#6--Lindsay Mathwick

Controversy & Clarity

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!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/damien-oconnell/support