The gods of Diyala : transfer of command in Iraq / Caleb S. Cage and Gregory M. Tomlin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cage, Caleb S., 1979-

Contributor:

Tomlin, Gregory M., 1979-

Series:

Texas A & M University military history series ; 118.

Texas A & M University military history series ; 118

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cage, Caleb S., 1979-.

Cage, Caleb S.

Tomlin, Gregory M., 1979-.

Tomlin, Gregory M.

Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American.

Iraq War, 2003-2011.

Iraq War, 2003-2011--Campaigns--Iraq--Diyala.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (321 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

College Station : Texas A&M University Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In March 2004, Caleb S. Cage and Gregory M. Tomlin deployed to Baquba, Iraq, on a mission that would redefine how conventional U.S. military forces fight an urban war. Having led artillery units through a transition into anti-insurgent rifle companies and carrying out daily combat patrols in one of the region's most notorious hotspots, Cage and Tomlin chronicle Task Force 1-6 Field Artillery's year on the ground in Iraq and its response to the insurgency that threatened to engulf their corner of the Sunni Triangle. Rather than presenting a snapshot dominated by battle scenes, The Gods of Diyala presents a wide-angled view of the experiences of Cage and Tomlin and their comrades-in-arms. They assess the implications of their experiences, starting with their pre-deployment training in Germany and ending with the handing over of duties to their replacement brigade at the close of their tour of duty. They discuss frankly their impressions of the benefits and liabilities of working with embedded journalists and relate both their frustrations with and their admiration for the fledgling Iraqi security forces. From chaotic security planning to personal debates on the principles of democracy, both authors discuss how Iraqis perceived the value of their first post-Saddam elections and the political future of their country as it tries to reinvent itself in the wake of a dictator's fall. The Gods of Diyala gives a new and personal perspective on the second stage of the ongoing war in Iraq. Students and scholars of military history will find its insights meaningful and informative, and general readers will enjoy its thoughtful, well-measured narratives of a year spent trying to protect a fragile nation as it struggled toward democracy.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Map of Baquba and Buhriz

Evolution

Genesis

Insurgency : a prelude

The Easter offensive

Insurgency : a primer

All things conventional

June

Insurgency : a practicum

IEDs : the menace beneath

A city upon a hill : the urban morass

A city upon a hill : the high ground

Good things, bad people, and the pictures to prove it

The moral fight : photogs

Regime change

Revisionistas : an interlude

Holidays : Orient and Occident

Ramadan in America

Christmas in Iraq

The eve of a nation

Reformation

Hope and salvation

To be or not to be

Up to the task

Security

Democracy.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-299-05282-7

1-60344-419-X

OCLC:

680627859