Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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 !

I really like Dick Couch's work, and always look forward to his books. This one, however, is just plain boring. The information is there, but it is not thrilling to read, like every other one of Mr. Couch's books I have read.

I'm not Navy, but I'm inspired by this story. This book will be useful reference for anyone interested in a look into some outstanding warriors and how successful counter insurgency is done.

Very informative and technically very well written - it describes a story worth every American should study at school . A tribute to valor, courage and sacrifice and to adaptive behaviour .

Good account of the battle of Ramadi if you want to understand what it was really like. I was there and this is a good account.

recieved book in a timely manner and in good condition, found it to be a very informative and interesting read, thank you, Jim

I found Dick Couch's experience in and around Ramadi as told in these pages to be very informative and telling, too. Dick relates what worked (and what didn't work) when the SEALs were made responsible for training indigenous Iraqi troops in the area of Ramadi as well as for when and how the SEALs volunteered to support the Army-led effort to retake Ramadi and leave it in the Iraqi's hands.

There are many first person stories told here. Dick did a masterful job of allowing these individuals to speak to the reader. This is also a very informative read. The dedication, sacrifice and creativity of the SEALs and their fellow war fighters are related here in detail.

I got this as my brother was in Aramadi. He was very excited to get it. Great to read.