Choosing the Right Path: A Lesson in Readiness
Understanding the terrain between you and “home”, or "home" and a bug-out location (aka "safe area") is critical. I may tell you things you don't want to hear, but I
will always tell you the honest facts and the dangers you face, and how to overcome them. You can choose what you do with that information.
During my deployment as the senior geospatial technician with CFLCC, I was tasked with providing ground analysis for much of the coalition forces. One such outfit was a U.S. Marine unit bound for Baghdad.
They were departing Basra and planned to push north, then west, using Highway 6. At the time, intelligence reported six Iraqi divisions were entrenched along that route. On a map, Highway 6 looked like a straightforward "Sunday drive." In reality, it was a tactical nightmare: a two-lane road elevated nearly 10 feet above the surrounding terrain. If they stayed on that road, they would be sitting ducks with zero room to maneuver.
Despite my warnings, a G2 planner remained fixated on this route. My journals from those days show that I flagged this danger long before the mission was scheduled. Eventually, I was called to brief the G2 directly. I brought my imagery, my slides, and a hard truth: Highway 6 was a death trap.
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My recommendation was the unfinished Highway 1. It offered the element of surprise and a more direct route, but it came with a massive hurdle: the road was interrupted by numerous canals and rivers with no bridges.
Drawing on my expertise as a Combat Heavy Engineer, I proposed an unconventional solution: using specialized piping to create rapid, secure crossings without damming the water flow. By pushing engineers ahead of the armor, they could fill the gaps and keep the advance moving.
They listened. They abandoned the "obvious" route and took the path I proposed. They made it to Baghdad quickly and safely.
The Moral: In leadership, being "determined" is a virtue, but being "fixated" is a death sentence. Following the wrong path—simply because it's the one you planned—can be deadly. I believe that if we hadn't changed course, that entire brigade would have gone "black" before they ever saw Sadr City.
(Note: "Gone black" refers to a a unit no longer being "Combat Effective" and requires immediate reinforcemnt or extraction to avoid total desctruction. At that time there would have been almost no way to extracate them.)
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Just as I stood firm on There are commanders and planners out there who know this is a fact. I'm here to make sure you know it, too.
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Excellent reminder - thank you for sharing this true story!