Selected in 2005 by the Army to be the first airborne reconnaissance squadron, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, better known as 5-73 CAV, was formed from 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The members of the squadron were hand-selected by the squadron command team, Lieutenant Colonel Poppas and Command Sergeant Major Edgar. With just more than 400 paratroopers, they were half the size of a full-strength battalion and the smallest unit in the Panther Brigade. The squadron deployed to eastern Diyala in August, 2006. Despite their size, they were tasked with an enormous mission and were given the largest area of operations within the brigade. Appropriately for a unit known by the call sign of its CO—Headhunter—5-73 would go on to pursue various terrorist factions including Al Qaeda in Iraq. They got results, and 5-73 was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for launching the Turki Bowl campaign from November 2006 to January 2007 against insurgent groups in Diyala Province. However the toll would be heavy—the squadron lost twenty-two paratroopers during the deployment Headhunter is a unique account of the War on Terror. It’s a soldier’s story, told by those very paratroopers who gallantly fought to tame Diyala. Based on dozens of interviews conducted by the author, the narrative describes the danger of combat, the loss of comrades and the struggles of returning from a deployment. The voice of the families left behind are also included, describing ther challenges they faced, including the ultimate challenge—grappling with the death of a loved one. This book explores the human dimensions of loss and struggle and illustrates the sacrifices our service members and their loved ones make.

This volume presents and analyzes information on the pre-Islamic and early Islamic historical geography and toponyms of the Beth Qaṭraye region as well as newly discovered vocabulary from a language referred to as Qaṭrāyīth (“in Qatari”) used by its inhabitants.

Culture of Defeat is based on a 2017 conference focusing on the impact on, and responses by, the defeated parties in conflicts in the ancient Near East. Shifting the focus of analysis from the conqueror to the vanquished, the (re-)examination of written sources and the archaeological record sheds new light on the consequences and reactions after often traumatic defeats and allows to gain a more nuanced and complete picture of such events.

This volume brings together contributions by scholars focussing on peritextual elements as found in Middle Eastern manuscripts: dots and various other symbols that mark vowels, intonation, readings aids, and other textual markers; marginal notes and sigla that provide additional explanatory content akin to but substantially different from our modern notes and endnotes; images and illustrations that present additional material not found in the main text. These elements add additional layers to the main body of the text and are crucial for our understanding of the text’s transmission history as well as scribal habits.

Drawn from Akkadian and Sumerian tablets in the Yale Babylonian Collection, many of them previously unpublished, this collection of readings brings to life the vibrancy of ancient Mesopotamian literature, beyond its better-known myths and epics. The book’s unique thematic structure presents a wide range of timeless subjects, while the individual selections open new perspectives, thanks to their vivid details. The texts include letters, poems, prayers, humorous sketches, dialogues, and proverbs. Each theme is introduced, followed by brief commentaries on the dozen or more illustrative texts. Suggestions for further reading are also provided, as well as a map, chronological outline, and general introduction.

This book contains a selection of nineteen articles published by K.R. Veenhof, focusing on his main field of study: law and trade in the Old Babylonian and Old Assyrian society of the early second millennium B. C. They were originally published in journals, conference proceedings and collective volumes over the past fifty years. Their reissue here is motivated by their lasting value and their fundamental importance to the study of these subjects.It includes both “broad” articles, which give an introduction to or an overview of a specific subject, e.g. Old Assyrian trade and the practice of justice in Babylonia in the early second millennium B.C., and “narrow” ones that give an in-depth study of a single issue or a single text, such as a problematic paragraph of Hammurabi’s law code or the meaning of the noun iṣurtum. The first two articles provide a general introduction to the subject; the next nine focus on Old Assyrian society, and the final eight concern Old Babylonian.The inclusion of “broad” and “narrow” articles makes this publication of interest both to the well-informed general reader interested in the Ancient Near East and to the specialist working on Old Babylonian and Old Assyrian society.Prof. dr. Klaas

The ‘Black Desert’ begins just south of Damascus and comprises some 40,000 km2 of dark and desolate basalt fields, which stretch from southern Syria across north-eastern Jordan and reach the sand sea of the Nefud in Saudi Arabia. The rough and highly arid terrain is often difficult to access and travel through. Despite these uninviting conditions, recent fieldwork has revealed the immense archaeological and epigraphic record of the Black Desert. This material testifies to the prominent successes achieved by indigenous nomadic peoples in exploiting the basalt range through hunting and herding across centuries and millennia.To date, there is an ever-increasing interest in the archaeology of the Black Desert. In particular, Jordan is home to a range of international research projects, and exciting new discoveries convincingly demonstrate the archaeological affluence of Jordan’s desert landscape. The present volume provides a wide-ranging and up-to-date examination of the archaeology and epigraphy of the immense basalt expanse as well as comparative perspectives from other parts of the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula. This collection of papers offers detailed insights and analyses on topics ranging from mobility and landscape to developments in settlement and burial practices, as well as the role of rock art and literacy in ancient desert environments. This richly illustrated book is a significant point of reference for what is rapidly becoming a most vibrant and dynamic field of research in the Levant and Arabia.

The two tombs dealt with in this book were discovered in 2007 and 2010 by the Leiden Expedition in the New Kingdom necropolis of Saqqara. Both date to the transition period between the reign of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten and the return to orthodoxy under his successor Tutankhamun. They are valuable additions to the growing corpus of funerary architecture from the Memphite cemeteries, yet they are quite different. Ptahemwia was a royal butler, presumably in the Memphite palace. The wall-reliefs and inscriptions of his tomb illustrate aspects of his professional life. Yet the career of the tomb-owner preserves some mysteries, such as the assumed change of his name, his potential foreign origins, and the reason why his tomb could not be finished according to plan. Sethnakht is an even more elusive person. This simple scribe of the temple of Ptah can hardly have been the main owner of the tomb next to Ptahemwia’s, which was started in the same lavish style and then remained undecorated. There are reasons to assume that Sethnakht was just one of the relatives of the owner, who – like Ptahemwia – seems to have suffered from the political vicissitudes of the period. This publication presents the results of the recent excavations, with an introduction on the biographical data of the tomb owners followed by detailed discussions of the tomb architecture and wall decorations, as well as the objects, pottery, and skeletal material found in the area. Thus it is aimed at an audience of professional readers with an interest in funerary archaeology.

The British Library possesses one of the most important collections of Syriac manuscripts in the world, with large numbers dating back to the second half of the first millennium CE. The publication of important Syriac texts from these manuscripts has been going on for some 180 years and still continues. The aim of the present volume is to provide a guide to these scattered publications: following the sequence of the shelf-marks (call numbers), for each manuscript indication is given of what texts have been published from it. For convenience, a concordance between Wright’s Catalogue numbers and shelf-marks is provided, along with a list of palimpsests and of joins with manuscripts in other libraries, in particular with those still in the Library of Dayr al-Surian in Egypt, the monastery which was the source of over 500 manuscripts and fragments purchased by the British Museum in the mid nineteenth century.

This is the only volume to present significant results of research into the Pleistocene of the Western Desert of Egypt. Research on Pleistocene prehistoric remains in Dakhleh Oasis began during survey in the 1978 Dakhleh Oasis Project (DOP) season, with discovery of the ubiquity of stone artefacts. Dedicated work by both prehistorians and environmentalists continued until 2011. Comparative DOP reconnaissance and geological work in Kharga Oasis began in 1987, which morphed into the Kharga Oasis Prehistory Project (KOPP) in 2001. Papers on the Pleistocene research are focused on geoarchaeological and palaeo-environmental data, reporting on different aspects of the off-site fieldwork conducted in the oases. Pleistocene finds and sequence are included. Detailed analyses of palaeolakes, the meteoritic Dakhleh Event, chronometric dating, and the 'empty desert hypothesis' employ state of the art research strategies and techniques to provide important information on Pleistocene human uses and habitability in the Western Desert. A summary paper and a Catalogue of Pleistocene localities recorded in the Dakhleh Oasis survey are provided. The volume will be a major contribution to the publication of the results of several decades of work in a region where fieldwork is now increasingly difficult. This will be the only volume in which the significant results of the research into the Pleistocene of the Western Desert of Egypt appear. This has been undertaken under the auspices of the Dakhleh Oasis Project and its off-shoot The Kharga Oasis Prehistory Project. The preliminary results have been presented at various conferences and in articles that have all been well received. They incorporate state of the art research strategies and dating techniques. The volume will be a major contribution to the publication of the results of several decades of work in a region where fieldwork is now increasingly difficult.

The Eastern Fertile Crescent region of western Iran and eastern Iraq hosted major developments in the transition from hunter-forager to farmer-herder lifestyles through the Early Neolithic period, 10,000-7000 BC. Within the scope of the Central Zagros Archaeological Project, excavations have been conducted since 2012 at two Early Neolithic sites in the Kurdistan region of Iraq: Bestansur and Shimshara. Bestansur represents an early stage in the transition to sedentary, farming life, where the inhabitants pursued a mixed strategy of hunting, foraging, herding and cultivating, maximising the new opportunities afforded by the warmer, wetter climate of the Early Holocene. They also constructed substantial buildings of mudbrick, including a major building with a minimum of 65 human individuals, mainly infants, buried under its floor in association with hundreds of beads. These human remains provide new insights into mortuary practices, demography, diet and disease during the early stages of sedentarisation. The material culture of Bestansur and Shimshara is rich in imported items such as obsidian, carnelian and sea-shells, indicating the extent to which Early Neolithic communities were networked across the Eastern Fertile Crescent and beyond. This volume includes final reports by a large-scale interdisciplinary team on all aspects of the results from excavations at Bestansur and Shimshara, through application of state-of-the-art scientific techniques, methods and analyses. The net result is to re-emphasise the enormous significance of the Eastern Fertile Crescent in one of the most important episodes in human history: the Neolithic transition.

Doug Dickey was an unlikely Marine hero. He was a gentle soul who sang in the school’s chorus and struggled to make it through boot camp. However, in the terrible seconds that passed after a grenade landed in the middle of his platoon’s command element, Doug chose to sacrifice his life to save his comrades. For this Final Valiant Act, Doug received the Medal of Honor. Doug grew up on a farm in Ohio and enlisted in the Marine Corps with four of his friends from high school. Arriving in Vietnam, he was assigned to “Blackjack” Westerman’s 1st Battalion, 4th Marines - one of the few Marine units to make amphibious assaults during the Vietnam War. As part of 2nd Platoon, Company C, Doug took part in Operation Deckhouse VI, to rout the Viet Cong from Quang Ngai; and Operation Beacon Hill, which culminated in the desperate battle on March 26, 1967. That afternoon, the platoon became engaged with a much larger NVA unit just south of the DMZ. In the midst of that fierce battle, with casualties mounting rapidly, an enemy grenade landed in the middle of the platoon’s command group. Doug dove on the grenade - saving his friends and comrades. Second Platoon was ultimately victorious, but at a high cost: more than 40 men had gone into battle that day; only 12 walked out the next morning. Doug’s comrades in 2nd Platoon never forgot him. Easter Sunday 1967 was seared into their memories. In 1997, they began holding yearly reunions. They decided to honor Doug by holding their first reunion in his hometown. Harold and Leona Dickey were finally able to meet the men their son had saved 30 years earlier. A Final Valiant Act is the result of over 14 years of research - drawing on Doug’s letters home, and more than 50 interviews. The personal stories are woven into a meticulously researched battle history, sourced from dozens of declassified combat reports - yielding the most detailed account of Operation Beacon Hill yet written.

"To those outside the military, and even to those serving, the rank structure can sometimes be over simplified. It appears that we rack and stack everyone in the organization, and the person with the most rank “wins”—he or she is in charge, and everyone else has to follow orders that flow from the top. While there is certainly benefit in adhering to a chain of command, the interaction between the various ranks up and down that chain, officer and enlisted, becomes the connective tissue that creates a cohesive, successful organization inside of which good decisions and high morale thrive. The most senior member of a unit has the responsibility—and the honor—of leading. But to be successful, the planning and decision-making at the top must reflect a thorough understanding of the strengths at every level of the organization, for it is the enlisted leaders who will ultimately execute those plans in battle, and win."—Foreword by General Peter Pace, U.S. Marine Corps, 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This book brings together the stories of six former senior enlisted advisors to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Each tells in their own words how they got their start, how mentors encouraged them along the way, and how they eventually became the highest-ranking enlisted member in their respective service. "With invaluable lessons this is a book for junior service members, senior enlisted leaders, officers, but also for those with no connection to the military.“Books on leadership are many, but none are as practical, clear, and proven as Breaching the Summit. Sure to be of value to every level of military leader, it is equally relevant and valuable to leaders in government, in businesses of every size, and in every boardroom. The uniquely experienced, gifted, and tested authors have led, inspired, and mentored thousands in their extraordinary careers of service to our nation. They lived, observed, and led from the most junior ranks to the pinnacle of military service - they walked the talk. This book should be at the very top of every leader’s list, to be read and reread.” — Adm. Gary Roughead, U.S. Navy (retired)Chief of Naval Operations (2007–2011) “Six outstanding American military leaders served our nation admirably and now share their life experiences and the leadership lessons they learned. This book is a must-read for all service members - both enlisted and officer - aspiring to be successful leaders in uniform and beyond. Thank you to each of the authors for selflessly sharing their experiences and insights on leadership and life.” — Gen. Frank J. Grass, U.S. Army (retired), 27th Chief of the National Guard Bureau (2012–2016) “These extraordinary enlisted leaders have ‘walked the talk,’ and we should listen. Senior noncommissioned officers are the backbone of the finest armed forces in the world. This book shows why.” — Adm. Thad W. Allen, U.S. Coast Guard (retired), 23rd Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard (2006–2010) “A collection of personal vignettes that teach practical leadership lessons, Breaching the Summit is a must-read for leaders at all levels. The authors have served as their services’ highest-ranking noncommissioned officers and are the epitome of the U.S. military’s professional, all-volunteer force.” — Gen. Ed Eberhart, U.S. Air Force (retired), Commander, NORAD/USNORTHCOM (2002–2005), CEO, Armed Forces Benefit Association “The stories in this book are riveting, powerful, and, best of all, true. The leaders who share their stories shaped our armed forces to be the greatest in the history of our nation. I had the privilege of working very closely with Jim and Paula Roy for over two years. They represent the very finest examples of great parents, humble and inspirational leaders, and compassionate partners, and they showed us all how to have fun while performing at the very highest levels of command.” — Adm. Timothy J. Keating, U.S. Navy (retired), Commander, NORAD/USNORTHCOM (2004–2007), USPACOM (2007–2009) “This book is a catalyst to renew the reader’s commitment to reach and exceed their potential—personally and professionally—while also taking joy in fulfilling their respective duties and responsibilities.” — Col. Paul H. Atterbury, U.S. Marine Corps (retired), Judge Advocate (1994–2014) “I found this book inspiring, interesting, and instructive. Six remarkably accomplished authors share their powerful personal narratives, and their diverse and compelling stories lift up essential leadership lessons for us all, whether military or civilian. If you are anywhere along the continuum of leadership—from leading yourself to leading organizations—and want to become a better leader, read this book!” — Vice Adm. Manson K. Brown, U.S. Coast Guard (retired), Assistant Secretary of Commerce (2010–2014) “Of all the books I’ve read on military leadership, this is one of the absolute best. It’s a great opportunity to learn from some of our nation’s top enlisted leaders—a must-read for all service members.” — Chief Master Sgt. W. Allen Usry, U.S. Air Force (retired), Command Senior Enlisted Leader, NORAD/USNORTHCOM (2009–2011) “Breaching the Summit is a motivating and inspiring read. The life lessons and stories shared will serve readers from any walk of life. The wisdom of these senior enlisted leaders in our U.S. military, tempered with their great sense of humility, reaffirms what makes our nation great. The advice these remarkable patriots have given has personally and professionally benefited me.” — Chief Master Sgt. James A. Cody, U.S. Air Force (retired), 17th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (2013–2017) “Breaching the Summit is a must-read for those in leadership, those striving to become leaders, or those who want to become a better version of themselves. You will learn traits you want to possess, traits you already have and have forgotten, and traits that will guide you through your own leadership. You will connect and reminisce through the stories that helped mold these average individuals to become six of our top enlisted military leaders. Learn from their lessons of leadership as you become familiar with who they were before they became who they are now.” — Pam Swan, Director, Military Relations for Veterans United Home Loans “Brilliantly illustrating the concept ‘grow where you’re planted,’ Breaching the Summit highlights six disparate individuals’ adaptation of the basic tenets of leadership on their journey to the top of their respective services. Whether you are just beginning your own journey, or merely searching for additional inspiration to refine your own leadership style, the principles stressed in these pages provide a solid foundation for success.” — Force Master Chief Johnny Walker, U.S. Navy (retired), Naval Education and Training Command (2007–2009), MCPON Executive Assistant (2009–2011) “Written by proven senior enlisted leaders, Breaching the Summit is a compendium of personal and professional experiences that distills success for all who choose the life of servant leadership in our military.” — Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Ripka, U.S. Army (retired), Command Senior Enlisted Leader, USJFCOM/USAFRICOM (2007–2011) “Breaching the Summit is an insightful, informative walk through the phases of an enlisted career from some of the most successful leaders in modern history. This is a must-read primer for anyone on a journey through the ranks of our glorious military. Read this book. Learn from the real-life lessons that molded some of our greatest enlisted leaders.” — Chief Master Sgt. John M. Harris, U.S. Air National Guard (retired), Command Chief Master Sergeant, Louisiana ANG (2006–2010), President, EANGUS “I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is not just for the ‘seasoned’ leader - anyone can relate to these lessons, no matter their level of leadership. I felt as though I were sitting in a Leadership 101 symposium!” — Fleet Master Chief April Beldo, U.S. Navy (retired)Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education Command (2013–2017) “As I’m passing 10 years since I left my own naval service behind, I am amazed at how the leadership truths in this book apply to any industry, not just the military. Making sure everyone knows their individual role in the unit’s success, take the time to get the little things right, coach each other up, down, and all around, and all the other lessons. MCPON West said it best: don’t just take care of your crew, challenge them to grow and be ready to take the reins. This book is not just for practitioners of the art of war—it is for anyone who wants to lead their organization to excellence!” — Capt. Bob Schuetz, U.S. Navy (retired), Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, COMSUBPAC (2006–2008), Plant GM, Columbia Generating Station “CMSAF Roy’s anecdote of re-digging the water line in Michigan at age 10 was a foretaste of his sense of duty and doing the right things right throughout his AF career. His is a life well lived that resulted in Airmen being well led—including this one.” — Lt. Gen. Loren M. Reno, U.S. Air Force (retired), Deputy Chief of Staff, USAF Logistics, Installations and Mission Support (2009–2012) “MCPOCG Skip Bowen has a truly remarkable legacy of principled leadership built over an incredible career in the Coast Guard. His story, and the stories of the other leaders who reached the top positions in our military, are inspiring examples of linking personal and organizational success from the entry level to the summit. This book is a great read!” — Vice Adm. David P. Pekoske, U.S. Coast Guard (retired), Vice Commandant, USCG (2009–2010), Administrator, TSA “What an amazing opportunity to read about these great leaders! MCPON Rick West’s story shines light onto his sacrifice and compassion for the U.S. Sailor. Mentor, motivator, and total compassion describe MCPON West. His understanding of tactical and strategic level of knowledge provided excellence across the fleet. Most importantly, he is a chief’s chief who connected and continues to connect with the CPO Mess at large.” — Fleet Master Chief Susan Whitman, U.S. Navy (retired), U.S. Pacific Fleet (2015–2018) “This book offers exceptional insight into what has shaped some of the finest senior enlisted leaders in modern history. Through easy-to-follow stories, Breaching the Summit showcases the impact small life events have in developing leaders. This team of authors has captured service-specific leadership challenges that have significance in today’s joint warfighting environment, and I would consider Breaching the Summit a must-read for officers and senior enlisted looking to lead the military into the future.” — Fleet Master Chief Mark Rudes, U.S. Navy (retired), Senior Enlisted Leader, PACOM (2012–2016) “Breaching the Summit is a colorful and compelling look at the formative years, experiences, and philosophies behind our nation’s preeminent senior enlisted leaders. America’s faith in and empowerment of its enlisted corps has long been recognized as our true strategic advantage when it comes to military success at sea, in the air, and on land. Preston, Barrett, West, Roy, Jelinski-Hall, and Bowen show how humble beginnings and solid, consistent principles fueled their journeys and struck a chord with a generation of troops inclined to question the motives and methods of leadership. A must-read for anyone seeking insight on how to get the most out of people, or for anyone who doubts the tenacity of our young men and women wearing the uniform today.” — Command Master Chief Scott Fleming, U.S. Navy (retired), Joint Task Force Guantanamo, MCPON Executive Assistant (2011–2013) “From their humble beginnings to the pinnacle of their careers as the most senior noncommissioned officers of the U.S. Armed Forces, nowhere else will you find a compilation of lessons learned like those included here. These six senior enlisted leaders provide insights from which service members of all ages and ranks can learn, and that can serve as guides to a successful military career. I am proud to have served alongside these fine NCOs.” — Command Sgt. Maj. Richard J. Burch, U.S. Army (retired), 9th Command Sergeant Major of the Army National Guard (2010–2012) “With stories from the lives and experiences of six of our top enlisted military leaders, Breaching the Summit offers the gift of leadership honing. This book is not only a must–read for current and future military leaders, but for those in the civilian sector as well. These warriors allow you to experience their personal stories of highs and lows on their way to the top enlisted leadership billet of each military branch. Though different in the challenges they faced, they are the same in telling the reason for their successes. Patton once said: ‘Your character is defined by how high you bounce when you hit bottom.’ Each chapter illustrates how they took challenges head on and bounced to the pinnacle position of their respective professions. They suffered the pain of discipline to not suffer the pain of regret. I have added this to my professional library of leadership and urge all leaders - present and future - to do the same.” — 1st Sgt. Mark Gordon, U.S. Marine Corps (retired), Subject matter expert for combat profiling, Camp Lejeune “Whenever a new initiative was considered, I knew no one had their finger on the pulse of the fleet like the MCPON and the SGTMAJ of the USMC. The troops see in these senior enlisted leaders a role model, parental figure, and most importantly, their potential best selves. Their hard-earned insights have value for any aspiring leader in any walk of life. HOOYAH!” — Juan Garcia, 17th Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Manpower and Reserve Affairs (2009–2016) “Breaching the Summit is an amazing blend of leadership lessons from six very successful military leaders who started in humble beginnings and advanced to the highest levels of the enlisted corps. Their ability to weave personal and professional insights on their journey to mastering their tradecraft and leadership skills provides a blueprint of success for others. The evolutionary journey of learning leadership, practicing leadership, and then executing leadership is highlighted through their experiences. For those just starting their leadership journey and those who are seasoned leaders, there is much to be learned in this book.” — Chief Master Sgt. Steve McDonald, U.S. Air Force (retired), Command Chief, Air Combat Command (2014–2017) “It has been my pleasure to be associated with CMSAF James Roy for the last 25 years, beginning on the island of Guam, where he led the CE ‘dirt boyz’ in support of that critical infrastructure mission. Chief Roy possessed a keen insight into personal leadership then, which served our squadron well through five typhoon encounters and continued to serve him well throughout his successful military career, culminating as the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. I’m proud to have played a small part in such a superb leader’s life.” — Col. D. H. “Scott” Showers, U.S. Air Force (retired), Commander, 36th Civil Engineer Squadron, Andersen AFB, Guam (1994–1996) “Breaching the Summit gives a rare glimpse into the lives of leaders who served in the highest enlisted positions in the U.S. military. A must-read for any leader who’d like to make a difference in their organization—there’s more common ground than you might think! Problem solvers, influencers, getting pushed out of their comfort zones, and passing it along were a few chunks that jumped out at me. Bravo on this collaboration of some AWESOME human beings!” — Chief Master Sgt. Marty Klukas, U.S. Air Force (retired), Command Senior Enlisted Leader, USTRANSCOM (2011-2014) “MCPON Rick West’s leadership style is more than a pillar from which many grew their naval careers—his motivation to challenge yourself is the foundation by which I continue to live and approach complex situations. His ability to build a cohesive, winning team is second to none. HOOYAH COB!” — Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Rich Hawkins, U.S. Navy (retired), Captain, Delta Air Lines “The U.S. military has long been a preeminent organization for producing leaders of exceptional capability and character. The authors of this book are among the best the military has to offer. It comes as no surprise that their thoughts would be insightful and well worth the attention of both aspiring and experienced leaders from all backgrounds and areas of interest.” — Mike Watt, CEO, Scientific Research Corporation

In early 2002 Sam Faddis was named to head a CIA team that would enter Iraq, prepare the battlefield and facilitate the entry of follow-on conventional military forces numbering in excess of 40,000 American soldiers. This force, built around the 4th Infantry Division would, in partnership with Kurdish forces and with the assistance of Turkey, engage Saddam's army in the north as part of a coming invasion. Faddis expected to be on the ground inside Iraq within weeks and that the entire campaign would likely be over by summer. Over the next year virtually every aspect of that plan for the conduct of the war in Northern Iraq fell apart. The 4th Infantry Division never arrived nor did any other conventional forces in substantial number. The Turks not only did not provide support, they worked overtime to prevent the U.S. from achieving success. An Arab army that was to assist U.S. forces fell apart before it ever made it to the field. Alone, hopelessly outnumbered, short on supplies and threatened by Iraqi assassination teams and Islamic extremists Faddis' team, working with Kurdish peshmerga, nonetheless paved the way for a brilliant and largely bloodless victory in the north and the fall of Saddam's Iraq. That victory, handed over to Washington and the Department of Defense on a silver platter, was then squandered.The surrender of Iraqi forces in the north was spurned. All existing governmental institutions were, in the name of de-Baathification, dismantled. All input from Faddis' team, which had been in country for almost a full year, was ignored. The consequences of these actions were and continue to be catastrophic. This is the story of an incredibly brave and effective team of men and women who overcame massive odds and helped end the nightmare of Saddam's rule in Iraq. It is also the story of how incompetence, bureaucracy and ignorance threw that success away and condemned Iraq and the surrounding region to chaos.

Until comparatively recently, there has been little attempt to produce a detailed study of the architectural make-up of multi-roomed mastaba tombs and the implications of these observations for understanding the ways in which this type of tomb was really used. No thorough and comprehensive investigation has ever been dedicated to the building techniques, materials and design of mastabas or, indeed, who built them. The Architecture of Mastaba Tombs considers the architectural components of tomb design that made an ideal burial and explores different aspects of the design and construction of mastabas in the late Old Kingdom (c. 2375 – 2181 BC). It focuses on a group of multi-roomed mastabas in the Unas Cemetery at Saqqara that can be characterised by their complex design and large size. This includes an appraisal of tombs within this cemetery and examines the layout and development of the cemetery from the reign of King Unas, at the end of the 5th Dynasty. Specific attention is paid to the techniques that were used to build tombs via the recording of masonry and examination of specific architectural elements within different monuments. Features such as doorways and the security of the tomb and other aspects, for example the provision of storage space for the maintenance of the mortuary cult, are all considered. The study utilises published sources and survey work carried out by the author. Finally, this study addresses the imbalance of data collection within the recording of Old Kingdom mastabas.

An engaging first-hand memoir of life in the Royal Navy during the Cold War Tony Beasley joined the Royal Navy as a teenager in 1946. This biography recalls the adventures he had during his time in the Navy, from training and specialisation as a telegraphist to being unexpectedly sent to work on submarines. He describes what it was like to work on a submarine during the Cold War, and describes the patrols and missions he was involved in, in particular when the submarine he was serving on was sent to the Barents Sea to undertake covert operations, namely to spy on the Soviet Fleet. Before this mission the crew of the submarine were advised that if anything went wrong it 'never happened'. Needless to say it did go wrong. Tony emerged a hero, but a hero who wasn't allowed to tell anyone where he had been or what he had done. Now in his eighties, Tony finally gets to tell his story.