Reviews
"...In May 2006, the war in Iraq was "over" but many parts of the country were still war zones. Colonel Dean and his armored Task Force "Conquerors" were given the job of subduing the worst thorn in the Allies' side: the almost totally hostile city of Ramadi and surrounding Anbar province. When they arrived, the best anyone had been able to do was try to keep the lid on. In the next year the Conquerors and attached engineer and National Guard units successfully evolved a way to effectively deal with the terrorists, Islamist Extremists, and the religious tensions that had turned the province into a free-fire zone. It was not a simple answer, though clearly explained, and was reached only after a lot of painful mistakes and casualties. The story is compelling, more so because it is true. Colonel Deane and noted SF author Doug Niles ( Fox on the Rhine , numerous Dragonlance novels, Watershed, Chaos War , and Seven Circles series) tell us about what and how all this real history happened. You cannot make up fiction to match what happened in Ramadi. The narrative follows Deane and his soldiers as they evolve ways to deal with the IEDs and other constant threats, reach out to potential allies, and eventually bring about a complete change in the situation. This is also the Colonel's highly personal tale, and he holds nothing back emotionally as he loses soldiers and allies. He shares the real wrenching tragedy of having men under his command die following Deane's order and how battle forever changed the men and their commander. Actions are described in detail. I particularly like Deane's maxim that if you are an armored commander crouching under fire behind your car with just a pistol, something has gone wrong. Things do go wrong, but successes are achieved. We see from the inside how it affects the men who are fighting an enemy they can only identify after the shooting starts. It could be said that his book is to modern urban warfare what Hans Guderian's book Panzer Leader was for open field armored combat. If you ever want to write about or just understand being a soldier, the reality of combat, or the complexity of modern armored warfare, then reading this book is a must. It is well written and a great read. It is also can give any reader insights into what is happening in Iraq yet again today. If this were a fiction book, I would be recommending it as an exciting, suspenseful, and occasionally tragic read.", "...In May 2006, the war in Iraq was "over" but many parts of the country were still war zones. Colonel Dean and his armored Task Force "Conquerors" were given the job of subduing the worst thorn in the Allies' side: the almost totally hostile city of Ramadi and surrounding Anbar province. When they arrived, the best anyone had been able to do was try to keep the lid on. In the next year the Conquerors and attached engineer and National Guard units successfully evolved a way to effectively deal with the terrorists, Islamist Extremists, and the religious tensions that had turned the province into a free-fire zone. It was not a simple answer, though clearly explained, and was reached only after a lot of painful mistakes and casualties. The story is compelling, more so because it is true. Colonel Deane and noted SF author Doug Niles ( Fox on the Rhine , numerous Dragonlance novels, Watershed, Chaos War , and Seven Circles series) tell us about what and how all this real history happened. You cannot make up fiction to match what happened in Ramadi. The narrative follows Deane and his soldiers as they evolve ways to deal with the IEDs and other constant threats, reach out to potential allies, and eventually bring about a complete change in the situation. This is also the Colonel's highly personal tale, and he holds nothing back emotionally as he loses soldiers and allies. He shares the real wrenching tragedy of having men under his command die following Deane's order and how battle forever changed the men and their commander. Actions are described in detail. I particularly like Deane's maxim that if you are an armored commander crouching under fire behind your car with just a pistol, something has gone wrong. Things do go wrong, but successes are achieved. We see from the inside how it affects the men who are fighting an enemy they can only identify after the shooting starts. It could be said that his book is to modern urban warfare what Hans Guderian's book Panzer Leader was for open field armored combat. If you ever want to write about or just understand being a soldier, the reality of combat, or the complexity of modern armored warfare, then reading this book is a must. It is well written and a great read. It is also can give any reader insights into what is happening in Iraq yet again today. If this were a fiction book, I would be recommending it as an exciting, suspenseful, and occasionally tragic read.", A history book that reads like a thriller -- and a must read for military leaders and diplomats that find themselves embroiled in a counterinsurgency., "In this modern war memoir, a retired Army colonel recounts his experiences working to suppress terrorism in a strategic Iraqi city. Deane recounts his deployment to Ramadi in 2006, when it was known as the "most dangerous city in the world," and how he and his men helped to turn it into what he calls "the safest city in Iraq" by the time U.S. troops pulled out of the country. Already a Desert Storm veteran with more than a decade of Army experience, he and the other soldiers faced numerous obstacles at the beginning of their deployment, from frequent suicide bombings to the distrust of the local leaders, whose help they needed to find al-Qaida operatives. Deane describes the slow, painstaking work of convincing local sheiks to support the new democratic government and of helping them to create an all-Iraqi city police force. He also highlights the complicated nature of securing allies across cultural barriers in a war that weaponized propaganda as much as grenades. But apart from vivid descriptions of combat and of the many casualties suffered by the U.S. troops and their Iraqi allies, the book keeps a mostly optimistic tone as it focuses on the successful joint efforts of American and local forces to make the city a safer place. It's also illustrated with color photos of many of the people and places described. For the most part, Deane's prose is clear, simple, and free of political soapboxing or unwarranted boasting. He acknowledges his mistakes and those of other U.S. troops while also holding to his book's thesis, which claims that their operations had a positive impact on Ramadi and Iraq as a whole, despite their negative portrayal in the American news media... the war's historical background is well-researched, as are the back stories of many prominent players. A detailed, compelling account of a little-known chapter in the Iraq War.", Tony Deane has written the best account to date of what it means to be a combat leader on today's battlefield. His account of leading a battalion in the thick of things in Ramadi takes readers right onto the city's mean streets, providing a fascinating account of how U.S. forces helped turn the tide of war in Iraq. His writing is sharp and visceral, providing a fast-paced narrative that is hard to put down., Col. Deane's work stays low and moves fast through the people and events who turned America's involvement in Iraq from bitter urban fighting into the Anbar Awakening, and later The Surge. A must read for policy makers and those seeking paths to peace with the people's of the fertile crescent., "In this modern war memoir, a retired Army colonel recounts his experiences working to suppress terrorism in a strategic Iraqi city. Deane recounts his deployment to Ramadi in 2006, when it was known as the "most dangerous city in the world," and how he and his men helped to turn it into what he calls "the safest city in Iraq" by the time U.S. troops pulled out of the country. Already a Desert Storm veteran with more than a decade of Army experience, he and the other soldiers faced numerous obstacles at the beginning of their deployment, from frequent suicide bombings to the distrust of the local leaders, whose help they needed to find al-Qaida operatives. Deane describes the slow, painstaking work of convincing local sheiks to support the new democratic government and of helping them to create an all-Iraqi city police force. He also highlights the complicated nature of securing allies across cultural barriers in a war that weaponized propaganda as much as grenades. But apart from vivid descriptions of combat and of the many casualties suffered by the U.S. troops and their Iraqi allies, the book keeps a mostly optimistic tone as it focuses on the successful joint efforts of American and local forces to make the city a safer place. It's also illustrated with color photos of many of the people and places described. For the most part, Deane's prose is clear, simple, and free of political soapboxing or unwarranted boasting. He acknowledges his mistakes and those of other U.S. troops while also holding to his book's thesis, which claims that their operations had a positive impact on Ramadi and Iraq as a whole, despite their negative portrayal in the American news media... the war's historical background is well-researched, as are the back stories of many prominent players. A detailed, compelling account of a little-known chapter in the Iraq War.", As a highly courageous combat leader and skilled military diplomat, Tony Deane was a critical player in an epic turning point of the Iraq War. The urgent insights and lessons in this book, which reads like a great thriller, must be required reading for all American military and political leaders, as well as all citizens who want to know how the United States can again lead the free world and our allies to victory in the new global era.
