Not only that, but one thing that imo doesn't really come across in the series is how little training/preparation the recon marines had for the role they were asked to perform in Iraq. For example Cpl Person, who drove the lead vehicle, hadn't actually passed the necessary tests to drive humvees - none of them had. In the book it explains how they got these knackered old vehicles (army rejects I think) delivered to their base in the US a few days before they shipped out. All the marines had a go at driving them, and the best ones got the jobs as drivers.
The role of a recon marine apparently does not usually involve riding in convoy, springing ambushes and engaging the enemy. However before the invasion of Iraq the top brass decided that this was how they were to going to be deployed. This is all alluded to in the series but the book really spells it out - it should be an absolute scandal for the USMC that they sent in troops with inadequate training and preparation.
