Ramadi Declassified: A Roadmap to Peace in the Most Dangerous City in Iraq

by Anthony E. Deane

Overview

"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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943052073
Publisher:	Cleveland Writers Press, Inc.
Publication date:	05/31/2016
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

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.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

Chapter 1 First Contact 1

Chapter 2 Road to War 18

Chapter 3 Fruits of Victory 41

Chapter 4 Road to the Caliphate 67

Chapter 5 Call Forward Force 79

Chapter 6 Rip In 96

Chapter 7 Toa 111

Chapter 8 Chance of Mission 127

Chapter 9 Going On the Offensive 138

Chapter 10 Steady State 153

Chapter 11 Iraqi Security Forces 167

Chapter 12 The Blue Mosque 185

Chapter 13 Tipping Point 204

Chapter 14 Al Anbar University 223

Chapter 15 R&R 238

Chapter 16 Sheiks Unite 246

Chapter 17 Anbar Awakens 257

Chapter 18 Enemies and Allies 276

Chapter 19 At Horea Police Station 295

Chapter 20 Awakening 306

Chapter 21 Operation Dealer 326

Chapter 22 Rip Out 344

Epilogue 357

Author's Notes 377

Photo Index 379

Glossary 381

Works Cited 384

End Notes 407

Editorial Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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