In the Gray Area

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In the Gray Area Page 24

by Seth W. B. Folsom


  We move on, and I scan the roads for Iraqi army checkpoints or convoys. Nothing appears, and I head toward the last place I remember. The phosphate plant, I remember thinking. A peculiar place to put a brigade headquarters. But it is still there, and the Iraqi soldiers man their posts and go about their daily routine. They look smart in their uniforms, and their weapons are clean and well maintained. They rehearse battle drills, NCOs moving back and forth, instructing the soldiers, mentoring them. Inside the buildings staff officers bustle about, filing reports and planning training exercises. There are no more patrols in the desert, no more nighttime raids into Husaybah or Karabilah. The Iraqi army is training for something, but it doesn’t know what it is, and neither do I. Peace has found this tortured, pathetic country, peace from the inside and out, and in its serenity I finally see what it is that so many fought and died for.

  I see a beginning.

  I awake from my dream. Next to me my wife stirs momentarily and then drifts off back to sleep. She is accustomed to my restless nights; she has been for years. She wonders if I will ever find that part of myself that I lost in Iraq so long ago. I walk down the hall to the bedrooms of my two young daughters. They have never seen Iraq, and I wonder if my recurring dream will ever come true. In the warm glow of their night-lights I stare at them one by one, their angelic features reflecting a blissful ignorance only visible on the faces of small children who have never suffered the trauma of war. No bombs will explode outside their windows tonight; no masked gunmen will cut them down in their beds. They will remain blissfully unaware that somewhere in Iraq a different father questions if his children will survive another day. I wonder if true peace will ever find that country, and as I turn to leave I wonder what kind of world my daughters will grow up in. And then, as they frequently do, my thoughts turn to the brave young Marines with whom I have served, and I gaze at my daughters once more and remember the words often attributed to George Orwell:

  “We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence upon those who would do us harm.”

  Iraq is far away, and my daughters will sleep soundly tonight.

  So will I.

  Acknowledgments

  Books are collaborative ventures. Just as no commander achieves success individually, authors are similarly indebted to those around them who assist in both direct and indirect ways.

  For the writing of this book I owe my greatest debt to my best friend and wife, Ashley. Her strengths are innumerable, and as always her painstaking editorial assistance made the difference between this book being a good one and a great one.

  I am similarly thankful for my parents, CAPT Benjamin F. Folsom Jr., USN (Ret.), and Judith G. Folsom. Their love, support, and shameless public promotion of me and my previous work have been a constant source of encouragement for me throughout this process.

  Gracious thanks go to Ron Gridley and Jeff Simpson for their assistance with the manuscript’s security and policy review, as well as Curtis Williamson and Robert Miller for their public affairs and ethics guidance.

  Sincere thanks to Roger Cirillo at the Association of the United States Army, as well as the editorial staff of the Naval Institute Press for their confidence in my work.

  As with my previous book, the story presented here is not solely my own. Without the Marines and sailor of Military Transition Team 0733 this book could not have been written. To all of the Outlanders—Todd Hanna, Norvin Deleonguerrero, Jason Rehm, Matt Bates, Joe Davidoski, Andrew Grubb, Shaun Leek, Clarence Wolf, Theo Bowers, Olanza Frazier, Mark Hoffmier, Emiliano Rabor, Travis Wardle, and Daniel Fry—I am eternally grateful. For months you so often heard me tell you that I had nothing for you. Now I finally do.

  Semper Fidelis.

  Glossary

  1st Lt. First lieutenant

  2nd Lt. Second lieutenant

  Aajaaz Arabic for “sandstorm”

  AH-1W Marine Corps attack helicopter

  AK-47 Russian-made 7.62-millimeter assault rifle used by the Iraqi army

  Ameed Arabic for “brigadier general”

  AO Area of operations

  AQ Camp Al Qa’im

  Aqeed Arabic for “colonel”

  ATG Advisor Training Group

  Berm Artificial sand wall used for protection or for delineating boundaries in the desert

  BFT Blue Force Tracker: digital, GPS-based system used to track and communicate with Coalition units on the battlefield

  BP Battle position

  BTT Border transition team

  BZO Battle-sight zero; calibrated settings on the sights of a rifle that allow the shooter to overcome various factors and hit accurately at a given range, used as a default before adjusting for wind or distance

  Canc Short for “cancel”

  Capt. Captain

  CASEVAC Casualty evacuation

  CH-53 Marine Corps heavy-lift transport helicopter

  Chai Hot, sweet tea

  CMR Consolidated memorandum receipt

  COC Combat operations center

  Col. Colonel

  Comm Short for “communications”

  COP Combat outpost

  Cpl. Corporal

  DBE Department of Border Enforcement (Iraqi)

  DHQ District headquarters

  Dishdasha Traditional dresslike outfit worn by Arabic men

  DOD Department of Defense (U.S.)

  DshK Russian 12.7-millimeter heavy machine gun used by the Iraqi army

  ECP Entry control point

  EOD Explosive ordnance disposal

  Eye-pro Slang for “eye protection” (ballistic glasses or goggles)

  FAO Foreign area officer

  FOB Forward operating base

  G-2 Brigade intelligence section; also used for brigade intelligence officer

  GPS Global Positioning System

  GSR Gunshot residue

  HF High frequency

  HME Homemade explosives

  HMMWV High-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle; also called Humvee

  HN1 Hospitalman first class

  Hobas Arabic kiln-baked flat bread

  HUMINT Human intelligence

  Humvee See HMMWV

  IA Iraqi army; also used for a member of the Iraqi army

  IED Improvised explosive device

  IP Iraqi Police; also used for a member of the Iraqi Police

  IRR Individual Ready Reserve

  ISF Iraqi Security Forces

  JCC Joint Coordination Center

  Jundi Arabic for “soldier”

  Junood Plural of jundi

  KVN Key Volunteer Network

  LAR Light Armored Reconnaissance

  LAV Light armored vehicle

  LCpl. Lance corporal

  Lt. Lieutenant

  Lt. Col. Lieutenant colonel

  LZ Landing zone

  M1114 Model number of up-armored HMMWVs

  M2 .50-caliber heavy machine gun used by U.S. forces

  M240 7.62-millimeter medium machine gun used by U.S. forces

  M4 Carbine version of 5.56-millimeter M16 assault rifle used by U.S. forces

  M9 9-millimeter sidearm used by U.S. forces

  Maj. Major

  Maj. Gen. Major general

  MARSOC Marine Special Operations Command

  MEF Marine Expeditionary Force

  MiTT Military transition team

  MNC-I Multi-National Corps-Iraq

  MNF-W Multi-National Force-West

  MOD Ministry of Defense (Iraqi)

  MRAP Mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle

  MRE Meals ready to eat

  MSgt. Master sergeant

  MTV Modular Tactical Vest

  Mujaas Arabic for “monthly leave cycle”

  Mulaazem Arabic for “second lieutenant”

  Muqaddam Arabic for “lieutenant colonel”

  Muqaddam rukn Arabic for “staff lieutenant colonel”

  MWR Morale, Welfare, and Recreation

  NAI
Named area of interest

  Naqeeb Arabic for “captain”

  NCO Noncommissioned officer

  ND Negligent discharge

  Net Short for “network”

  NVGs Night-vision goggles

  ORA Operational readiness assessment

  Oscar-Mike Jargon for “on the move”

  PAS-13 Bulky handheld thermal imaging device used by U.S. forces

  Pax Jargon for “personnel”

  PBIED Personnel-borne improvised explosive device

  PKM Russian-made 7.62-millimeter medium machine gun used by the Iraqi army

  Pogue Slang for “rear-echelon”

  PPE Personal protective equipment

  PSD Personal security detachment

  PTT Police transition team

  PX Post exchange

  QRF Quick Reaction Force (formal Iraqi army unit designation); also quick-reaction force (USMC unit)

  Raad Arabic for “major”

  RCIED Radio-controlled improvised explosive device

  RCT Regimental Combat Team

  RIP Relief in place

  RPG Rocket-propelled grenade

  RSM Regional security meeting

  S-2 Battalion intelligence section; also used for battalion intelligence officer

  S-3 Battalion operations section; also used for battalion operations officer

  S-4 Battalion logistics section; also used for battalion logistics officer

  Sadie Arabic for “sir”

  SAPI Small-arms protective insert

  SATCOM Satellite communications

  Seabee Used for a member of the Naval Construction Battalion

  SEAL Sea, air, and land; a member of a Naval Special Warfare team

  Sgt. Sergeant

  Shemagh Checkered-pattern Arabic headwrap

  Sherta Arabic for “police”

  Shukraan Arabic for “thank you”

  SITREP Situation report

  SNCO Staff noncommissioned officer

  SOP Standing operating procedure

  Souq Arabic for “market”

  SSgt. Staff sergeant

  SWA Southwest Asia

  TCN Third-country national

  Terp Slang for “interpreter”

  TQ Taqaddum (Iraq)

  TTP Tactics, techniques, and procedures

  UAV Unmanned aerial vehicle

  UH-1N Marine Corps utility helicopter

  UHF Ultrahigh frequency

  USZ Urban security zone

  VBIED Vehicle-borne improvised explosive device

  VC Vehicle commander

  VCP Vehicle checkpoint

  VHF Very high frequency

  Vic Jargon for “vehicle”

  WAG Waste Alleviation and Gelling

  Wadi Dry riverbed or creek bed in the desert

  Wasta Arabic for “influence” or “clout”

  XO Executive officer

  Index

  A

  Aamar (warrant officer)

  Abd-al-Nabi (warrant officer)

  Abdullah (general)

  Abu Fayehdi (Iraqi role-player)

  Abu Mahal tribe

  Advisor Training Course

  advisors: vice trainers. See also Military Transition Teams

  aerial reconnaissance

  Akeel (warrant officer)

  Al Gab’aa plantation

  Al Karbuli tribe

  Al Khalidi tribe

  Al Qa’im phosphate plant

  Al Qa’im regional security meeting. See regional security meetings

  Al’aa (captain)

  Ali (captain)

  Ali (first lieutenant)

  American character

  ammunition allocation

  Anbar Awakening movement

  anti-smuggling operations

  Anwar (second lieutenant)

  Ar Rabit massacre

  Arabic language

  army. See Iraqi army

  Army Special Forces detachment

  Ayad (lieutenant colonel): on alleged insurgent attack; on anti-smuggling operation; background of; on brigade support; cell phone etiquette; community relations and; conflict avoidance by; false report filing by; favoritism shown by; on fuel allocation; gift-seeking by; information sharing and; on Iraqi flag incident; leadership style of; on logistics support; marksmanship training and; micromanagement by; on negligent discharges; office decor of; on oil smugglers; personal leave and; on police; promotion of; relationship building with; on Sa’id reassignment; subordinates’ complaints against

  B

  Baath party

  Bagooz IP checkpoint

  ballistic plate inserts

  Basra offensive

  Bates, Matt

  Battle Position Okinawa

  Battle Position Samsiyah

  Battle Position Tarawa

  Battle Position Vera Cruz: alleged insurgent attack on; disorganization of; inspection of

  battle positions: Ar Rabit massacre impact on; brigade inspection of; challenges in supporting; fuel allocations and; fuel consumption by

  battlefield trauma management

  battlespace coordination

  Big Mo (interpreter)

  body armor

  Border Fort

  bottled water

  Bowers, Theo

  C

  C-130 aircraft

  Camp Al Qa’im

  Camp Fallujah

  camp maintenance projects

  Camp Phoenix

  Camp Virginia

  casualty-handling procedures

  Ch-47 Chinook

  chai boy

  Chameleon electronic warfare system

  children, Iraqi

  Churchill, Winston

  civilian contractors

  close-combat marksmanship training. See marksmanship training

  Combat Outpost South: camp maintenance projects; command inspection of; defensive plan for; interpreters at; looting of Outlanders’ compound; MiTT compound aboard; observation camera in policing; 3rd Battalion at; transition team turnover at; vermin infestation at

  command climate

  communications: with battle positions; in command-and-control; on missions

  communications equipment

  community-relations project

  cordon-and-search mission

  cultural differences: bribes; false report filing; give-and-take; in IA perception of Marines; in Iraqi dependency; military culture and; pride vs. proficiency

  cultural indoctrination training

  D

  Davidoski, Joseph

  Deleonguerrero, Norvin

  dogs in camp

  driving infractions

  E

  electronic warfare system, Chameleon

  explosive ordinance team

  F

  Fallujah Brigade

  Farhan (major)

  Fight Club (film)

  fighting load

  first-aid training

  First Companyd Battalion. See Battle Position Okinawa

  1st Marine Division

  Flag Day

  flag of Iraq

  flare discharge

  flight suit

  fly infestation

  Flynn, Jason

  Folsom, Ashley

  Folsom, Emery

  Folsom, Kinsey

  Folsom, Seth: career trajectory; on leadership; leadership style of; in team leader role; as trainer vice advisor

  food preparation by Iraqis

  foot care

  forward operating base (FOB) amenities

  Frazier, Olanza

  Fry, Daniel

  fuel consumption by battle positions

  fuel supplies: Ayad on; as battle position issue; hoarding mentality and

  G

  Galeai, Max

  garbage burns

  Ghassan (lieutenant colonel)

  gift-seeking behavior: author’s anger with; Ayad’s; for bottled water; letter requesting gifts; in Third Battalion; upon Outlanders’ departure

&
nbsp; Glass, Robert

  Global Positioning System (GPS)

  goat grab

  going native

  Gridley, Ron

  Grubb, Andrew

  gunner position in Humvee

  H

  hajji store

  Hall, William

  Hameed (warrant officer)

  Hamood (warrant officer)

  Hanna, Todd

  Hassan (captain)

  HESCO barriers

  Hoffmier, Mark

  humanitarian assistance

  Humvees: crew positions in; cross-training in; electronic warfare system in; Iraqi, maintenance of

  Hussein, Saddam

  Hussein (captain)

  I

  I Marine Expeditionary Force

  IED threat; electronic jamming and; to Humvee; police transition team fatality and; pressure strips and; in Third Battalion AO,

  Iha’ab (son of Ayad)

  India tour of duty

  Individual Ready Reserve (IRR)

  insurgency: alleged attack on Battle Position Vera Cruz; attack on police checkpoint; propaganda on Iraqi flag; SEAL team mistaken for; suicide bombings

  Internet communication

  interpreters: as contractors; at COP South; friction with; performance counseling of; team duties and. See also individual interpreters

  Iraqi army (IA): battlespace coordination and; casualty-handling procedures; character flaw of; committees in; coordination issues in; gift requests by; initial impression of; logistics support issues in; marksmanship training for; mission planning and; monthly leave cycle of; officer and enlisted status in; performance counseling and; relationship building with; rivalry with police; transition team partnership with; uniform irregularities in; in urban operations. See also Third Battalion

  Iraqi children

  Iraqi enlisted personnel: abuse of by officers; attitude toward Marines; dogs and, aversion to; favoritism toward personal security detachment; initial impression of; negligent discharges by; security infractions of

  Iraqi flag incident

  Iraqi Ministry of Defense

  Iraqi names

  Iraqi officers: abuse of enlisted personnel by; commanding officer’s complaints against; complaints against commanding officer of; farewell gifts to; passivity of; personal bodyguards of; personal leave and; physical labor and; reaction to Outlanders’ departure; uniform of; visit protocol for

 

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