Bøger af Seth W. B. Folsom

This volume completes LtCol Seth Folsom's recounting of his personal experiences in command over a decade of war. The chronicle of Folsom's command of 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, "The Cutting Edge", and his harrowing deployment to Afghanistan's volatile Sangin District presents a deeper look into the complexities and perils of modern counterinsurgency operations in America's longest war.

In the Gray Area builds on Seth Folsoms earlier award-winning memoir, The Highway War, which described his 2003 command of one of the first Marine light armored reconnaissance battalion companies to march on Baghdad. In February 2008, he was deployed to Iraq again as the leader of a U.S. Marine advisor team embedded with an Iraqi army infantry battalion. In this new work, Folsom frankly addresses the realities of the Marines mission as he reflects on challenges they and their Iraqi counterparts faced in their struggle to gain control of al-Anbar province. He explores the bonds he formed with his men, the Outlanders, and the tenuous relationships forged between the American and Iraqi soldiers whose cultures were so vastly different. The author creates a compelling picture of the obstacles faced by both as they lived, ate, and fought side-by-side.The Highway War was lauded for its insights about how a young combat leader copes with his own vulnerabilities while publicly presenting a tough persona. In the Gray Area, Folsom shows a now more mature commander thoughtfully evaluating the situation at a time when the Iraqi army is on the cusp of independence from its American partners. He further reflects on the difficulties posed by a possibly premature American departure from Iraq and questions if the advisor mission is really the key to an American exit of Iraq.

A compelling Iraq War memoir of then-Capt. Seth Folsom, commanding officer of Delta Company, First Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, US Marine Corps. Mounted in eight-wheeled LAVs (light armored vehicles), this unit of 130 Marines and sailors was one of the first into Iraq in March 2003. It fought on the front lines for the war's entire offensive phase.