In this episode, we discuss:
*Lindsay’s experience as a student at The Basic School (TBS)
*Her reaction to being assigned as a logistics officer
*Her initial impressions of her first unit, 9th Communication Battalion
*Her first year-long deployment to Iraq and experiences with “push” logistics
*What it was like working for a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)
*Lindsay’s unusual experience serving first as the assistant battalion logistics officer, then as the battalion logistics officer, and finally as a truck platoon commander
*What a day in the 9th Communication Battalion’s logistics shop in Iraq might look like
*What it was like being the logistics officer for the battalion as a second lieutenant
*Lindsay’s next assignment as a truck platoon commander and the shift from being a staff officer to a commander of Marines
*The sorts of missions Lindsay’s platoon carried out
*The improvised explosive device threat during these missions
*How Lindsay tried to keep her Marines engaged during the year-long deployment
*Lindsay’s time as the truck company commander, Headquarters Group, I MEF
*Her second deployment to Iraq
*Lindsay’s experiences as a student at the Expeditionary Warfare School
*Her introduction to decision-forcing cases (DFCs)
*Lindsay’s time as a Warfighting Instructor at The Basic School (TBS)
*The “Bullpen”—the instructor office at TBS
*Lindsay’s time as the TBS Convoy Package Primary Instructor
*Her two times as a staff platoon commander and how her platoons differed from one another how and they were similar
*What she learned from commanding her first student-officer platoon and how she applied that to her second platoon
*Her time as the executive officer of a Warrant Officer Basic Course company
*Her advice to future and current TBS captain-instructors
*Lindsay’s experiences as the S4A of the 24th MEU
*Her time as a student at the UK’s Advanced Command and Staff Course
*Lindsay’s experiences with Task Force Al Asad, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve
*Some ideas for DFCs from Lindsay’s time with the task force
*How the Iraqis working with the task force did logistics
*Lindsay’s preparations for and experiences with working with the Iraqis as a female
*What it was like working with Colonel Seth Folsom, the task force commanding officer
*Lindsay's role in the Logistics Division, Futures Branch, Concept Section within the Deputy Commandant’s Office for Installations and Logistics
*Her advice to company-grade logistics officers
*Her advice to young people potentially interested in serving as Marine logistics officers
*The one thing Lindsay wished all Marines knew about logistics
*One thing Marines routinely misunderstand about logistics
*Lindsay’s favorite book on logistics
*Her preparations for taking command of Combat Logistics Battalion 15
*Her parting thoughts for our listeners
Links
Association of Marine Corps Logisticians
Moving Mountains: Lessons in Leadership and Logistics from the Gulf War by LtGen William Pagonis
Task Force Lion [AKA TF Al Asad] Continues with Partnership with Iraqis Against ISIS by Sgt David Staten, USMC
Errata
*I incorrectly gave the name of the Association of Marine Corps Logisticians as the “Association of Marine Logisticians.”
*I repeatedly mispronounced the word “logisticians” during the podcast. Apologies for that!