In the Gray Area

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In the Gray Area builds on Seth Folsom’s 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...