By late 2006, attacks on US troops and Iraqis reached nearly 5,000 per month and 2,500 to 3,000 Iraqis were being killed each month. Then came The Surge. Those in command were charged with the responsibility of making Iraqi citizens safe and restoring order but they didnt have a clue as to how theyd pull it off. In December, 2006, Gen. Petreus put his head down on his desk and wondered what he was doing there. Never-before-interviewed military personnel tell the story of what they found when they arrived in Iraq, and how they reacted. No history of the Iraq war is complete without this story, and the strategies employed by these men will likely be used elsewhere. (less info)