Marine’s Unlikely Friend Detailed in Book
OMAHA, Nebraska, April 5, 2016 – On a U.S. Marine Corps base near Fallujah in war-torn Iraq, Colonel John Folsom woke up one morning in August 2008 to the sound of a scrawny donkey tied up outside his quarters. He was immediately smitten by this small, gray animal with his Eeyore-like expression. Folsom and his fellow Marines adopted the donkey as a “therapy” donkey. They built him a corral and shelter and escorted him on daily walks. The donkey was hanging out with Marines one night as they relaxed after work. He snatched a lit cigarette from one Marine and gobbled it up. With that, the donkey suddenly had a name: Smoke. After the Marines redeployed to the States in 2009, the donkey was turned over to a sheik who agreed to care for him. When Folsom learned that the sheik was not caring for Smoke, he vowed to bring his four-legged buddy to Nebraska.
“Smoke the Donkey: A Marine’s Unlikely Friend,” written by Cate Folsom and published by Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, details how military officers, a senior State Department officer and U.S. embassy staff, journalists and an animal rights group helped transport Smoke nearly 7,000 miles to America from Iraq through Turkey to his new home in Omaha, Nebraska. The journey took months and attracted worldwide attention with stories in Reuters, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor and network reporting on NPR, CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox News. This book recounts the strong friendship between Folsom and Smoke and the massive challenges of reuniting the two.
“ ‘Smoke the Donkey’ is a story about two American heroes and their surprising friendship – ‘Semper Fidelis’ at its finest,” actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise said.
“Smoke the Donkey: A Marine’s Unlikely Friend” is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, independent bookstores, Hudson Booksellers and Books A Million. Folsom will donate $2 for each book sold to qualified animal organizations, horse rescue groups and NPR affiliate stations. Interested organizations can contact Folsom at 402-490-7875 or john@smokethedonkey.com.
Cate Folsom was in a unique position to write this book because it is her husband’s story, which she watched unfold. She has worked for more than 35 years as an award-winning newspaper editor and reporter for the Omaha World-Herald. She tells the story through her husband’s reminiscences, the rich email correspondence that unfolded as he worked to get Smoke to America and interviews with key characters.
Cate and John Folsom are available for interviews.
For more on the Smoke the Donkey’s story, visit
www.smokethedonkey.com
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