All In (49 page)

Lieutenant Colonel David G. Fivecoat, a Petraeus protégé, commanded the 3rd Battalion of the 187th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in Paktika and Ghazni Provinces, with Major General John Campbell, commander of Regional Command East in Afghanistan, and Doug Ollivant, senior civilian adviser for the CAAT, who worked with Petraeus during the Iraq surge.

(Courtesy of Patrick McGuigan)

Petraeus with Lieutenant Colonel Flynn, who oversaw an artillery unit conducting classic counterinsurgency operations.

(Courtesy of Patrick McGuigan)

Doug Ollivant (right) visited Ghazni Province and met with local Afghans as part of his CAAT advisory mission.

(Courtesy of Douglas Ollivant)

Upon their return home, Lieutenant Colonel David Flynn's troopers were reunited with their wounded comrades. IEDs remain the greatest cause of injuries for ISAF soldiers.

(Courtesy of David Flynn)

Major Fernando Lujan (second from left), ISAF CAAT member, with troopers in the Afghan National Security Force. Lujan's initiative met with resistance from some but with praise from Petraeus.

(Courtesy of Fernando Lujan)

Campbell and Fivecoat touring a battlefield circulation in Ghazni Province.

(Courtesy of David Fivecoat)

Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Vowell (far right) with Major General Campbell and members of the No Slack battalion, near the entrance to the Korengal and lower Pech valleys.

(Courtesy of J. B. Vowell)

Petraeus with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, in Petraeus's Kabul office. Mullen was a key supporter for Petraeus in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(Courtesy of Joshua Treadwell)

Petraeus with Senators McCain, Lieberman, and Graham.

(Courtesy of Joshua Treadwell)

President Obama announcing the decision to send Petraeus to Afghanistan to command ISAF in June 2010.

(© Greg Matthieson, MAI Photo News Agency)

The president announces Petraeus's nomination to become the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

(Courtesy of Joshua Treadwell)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book is an extension of my Ph.D. dissertation research that began as an examination of Petraeus's role in military innovation in the wake of 9/11. For two years, I had traced Petraeus's steps from Cornwall-on-Hudson to Central Command, exploring the arc of the development of his philosophy of war. In June 2010, while Petraeus was standing in the Rose Garden with the president, I thought the time had arrived to turn the dissertation into a book, and I thought I might nest my research on his intellectual development within the bookends of his command in Afghanistan. I asked an associate, Tom Ricks, a reporter at the
Washington Post
and author of
Fiasco
and
The Gamble,
about approaching a publishing house. He graciously referred me to Scott Moyers, a star agent at Wylie Agency. Scott wanted me to “go big” and helped craft a vision for what a first-time author might actually achieve; he remained involved as he moved from Wylie to become the publisher at Penguin Press. Tom and Scott led me to Vernon Loeb, a former war correspondent and now the senior metro editor at the
Washington Post,
who became my writing partner and coach. Vernon has been an exceptional partner, helping to craft a vision for the story line and the design for how to nest my dissertation into the book. His constant enthusiasm for the project gave me energy to keep the pace. My editor at Penguin Press, Ginny Smith, became a tremendous guiding light as we developed the cast of characters and important themes. I value her judgment, enthusiasm and commitment to making this book the best it could be. I am also greatly indebted to Will Palmer, my copy editor, whose exacting attention to detail is truly unmatched. I also thank Andrew Wylie, my new agent; Ann Godoff, president of Penguin Press, for investing in an unknown writer; and the ever-patient Veronica Windholz and the rest of the team at Penguin for their expertise. Writing a story about an ongoing war seemed a daunting project; in the end it has been one of the most enriching, humbling and inspirational experiences of my life, in great part because of their encouragement and support.

Family and friends were instrumental in support of this endeavor. Most of all, I thank my husband and best friend, Dr. Scott Broadwell, who played Mr. Mom for our two little boys while I was in Afghanistan or Washington, D.C., and shielded them from any concerns about their adventure-seeking mother's travels in a third-world country. (He also taught our boys where Afghanistan is on the globe. We imagine they'll have to keep an eye on it in the future.) Scott showed admirable tolerance for my absence and the many late nights and early mornings at the computer; I am grateful to have such an amazing and supportive partner. I am also extremely indebted to my boys' grandparents, especially my mother, Nadene Kranz, for the countless weeks she came to stay with my kids while I was away from home for extended periods. She and my in-laws, Sharron and Russ Broadwell, tried to make the transition nearly seamless for my boys, and that means a tremendous amount to a working mother. I'm grateful to my brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Carolynn Kranz, for generously hosting me in Washington during my frequent visits. Many girlfriends (Alica, Kathy, Suzanne, Anna, Sarah and sister-in-law Heather), working mothers themselves, provided moral (and kid) support and helped fill the mothering gap in my absence. I also would have been lost without the assistance, at the eleventh hour, of Beckie Johnson and her team of transcribers, and Lieutenant Jamie Lynn De Coster, all of whom ran beside me on the final lap.

The book would not have been possible, of course, without the cooperation of General David Petraeus. Petraeus's willingness to indulge my endless questions and allow me to explore all corners of the war theater provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime education, and I am grateful for his candor, trust and support. His personal staff were essential in this pursuit; they all gave generously of their time and insights over the year, and I appreciate their patience with all of my requests and their toleration of my constant presence. I especially thank Colonel Mike Meese, Colonel (Promotable) Bill Hickman, Colonel Erik Gunhus, Lieutenant Commander Kimberly Brubeck, Captain Eric Prazinko, Chief Petty Officer Josh Treadwell—an extraordinary photographer who provided many images for this book, Captain Chip Walter, Chief Warrant Officer Five Charles Clayton, Command Sergeant Major Marvin Hill, Lieutenant Colonel Andy Gebara, Lieutenant Colonel Tony DeMartino, Lieutenant Colonel Aaron O'Connell, Alston Ramsey, Master Sergeant Mike Wallace, Sergeant A. J. Santi and Mary Kohler. I also thank Chief Warrant Officer Four Mark Howell, Staff Sergeant Landon Nordby and Sergeant First Class Kevin Cheeley—Petraeus's security detachment, with whom I'd never felt so safe on a run. Special thanks to Brigadier Generals Mark Martins and H. R. McMaster, Major General Mick Nicholson and Captain Ed Zellem, for allowing me to be a participant observer in their activities in their respective pursuits. I am especially grateful to Brigadier General (Promotable) Scott Miller, who was gracious enough to allow me to hitchhike to VSO-ALP sites and sit in on key meetings in Kabul and various FOBs and COPs around the country, as well as Master Sergeant Joseph Burke, Captain Geno Paluso and Commander (Promotable) Travis Schweizer and his right-hand men. Many others assisted in my effort to understand the complex environment in Afghanistan, and three of the most supportive were battalion commanders Lieutenant Colonels David Fivecoat, David Flynn and J. B. Vowell and their respective teams. I appreciate their willingness, in the midst of a war, to host my visits, arrange for meetings with Afghans when possible and respond in a timely fashion to endless inquiries for the facts. Their stories in these pages illustrate tremendous leadership; I remain humbled and inspired by their collective dedication. I thank their troopers who were willing to afford me a seat in their MRAPs or on a cot, who covered me on patrols and who overlooked their own spartan lives with a passion to serve. Other characters in the book were already friends, and they offered candid perspectives into the war; these include five of my West Point peers who served as aides to Petraeus over the years, and other friends, including Major Fernando Lujan, Major Abi Linnington, Colonel Joe Felter, Roger Carstens, Doug Ollivant, Mark Jacobson, Lieutenant Colonels Chris Riga and Bob Wilson, and especially Michael O'Hanlon, who helped me think about the big picture and was always a voice of reason and balance. Several senior officials were also gracious with their time, including Senator Lindsey Graham, Admiral Mike Mullen, Lieutenant General Bill Caldwell, Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, Major General John Campbell, UN special representative of the secretary general in Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura,
Saad Mohseni, Afghan minister of the Interior Bismallah Khan and minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak.

I am grateful as well for the support of my dissertation adviser, Sir Lawrence Freedman, of King's College London, and David Gergen, director of the Harvard Center for Public Leadership, for their patience and willingness to allow me to write a book while completing my dissertation. I thank Professors Sarah Sewall and Toni Chayes, who were guiding lights for me in the early days of trying to reorient my professional azimuth in my attempt to balance motherhood with professional goals; they remain inspirational role models.

I am indebted to Generals (Retired) Keane, Galvin and Vuono and Colonel (Retired) Nightingale for sharing their perspectives at the beginning of my dissertation pursuit, but also as General Petraeus began his final military assignment. Their collective mentoring of Petraeus, from lieutenant to four-star general, has been inspirational to observe. I especially thank Keith Nightingale for his mentorship, insights and trust along my own journey. Other Petraeus mentors, including General (Retired) Fred Franks and Brigadier General (Retired) Jim Shelton, were wonderfully helpful, too. In addition to the mentors, I am indebted to the other individuals in Petraeus's network who provided insights for the biographical digressions. Special thanks go to Holly Petraeus, Alan Seidman, Dan Kaufman, Conrad Crane, Steve Trauth, Chris White, Dave Buto, Rob Reese, Bob Bassler, George Oliver, Rich Clifford and Pat Schado. Petraeus's colleagues at Princeton, including John Duffield, and others from his various assignments have been helpful with historical material, especially Colonel Fred Johnson, Colonel Bill Ostlund, Colonel Charlie Miller, Major Jeanne Hull, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Fred Wellman, Colonel Patrick Frank, Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Petit, Major General Ben Hodges, Colonel (Retired) Rich Hatch, Colonel (Retired) Rich Whitaker, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Mike Bailey, Major General (Retired) Joe Kinzer, Colonel (Retired) Bill Hudson, Colonel Paul Olsen, Lieutenant General Frank Helmick, Colonel (Retired) Jim Coffman, Colonel (Retired) Andy Milani, Sadi Othman and the many, many others who were all extremely helpful along the way. I thank Susan Lemke at the National Defense University for her team's support during the oral history interviews.

Triangulating opinions and insights always presents a challenge to a writer, but as such, any errors in this text are solely mine. Although not all will agree with my analysis or the presentation of what I observed, I am extremely grateful for their assistance in trying to accurately capture the story.