan or any other part of Asia. They occur only in the western hemisphere.
Shane Patton: Anything in life worth doing is worth overdoing. Moderation is for cowards.
Trivia: In the opening scenes showing the SEALS waking up, many photos stuck on walls of the SEAL's living quarters are shown. These photos contain some, if not all, real photos of the men killed on the mission. When the montage of the real-life men appears at the end of the film, you will recognise some familiar faces from the beginning of the film. Also, when Axelson is chatting with his wife Cindy (in the same 'waking up' sequence) on his laptop, the photo of Cindy on the right-hand-side of his laptop seems to be the real-life Cindy Axelson (if it isn't, then it's an actress who bears a very striking resemblance to her).
Question: Why do all the SEALS have scruffy beards? Usually they are clean shaved, right? I was just wondering if it's maybe for the mission that they are on, but I see all the SEALS there have a bunch of facial hair. Can someone confirm this?
Answer: SEALs are allowed to have 'modified grooming standards'. They are often undercover in other countries and it helps them to blend in, as beards are far more common in the Middle East.
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Suggested correction: That's not true. If ever you do a first aid course they will point out that on arrival, paramedics will replace your AED with their defib precisely because their defib will shock no pulse, whereas an AED that you might find in public spaces will not.
No professional medical professional would shock a flatline patient. They would start chest compressions until they could determine why the heart stopped. Ventricular Fibrillation or Ventricular Tachycardia, where shocking may help, does not register as a flatline. The mistake is valid and doesn't need to be corrected.
Bishop73