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CHAPTER 9

The Guiding Light: Values and Shared Vision

In the spring of 2006, we were deeply involved in a counterinsurgency operation in Iraq, what we call “irregular warfare.” Gaining the favor of the civilian population is one of the key tasks in such operations. Typically, during insurgencies, all infrastructure breaks down. Consequently, the basic survival needs of the civilian population must be met. If we didn’t meet them, the enemy would—and were at the time. We were competing with the enemy to win the hearts and minds of the people.

The culture in the Al Anbar Province has been tribal for as long as people have lived there. Al Ramadi, ...

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