Description
Book SynopsisWhere Youth and Laughter Go completes LtCol Seth Folsom's recounting of his personal experiences in command over a decade of war. It is the culminating chapter of a trilogy that began with
The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq in 2006 and continued with
In the Gray Area: A Marine Advisor Team at War in 2010.
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. Charged with the daunting task of pacifying a region with a long history of violence and instability, Folsom and his Marines struggled daily to wage a dynamic campaign against the shadowy enemy force that held Sangin's population firmly in its grip. With peace and stability always teetering on the brink of collapse, the Marines of ""The Cutting Edge"" confronted their own mortality as they conducted endless patrols through Sangin's minefields while fighting to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan villagers.
No other books have been published from the perspective of a Marine infantry battalion commander in Afghanistan. It was Folsom's job, as the unit commander, to lead his Marines under impossible circumstances. LtCol Folsom made the unusual decision to patrol with his rifle squads every day through Sangin, where his Marines dodged improvised explosive devices and sniper fire from an invisible enemy. As his tour progressed and casualties mounted, he found his objectivity evaporating and the love for his men growing.
Where Youth and Laughter Go is more than a blood-and-guts war story, it is a jarring, ""boots on the ground""-level examination of the myriad challenges and personal dilemmas that today's young service members face as the United States approaches its final endgame in Afghanistan.
Trade Review“Be warned, the battles do not end when Folsom and his marines come home. Anyone who has felt the uneasy press of a crowd, heard the unmistakable crump of an IED, smelled the fear of the wounded, watched helplessly as insurgents plant IEDs, or tasted greasy lamb and pale green tea will revisit those experiences with Folsom as he grapples with the unease he feels in his own country and his own home. This is perhaps the most personal part of the book, that which lays bare the struggle of coming home and adjusting to what was once considered normal. This book is worth revisiting. America faces weighty decisions in the years ahead, and Folsom’s experience is instructive. There are limits to what can be done. If you debated the strategy of the surge, or if you believe it didn’t last long enough, or if you believe we ought to go back again, you should read this book.”—The Strategy Bridge
His descriptions and recounting of what transpired during the deployment is as real as real can get—a worthwhile read that brings you into the world of this battalion and keeps you there through the epilogue. It leaves the reader with the distinct impression, as it did for many Afghan children in the Sangin District, “Ma-rines good””.
— Marine Corps History
