The Sheriff of Ramadi: Navy SEALs and the Winning of al-Anbar [Hardcover]

Dick Couch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

In this ground-breaking book, bestselling author and former U.S. Navy SEAL Dick Couch follows the SEAL Task Unit in Iraq s Anbar Province between 2005 and 2007, chronicling the unit s deployment in the Battle of Ramadi. Based on extensive interviews with Army, Navy, and Marine personnel who fought in the battle and the author s firsthand assessment of the situation when he traveled to Ramadi in 2007, Couch details the previously unrecognized importance of the SEALS in winning the fight to control Ramadi. Calling the battle the most significant military engagement in the global war against terrorism since 9/11 and the most sustained and vicious engagement ever fought by SEALs, Couch describes the success of special operations forces/Navy SEALs fighting side by side with conventional forces. Couch identifies the SEALs ability to adapt and evolve in this urban battle space and their code of brotherhood as the keys of their success. Among the many examples of this extraordinary brotherhood is the story of PO2 Michael A. Monsoor, who was posthumously, awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in Ramadi.

The author argues that the lessons of Ramadi should provide a template for future joint combined cooperation in the war against al-Qaeda and their allies. Once an advocate of special-forces control of battle space, Couch is now convinced of the need for increased interoperability as well as increased language and cross-cultural training, and a more streamlined command and communication infrastructure issues he addresses in the book s epilogue. Couch admits that when he began researching the book in the summer of 2006, he thought he would be writing about the SEALs courage in a losing cause, but what emerged is a startling success story of a joint combined forces/special forces operation that has gone underreported.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dick Couch, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, served on active duty with the Navy Underwater Demolition and SEAL teams for five years. While a platoon leader with SEAL Team One, he led the only successful POW rescue operations of the Vietnam War. In 1972 he joined the CIA and retired from the Naval Reserve in 1997 with the rank of captain. He has frequently appeared as a military expert on nationally syndicated TV and radio programs. In addition to many bestselling novels, he is the author of several works of nonfiction about the Navy SEALS and the Green Berets, including Chosen Soldier, Down Range, and The Warrior Elite.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591141389
• ISBN-13: 978-1591141389
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

DICK COUCH is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who has served as a Navy SEAL and as a CIA case officer. He has written six novels and the nonfiction works Down Range, The Finishing School, and The Warrior Elite. He lives in central Idaho.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting avenue of the Navy SEALs and their role in winning al-Anbar, October 29, 2008

By 

R. A. Siersma (East Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sheriff of Ramadi: Navy SEALs and the Winning of al-Anbar (Hardcover)

I just finished the reading of this book, and it was amazing! Although this book is not primarily focused on the hard battles won by the Navy SEALs but rather about their role in supporting the conventional forces in al-Anbar province and all of the ball busting work associated with it. It was interesting how Mr. Couch approached this topic with the notion that the war in Ramadi was being lost, but as he details throughout the writing, this was very untrue. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like a realistic point of view of what's really going on overthere as well as those who are interested in learning about the melding of conventional forces with SOF and their capability to target the bad guys and win the hearts of minds of the people.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great case studies on counter-insurgency operations, February 19, 2009

By 

J. Rudy "Major, USAF" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sheriff of Ramadi: Navy SEALs and the Winning of al-Anbar (Hardcover)

Dick Couch expertly documents the contributions of the Navy SEALS during the Battle for Ramadi between 2006 and 2007 with some mention of the SEALs other operational contributions in western Iraq in 2005.

Couch begins the book with a cursory historical background on the formation of Underwater Demolition Teams and their successors, today's SEALS. It is a great refresher for both readers who are already familiar with the SEALS and for those who may be reading about their exploits for the first time. For experts on the topic, you could skip right to chapter 2.

Couch provides a cursory glimpse of both the geographic and ethnic terrain that makes up Iraq. It is in this chapter that Couch touches on the biggest learning point of the book - the understanding of the informal leadership of Iraq. As America was blinded with the concept of Democracy as the only effective form of government, it missed the role of the sheiks and local government. The Australian counter-terrorism expert, David Kilcullen, reiterates this same principle in his book "The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One". Once local residents feel secure in their neighborhoods, only then can an army begin to beat the insurgency. Couch spends the rest of the book using the SEALS as a case study in how combined Iraqi and American operations were able to secure Ramadi between 2006 and 2007. Ironically, the moniker "Sheriff of Ramadi" refers to the army brigade commander who understood the importance of the informal local government, and put in place the security measures to begin securing the town from the insurgents.

Case studies aside, Couch chronicles the activities of each six-month SEAL team deployment to Ramadi. Couch documents both the heroic exploits and the tragic deaths and inevitable injuries suffered during these dangerous military operations. Along with the combat narratives, Couch provides photos of each of these heroes in standing tribute to their ultimate sacrifices.

This is an excellent book on the role of the SEALS in fighting a counter-insurgency. However, the battle for Ramadi was a combined fight with the Army and Marines. "Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood", by Donovan Campbell, provides the reader with the first hand experiences of a platoon commander as he prepares his Marines for their first deployment to Ramadi in 2004. That book reveals the raw emotions of men who were in the fight, rather than the journalistic perspectives provided by Couch, who can speak with authority as he served as a SEAL in Vietnam. Despite the more personal connections with the servicemen, "Joker One" does not offer the excellent case studies as provided in "The Sherriff of Ramadi".

The book offers fantastic primer case studies in Coalition operations; foreign internal defense operations; integrating command and control between special operating forces and conventional forces; and counter-insurgency. I'm very impressed with "Sherriff of Ramadi" and I look forward to reading more of Couch's works.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seals in Ramadi !, November 19, 2008

By 

Andrew Lubin "author of Charlie Battery; A Ma... (Bucks County, Pa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sheriff of Ramadi: Navy SEALs and the Winning of al-Anbar (Hardcover)

With "The Sheriff of Ramadi" Author and former Navy Seal Dick Couch has provided the reader with a most interesting snapshot of the ugly street war in Ramadi.

A respected author and embedded journalist, Couch spent time in Ramadi in 2007 interviewing the Seals, which gives his book a depth of research and understanding of the fight that is unrivaled by most. Ramadi was more than just a nightly street-fight; it was a counter-insurgency victory for the local citizens and the American Seals, Marines, and Army who gave them the courage and training necessary to fight - as they suffered terrible casualties themselves.

Couch is a fine writer; his book is an easy read for both the military and non-military enthusiast. Highly reccomended !