Overview

There are two types of people in the military: administrators and operators. Administrators make themselves look busy. Operators get shit done. In this thought-provoking, politically incorrect book from Soldier of Fortune contributing writer Michael Gifford, Taking Anbar explores the absolute disbelief, sadness, humor, and rage of a First World army in a Third World conflict, as the US military entered its lethal contest for Al Anbar Province following the 2003 fall of Baghdad. While it has plenty of what you'd expect in the way of counterinsurgent operations, it's what you don't expect that shocks most readers: just how little thought military leadership put into life and death decisions, and how regular joes continually stepped up to do the near-impossible. Praised for its personal and often jaw-dropping descriptions of urban warfare in the now-infamous cities of Ramadi, Fallujah and Hit, Taking Anbar is the chronicle of the 94th Military Police Company's nearly two-year deployment from citizen to soldier and back again. Recipient of the U.S. Army's Valorous Unit Award, the 94th found itself in nearly every major tactical mission of Operation Iraqi Freedom. From the high profile counter-IED and convoy escort missions you've seen in the news, to the quieter work with Special Forces and intelligence teams few would ever experience until now, the 94th bore witness to a number of OIF's most significant operations and outcomes. An interesting take on how decisions are made-and often not made-in a campaign against a determined insurgency, it's poised to be one of the most definitive books on the Iraq War. Make sure you don't have any plans for a few hours as I could not put it down. - SammyB Great book...should be required reading for anyone studying Military Police Operations and small unit leadership. - James P. Hanebury Spot on! - First, Fast, Fearless

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9781519677280

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An upstate New York native, Mike barely squeaked out an undergraduate degree from Union College in 1997, and was commissioned as an Army officer through Siena College's ROTC program the same year. In late 2003, he left a soul-crushing career in Boston's financial sector and headed to Iraq with New Hampshire's own 94th Military Police Company, with the next 22 months of his life serving as the basis for Taking Anbar. After separating from the military in 2005, he founded OnBehalf.org, a five-star, all-volunteer nonprofit that looks to provide funds and services to wounded vets. Now with over a decade of experience working in the security field, Mike currently lives in Los Angeles, California. An avid sportsman who enjoys the beaches and mountains of SoCal, he also adores bashing ill-considered leadership and national policy decisions in his Taking Anbar blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.

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