About the Book
"Take Back Ramadi... but don't make it another Fallujah." This was the order Lt. Col. Tony Deane, commander of Task Force Conqueror, received in May of 2006. By then Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, had become the most dangerous city in Iraq, The sound of explosions and gunfire filled the air around the clock. The civilian government had collapsed, and the fledgling Iraqi security forces proved incapable of protecting the population from a brutal Al Qaeda murder and intimidation campaign. The city was in chaos and the rule of law non-existent. Pundits, politicians and military leaders, including the division headquarters were declaring the war lost. The men and women of Task Force Conqueror saw some of the heaviest urban combat in Iraq, against a shadowy enemy who preferred improvised explosive devices and sniper fire to standing toe to toe and fighting. It quickly became clear that street fighting with insurgents was not the path to victory. Something more was needed. What happened next was the turning point in the Iraq War and an epic story of combat, courage, leadership and diplomacy that broke the back of al Qaeda in Iraq and wrote a new chapter in the course of Middle East history. The Battle of Ramadi is widely considered the Gettysburg of the Iraq War, and Ramadi Declassified puts the reader into the middle of the fighting. Colonel Deane tells the powerful story of his troops' sacrifice and innovation in raw, gripping detail as he outlines both the path to success in defeating Al Qaeda, and the causes of the unraveling chaos now choking the life out of present day Iraq.
About the Author :
Colonel (R) Tony Deane is a veteran of the Cold War, Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Operation Joint Guardian (Kosovo), and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served in numerous armor and cavalry leadership positions for over 28 years. In June of 2005, he assumed command of the 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, Task Force Conqueror and, in May of 2006, deployed his battalion to Ramadi, Iraq.Task Force Conqueror fought in the Battle of Ramadi throughout the summer and fall of 2006, and was instrumental in fostering the development of the Anbar Awakening. His unit's actions in Iraq are highlighted in the documentary, 'Ramadi: Against the Odds', and in the book, A Chance in Hell by Jim Michaels (St. Martin's Griffin, 2011).Colonel Deane finished his career at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas as the senior trainer for the Army's Counterinsurgency Seminar. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Parachutist Badge and the Combat Action Badge. He lives in Melbourne, FL with his wife, Debora.
Review :
"A history book that reads like a thriller -- and a must read for military leaders and diplomats that find themselves embroiled in a counterinsurgency."--General Barry McCaffrey, USA (Retired)
"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."--William Doyle; Author- A Soldiers Dream: Captain Travis Patriquin and the Awakening of Iraq and PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy
"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."--Kevin Dockery, Author, History of the US Navy SEALS (04/20/2016)
"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."--Jim Michaels, Author of A Chance in Hell: the men who triumphed over Iraq's deadliest city and turned the tide of war
..".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."
--Galaxy's Edge Magazine; April 2016 (04/20/2016)
"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."
--Kirkus Reviews (04/20/2016)
