MWSA Review
Nothing Here Worth Dying For is an impressive, in-depth account of a role of a combined-arms task force supporting Iraqi armed forces in their extended war against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq. The author, at the time a US Marine Corps colonel, writes from his perspective as the task force commander.
The narrative covers an eighteen-month period centered around a campaign to liberate a major area of western Iraq from the control of ISIS forces, beginning with the author’s assignment to build a team from scratch and prepare for deployment to Iraq. The team’s mission was explicitly defined—to provide command and logistics support to the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) who would be responsible for engaging and defeating the ISIS enemy. As the author makes clear, the role of the American sailors and Marines was as backup for the native military: “We weren’t there to do the fighting for them.”
While the account provides plenty of details about the daily challenges of modern combined-arms warfare, the author pulls the reader into the intensity of life in a combat zone. He artfully describes the oppressive heat, dust, and other discomforts that defined the warfighters’ daily lives. Interpersonal conflicts and collaboration are often conveyed as dialogue. Key characters are brought to life with descriptive details—physical appearance, behaviors, qualities and faults. Combat action is described vividly.
Three underlying themes dominate throughout the memoir. First, the author points out that traditionally US Marines accept orders with minimum guidance and work to accomplish their mission with a bias for action. The basic priority for this task force, however, was strictly limited to a non-combat support role. Despite the ability to monitor the ISF combat operations from the rear, he and his troops could not take an active part. Second, the incredibly complex international operating environment in Iraq generated multiple, often conflicting sources of guidance. The result was a constant state of shifting priorities and timelines. A third factor was the source of the author’s primary frustration—the pervasive risk-averse policies and directives of his superiors and Iraqi allies. These mindsets were a constant threat to the morale of his troops and his own confidence and determination.
From the outset of his assignment, he sensed that the Marine Corps senior leadership was distancing itself from the conflict in Iraq. He was repeatedly warned about the need for minimizing risk when executing his assignment. A telling blow came when the Commandant of the Marine Corps made a personal tour of the combat zone and expressed his lack of appreciation for the task force’s mission and accomplishments, stating “[N]othing we do here is gonna make any difference; nothing is gonna change.”
Despite frustrations and disappointments, however, the author was able to salvage a sense of satisfaction, knowing that he had done his utmost to lead his troops in achieving their mission. His own words belied the negative aspects of his experience: “[T]here are some things worth the risk. There are some things worth dying for.”
Any reader with an interest in the complexity of our nation’s recent military international expeditionary forays will find this book engaging, frustrating, and ultimately rewarding.
Review by Peter Young (May 2025)
Author's Synopsis
In this sharp, challenging memoir, Col Seth Folsom lays bare the complexities of modern military combat advisor missions at the twilight of America’s longest war. "Nothing Here Worth Dying For" tells the story of his command of Task Force Lion — a “purpose-built” combat advisor team — and his frenetic 2017 deployment to Iraq’s Al Anbar Province. Charged with the daunting task of advising, assisting, and enabling the Iraqi Security Forces in their fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Folsom and his team of Marines and sailors struggled to support their Iraqi partners in the Jazeera Operations Command while simultaneously grappling with their own leadership for their relevance on the battlefield.
"Nothing Here Worth Dying For" is the jarring coda to Folsom’s nearly thirty years in uniform — the last twenty of which he spent deploying to the long war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Far from a jingoistic tale that celebrates Corps and Country, this work challenges many of the popular assumptions about military command, leadership, loyalty, and teamwork.
As with the author’s previous books, "Nothing Here Worth Dying For" focuses on individual Marine actions at the tactical and operational levels while also addressing regional events that contributed to the overall narrative of the U.S. war in Iraq. Folsom describes his unpopular decision to prioritize his team members and their mission to support the Iraqi army above the desires of his own military service branch. As the final operation against ISIS in western Al Anbar gained steam, he questioned the wisdom of the military leadership to which he had dedicated his entire adult life. Despite his disillusionment, he committed himself to the men and women under his command who fought against the odds to accomplish a crucial mission. At its core, this is a story about teamwork and the bonds that develop when men and women risk their lives and reputations together. As the United States struggles once more to extricate itself from Iraq, this book will be a timely addition to the existing body of work about the war.
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 336
Word Count: 100,795
