Maj. Seth W. B. Folsom - The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq

The Highway War

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A Marine Company Commander in Iraq

Maj. Seth W. B. Folsom, USMC

Copyright 2006 by Seth W. B. Folsom

Published in the United States by Potomac Books, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Folsom, Seth W. B., 1972
The highway war : a marine company commander in Iraq / Seth W. B. Folsom. 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-57488-988-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Folsom, Seth W. B., 1972 2. SoldiersUnited StatesBiography. 3. Iraq War, 2003Personal
narratives, American. 4. United StatesArmed ForcesBiography. I. Title.
DS79.76.F65 2006
956.7044'342092dc22
2005037340

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute Z39-48 Standard.

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First Edition

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Words and music of War by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong 1970 (Renewed 1998) Jobete Music Company, Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc., on behalf of Stone Agate Music (A Division of Jobete Music Company, Inc.). All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.

Words and music of No Leaf Clover by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich 1999 Creeping Death Music. All rights controlled and administered by Creeping Death Music. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Words and music of Mama, Im Coming Home by Ozzy Osbourne and Zakk Wylde 1991 Monowise, Ltd. All Rights for the U.S.A. and Canada controlled and administered by EMI Virgin Music, Inc. and EMI Virgin Songs, Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.

NOTE
The opinions or assertions contained in this work are those of the writer and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the Marine Corps, the Department of the Navy, or the Department of Defense.

FOR THE MARINES AND SAILORS OF DELTA COMPANY
THE MEN TO MY LEFT AND RIGHTAND FOR THEIR FAMILIES,
WHO SHARED AN EQUALLY DIFFICULT BURDEN.

The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard
But I will better the instruction.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

But Ive a rendezvous with Death at midnight in some flaming town,
When Spring trips north again this year and I to my pledged word am true,
I shall not fail that rendezvous.
ALAN SEEGER, I HAVE A RENDEZVOUS WITH DEATH

One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been.
SOPHOCLES

Think where mans glory most begins and ends,
And say my glory was I had such friends.
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS

Maps

Vehicle

Photographs

During the course of writing this book, I used several different resources. The primary foundation for the writing was my combat journal, a battered notebook filled with more than 150 pages of detailed daily entries and accounts. I began the journal the day I arrived in Kuwait in February 2003, and concluded it once Delta Company returned to Ad Diwaniyah in late April 2003. Most of the incidents described in this book come directly from this journal. I supplemented my notes with audio recordings and video footage, more than 500 photographs, official award summaries of individual actions, and informal interviews and emails exchanged between the Marines of Delta Company and me. Most major actions by Delta Companyand other major incidents within First Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalionare described in 1st LAR Battalions official command chronology.

This book is not a work of fiction. It is written from the often shortsighted perspective of a young company commander struggling to make sense of the chaotic events that surrounded him. Since then I have matured, and my outlook has broadened. As this account of my thoughts and feelings at the time is candid, I have chosen to change or delete the names of certain individuals in order to protect their privacy.

Accounts of actions that were taken by other units within RCT-5 and that I did not personally witness were drawn from an official account of the regiments exploits during the war. They are meant to provide the reader a greater perspective of the bigger picture during the first month of the war.

Finally, it is important for the reader to understand that many of the conversations described in this book are reported only as precisely as my journal entries and my memories allow. The only way it would have been possible to recount conversations word-for-word in this book is if I had constantly carried a voice recorder with me in Iraq. However, although I believe it is a fair and accurate retelling, the story within this book is my story, told from my perspective. I commanded 130 Marines and sailors in Delta Company; 131 different accounts of our actions therefore exist. Numerous other recollections no doubt exist among the hundreds of other young men who belonged to 1st LAR Battalion at the time. Regardless, it is with great pride that I write about the Marines and sailors of Delta Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. I hope my retelling of our adventures properly conveys our story.

INFORMATION:
Designation: LAV-25
Contractor: Diesel Division,
General Motors of Canada
Country: United States
Service Date: 1983
Type: Light Tank
Accommodation: 3 + 6

PERFORMANCE: