by Greg Jaffe
41 When a New York Times reporter showed up at Fort Stewart: Shelton is quoted in the New York Times, September 24, 1980.
41. “The difference between you and me, Dave”: From interview with Grigson.
42. He wanted Petraeus to be his eyes and ears, to carry out sensitive assignments: From interview with General (Ret.) John Galvin.
42. “Sir, your April evaluation,” read the cover sheet: Document provided by Galvin.
43. Their close relationship did not always go over well: From interview with Lt. Gen. (Ret.) H. G. “Pete” Taylor.
44. “Some people compared Petraeus to Massengale”: From interview with Martin Rollinson.
45. For two weeks, he and Petraeus crisscrossed the battlefield: From interviews with Taylor and Brigadier General (Ret.) Taft Ring.
47. Hezbollah, the militant Shiite group: For an account of Hezbollah’s rise, see Hezbollah by Augustus Richard Norton.
48. He and the four dozen or so other United Nations observers: The accounts of Abizaid’s time in Lebanon come from interviews with Abizaid and other members of the observer group: John Wagner, Larry Colvin, and Greg Von Wald.
49. “War in southern Lebanon is difficult to imagine by common standards of reference”: Taken from a paper written by Abizaid entitled “In Defense of the Northern Border: Israel’s Security Zone in Southern Lebanon.” December 30, 1986. It was written for the Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
49. “There was no shortage of willing martyrs”: Taken from Abizaid, “In Defense of the Northern Border.”
50. “Moderates in Amal, unable to deliver on promises”: Taken from Abizaid, “In Defense of the Northern Border.”
51. Shortly after he returned, Thurman marched down: This scene was recounted by Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Dan Christman, who was also in the office with Thurman and Miller.
CHAPTER FOUR
52. Beth Chiarelli was just about to tee off: From interviews with Beth Chiarelli and General Peter Chiarelli.
55. they were joining a high-powered crowd: From interviews with Beth Chiarelli and Peter Chiarelli, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Lee Donne Olvey, and Jeffrey S. McKitrick.
56. Chiarelli was a little intimidated: From interview with Chiarelli.
57. Throwing together freethinkers and ambitious young officers: The history of the Social Sciences Department comes from The Lincoln Brigade by Capt. Martha S. H. VanDriel and from numerous interviews. Biographical material on Brig. Gen. George A. Lincoln came from interviews and from Issues of National Security in the 1970’s: Essays Presented to Colonel George A. Lincoln on His Sixtieth Birthday.
59 “I am going to take your file and I am going to keep it upside down”: From interview with Chiarelli.
59. “A member of the department is always a member of the department”: From interviews with Olvey and McKitrick.
60. Petraeus, who admired him immensely, decided to take the gamble: From interviews with Petraeus and from “Beyond the Cloister,” an article he wrote for The American Interest in July-August 2007 that recounts his experiences in graduate school.
61. His foray into civilian graduate school had its humbling moments: From interviews with Petraeus, John Duffield, and from “Beyond the Cloister.”
61 When Taylor arrived at West Point in the 1970s: From an interview with William Taylor. Other details about the Social Sciences Department and Vietnam come from interviews with Petraeus, Chiarelli, Asa Clark, McKitrick, and Andrew Krepinevich.
63 The two officers long had been on parallel intellectual paths: From interviews with Petraeus and Krepinevich.
64 The acclaim from outsiders made the Army even more defensive: General (Ret.) Bruce Palmer Jr.’s review of The Army and Vietnam appeared in Parameters, Autumn 1988. The details of Krepinevich’s treatment by the Army came from an interview with Krepinevich.
64 Petraeus later referred to Krepinevich’s treatment as “unsettling”: From Petraeus’s dissertation, “The American Military and the Lessons of Vietnam: A Study of Military Influence and the Use of Force in the Post-Vietnam Era.”
66 After returning to West Point, Petraeus finished his dissertation: From interviews with Petraeus and Galvin, and from Petraeus’s dissertation.
66 Olvey had to pull another officer out of graduate school: From interviews with Olvey and William Sutey.
CHAPTER FIVE
68 Lieutenant Ed Massar poked his helmet out of the turret: The account of the Canadian Army Trophy competition comes from interviews with Chiarelli, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Tom Griffin, John S. Luallin, Joe Schmalzel, John Menard, and Joe Weiss, as well as from archival video and Defense Department after-action reports.
70. His Army was determined to win the trophy: The account of the competition came from Luallin and others.
71. the Chiarellis were still settling into their new life: The description of the life in Gelnhausen came from Beth Chiarelli and her children, Peter and Erin.
71 A few weeks after taking command, Powell came to Gelnhausen: The description of the dinner at the officers’ club came from Luallin, Schmalzel, and Menard. Powell’s memories of Gelnhausen are described in his memoirs, My American Journey.
73. “You have a problem,” he warned Luallin: From an interview with Luallin.
74. Enraged, the younger Abrams summoned Lieutenant Joe Weiss, the maintenance officer: From an interview with Weiss.
76. It would only confuse them, he told his superior: From interviews with Chiarelli and Luallin.
77. “You took a hell of a chance,” the officer said finally: From an interview with Chiarelli.
77 Powell allowed himself the general’s prerogative of claiming credit: From Powell’s My American Journey.
77 “Warning to the Warsaw Pact,” it read: From Americans on Target, Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, August 1989.
78. “Don’t tell anybody, but by February fifteenth you guys will be out of here”: From interview with Beth Chiarelli.
79. Vuono had come to rely so heavily on Petraeus: From interview with Petraeus.
80. He spent hours drafting forty-page playbooks that his troops could stuff into a pocket: The account of Casey’s leadership as a battalion commander is based on interviews with Dan Hampton, Johnny Parker, Bill Carter, and Tom Carrick.
82 “The specter of Vietnam has been buried forever in the desert sands of the Arabian Peninsula”: This quote is from a radio address by the president to U.S. Armed Forces stationed in the Persian Gulf region, March 2, 1991.
82 “Could you help this guy Casey out?”: From interviews with Gen. (Ret.) Carl Vuono and Gen. (Ret.) John Tilelli Jr.
CHAPTER SIX
85 “I know you understand the rules of engagement”: This account of Operation Provide Comfort is developed from interviews with Abizaid and more than a dozen soldiers from his battalion and higher headquarters, including Chris Cavoli, Ron Kluber, Greg Brouillette, Chuck Cardinal, Sean Callahan, Kim Kadesch, Pete Johnson, and Gen. (Ret.) John Shalikashvili. Abizaid also described his experiences in a March 1993 article in Military Review entitled “Lessons for Peacekeepers.”
90 “We can’t make a country out of that place”: From Powell’s My American Journey.
90. “We must recognize that peacekeeping is no job for amateurs”: This is taken from Abizaid’s March 1993 article in Military Review entitled “Lessons for Peacekeepers.”
91. Most of the captains and majors now working for him had been to war: This account of Petraeus’s battalion command is drawn from interviews with Petraeus, Gen. (Ret.) Jack Keane, Fred Johnson, Andrew Lucke, Holly Petraeus, and Randy George, and from several published accounts of the shooting accident.
94. “It made others joke about us, which pulled us together”: From interview with Petraeus.
95. “Don’t cut my LBE,” he muttered. “I just got it to standard”: From interview with Fred Johnson.
98 Several weeks later, Petraeus ran into Colonel Bob Killebrew: The ac
count of Petraeus’s tour in Haiti is drawn from interview with Petraeus, Robert Killebrew, John Shissler, and Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Joe Kinzer.
100 “An environment conducive to political, social and economic development”: From “Winning the Peace: Haiti, the U.S. and the U.N.,” Armed Forces Journal International, April 1995.
100. These clunky terms reflected confused thinking: The definition of “Military Operations Other Than War” is taken from US Army Field Manual 100–23, Peace Operations, December 1994.
101. “Doctrinal voids exist at every level,” Abizaid warned: From “Preparing for Peacekeeping” by John Abizaid and John Wood, Special Warfare Magazine, April 1994.
101. “On that day I think the two of them really didn’t like each other”: The quote was recounted in a conversation with an officer who is close to both Petraeus and Abizaid and served on their brigade staff in the 82nd Airborne Division.
102. The refugees were Muslims who had once lived in Dugi Dio: The account of the episode at Dugi Dio is drawn from an interview with Casey, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) William Nash, and from an October 11, 1996, article in the The Talon, a weekly newspaper published by Task Force Eagle in Bosnia.
105. “You want Abizaid?” he asked: The account of Abizaid’s transfer to Task Force Eagle comes from Nash.
106. That morning, Chiarelli updated Clark on the timetable: The account of Chiarelli’s and Casey’s roles in the Kosovo War come from interviews with Chiarelli and Casey and from General Wesley Clark’s memoirs, Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo and the Future of Combat.
109. “your chain of command is your chain of command”: From an interview with Abizaid.
CHAPTER SEVEN
110. On the sixth day of the invasion of Iraq, Lieutenant General John Abizaid sat in: This account is based on detailed notes of the meeting taken by one of the participants and interviews with Abizaid and Paul Wolfowitz.
112 “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this place turns out to be something”: This quote is taken from In the Company of Soldiers by Rick Atkinson, who was embedded with the 101st Airborne Division.
114 “We’re in a long war here. I want to keep our guys from getting killed”: Also taken from Atkinson, In the Company of Soldiers.
116 “You’ve got to get a force in here and give them some tanks”: This quote is taken from Cobra II by Michael R. Gordon and Gen. Bernard E. Trainor.
118 Less than a week after arriving, Petraeus stood in a former Baath Party reception hall: The account of the election preparations relies on a detailed journal kept by Colonel Richard Hatch, interviews with Hatch and Jeanne Hull, and 101st Airborne Division memos.
120. “At this time would the Shabaks please move to their delegation room”: From a National Public Radio segment entitled “Iraq Near Establishing Interim Government,” May 5, 2003.
121. “Have you done anything like this before?”: This exchange was taken from “Mosul Elects Council and Mayor,” which aired on CNN on May 5, 2003.
122. “Do you know how huge it is to have a combat patch?”: Quote from Atkinson, In the Company of Soldiers.
125. “I have had enough of Washington”: This quote first appeared in State of Denial by Bob Woodward and was confirmed in an interview with Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Bates.
126. Franks’s send-off was the sort befitting a conquering hero: An account of the goodbye ceremony appeared in the Tampa Tribune on July 8, 2003. General Franks’s goodbye speech was transcribed on the U.S. Central Command website.
130 A couple of days later Petraeus and Basso flew to Rabiya: The account of the Rabiya trip relies on “A Mix of President … and Pope; Army General Given Reins to Remake Mosul” by Scott Wilson in the Washington Post, May 16, 2003.
134. “Did you see the look on their faces?”: The account of this trip relies on notes taken at the time by Major General John Custer, who accompanied Abizaid.
135. Two days later Bremer called Abizaid and told him the Kurds: This account draws on notes of the conversation taken at the time by Abizaid’s executive officer, Colonel Joseph Reynes, and Bremer’s memoir, My Year in Iraq.
135. “Over the last two weeks we’ve hit the weapons caches”: This quote is from an August 3, 2003, article in the Washington Post by Thomas E. Ricks, who was traveling with Abizaid.
136. “There is no Arab army on earth that’s less than 300,000 in a country the size of Iraq”: From notes taken by Custer, Abizaid’s intelligence officer.
138. “This guy could be what we’ve been looking for”: From notes taken by Custer.
139. “Why aren’t we digging more wells?”: This exchange is taken from Frontline’s 2003 documentary Beyond Baghdad.
140. On a drizzly winter day in December a line of: The account of the renunciation ceremony relies on interviews with participants along with accounts of the ceremony such as “Ex-Baathists Renounce Party Ties,” which aired on National Public Radio on January 27, 2004, and Patrick Cockburn’s The Occupation War and Resistance in Iraq.
CHAPTER EIGHT
143 This was Chiarelli’s new domain: The account of Chiarelli’s first few weeks in Baghdad comes from an interview with Chiarelli and from a personal journal he kept during that period.
146 Chiarelli removed his gear and the two men sat in frayed chairs facing each other: From interviews with Chiarelli and James Stephenson.
148. The first reports came in a little before seven o’clock in the evening: The account of the Sadr City battle comes from Martha Raddatz’s book The Long Road Home and from interviews with Chiarelli, Robert Abrams, and Gary Volesky.
149. “Terrorize your enemy,” Sadr proclaimed following the newspaper closure: Quoted in Patrick Coburn’s Muqtada Al-Sadr and the Fall of Iraq.
151 He went back inside and placed a call to General Eric Shinseki: Chiarelli’s call to Shinseki is recounted in Raddatz, Long Road Home.
151. “Sir, why didn’t we bring our tanks?”: Recounted in Raddatz, Long Road Home.
152. Abizaid had argued for postponing the moves against Sadr: From Sanchez’s book Wiser in Battle.
153. “If you are going to take Vienna, take fucking Vienna”: From Bing West’s book No True Glory.
153. At Sanchez’s headquarters the mood was grim: From interviews with Colonel Casey Haskins and Stephenson.
154. Chiarelli worried, too: From interviews with Chiarelli, Volesky, and Barrett Holmes as well as from T. Christian Miller’s book Blood Money.
154. “Do these people even want us here?” a frazzled Bush asked Abizaid: From Brig. Gen. John Custer’s notes of the meeting.
155. He was ushered into the company’s dining facility: The account of the Bechtel meeting is drawn from interviews with Chiarelli, Stephenson, Col. Kendall Cox, and from Stephenson’s book, Losing the Golden Hour, An Insider’s View of Iraq’s Reconstruction.
157 “I’ll give you money when you get the place secure”: From an interview with Chiarelli.
157. It was a field trip of sorts, organized by Chiarelli: The account of the meeting between USAID and 1st Cav comes from an interview with Kirkpatrick Day.
158. “That young man, sir—Kirk Day—is a goddamned hero”: From Stephenson, Losing the Golden Hour.
159 “What I’m getting is not what I require”: From notes taken by participants at the meeting.
159 “We are blowing our window of opportunity”: From notes taken by participants at the meeting.
CHAPTER NINE
161. “Okay, who’s my counterinsurgency expert”?: asked General George Casey: The account of Casey’s first meeting is based on interviews with Casey, Maj. Gen. Steve Sergeant, and senior staff members at the meeting.
162. Just three months before the invasion he assembled: This is based on interviews with Casey and members of the fifty-eight-person team. An account of Casey’s effort was also mentioned in Cobra II by Michael R. Gordon and General Bernard E. Trainor.
163. On his way into Iraq, Casey had been told by officers in Kuwait: This account is based on int
erviews with Casey and Col. (Ret.) Derek Harvey and a previous account in The War Within by Bob Woodward.
164. Six months earlier, on Christmas Eve 2003: This account is based on an interview with Ryan Casey.
165. Casey was told to put together a short list: The description of Casey’s selection as commander in Iraq comes from interviews with Casey, Abizaid, and Sheila Casey.
170. “There is a strategic opportunity for success”: From an e-mail from Casey to Abizaid.
171. “he wants Casey to stop saying um so much”: From an interview with Brig. Gen. James Barclay.
172. Petraeus had been promoted and sent back to Iraq: Newsweek, July 5, 2005.
172. “From now on, I’m your PAO,” he told Petraeus: From a participant in the meeting.
173. The U.S. troops, backed by helicopters and fighter jets, did most of the heavy fighting: The account of the Najaf battle comes from interviews with Casey, Petraeus, Lt. Gen. Tom Metz, and Barclay, and from numerous published accounts.
174. “Frankly I didn’t expect such a key success so early”: From an interview with Casey.
174 Not all of Casey’s subordinate commanders were as convinced: The account of the meeting comes from notes taken by a participant.
175 “I am not going to listen to Chiarelli … bitch about the State Department”: From an interview with Robert Earle and from Earle’s book, Nights in the Pink Motel: An American Strategist’s Pursuit of Peace in Iraq.
175. “Will Sadr or his lieutenants attack again?”: Taken from “Winning the Peace: The Requirement for Full Spectrum Operations,” by Maj. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli and Maj. Patrick R. Michaelis, Military Review, July/August 2005.
176. In late September, Petraeus put down his thoughts: Petraeus’s op-ed, entitled “Battling for Iraq,” appeared in the Washington Post on September 24, 2004.
176. “They just walked out the gate and didn’t come back”: The interview with Maj. Dixon was conducted by the Army’s Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in October 2006.