Ranch Apocalypse: 51 Days in Waco: The Untold Story

The shootout, siege, and fire at Mount Carmel, better known as the Branch Davidian compound, is one of the most debated and misunderstood sagas in modern history. Thirty years later, most people still do not know what really happened even though there have been numerous books, articles, movies, and videos written/produced about the tragedy. Unfortunately, many depictions of the Waco Branch Davidian story lack the comprehensive research needed to sort through the various myths and misconceptions surrounding the actual events. Others are sensationalized accounts representing a single viewpoint that either defends the Branch Davidians or blindly supports the law enforcement actions that occurred. These distorted and confusing narratives leave many wondering what to believe.

In reality, the events surrounding Mount Carmel aren't a mystery at all. Ranch Apocalypse is an objective account that has been carefully researched and documented. It begins with a history of the Branch Davidian Church and Vernon Wayne Howell's (aka David Koresh) troubled childhood. The book tells how a high school dropout from a dysfunctional family mesmerized a large group of devoted followers. It continues with the origin of the ATF investigation, the steps of the investigation (including undercover operations), and discusses the factors considered regarding the arrest of David Koresh. Never before heard first-hand accounts from agents that were there (including the author) will put you into the investigation as well in the action of the shootout. Various sources, including hundreds of pages of FBI transcripts and logs, were analyzed to provide a detailed summary of conversations and events that occurred during the siege. The origin and horrors of the deadly fire and the subsequent trial and verdicts are also discussed. These chapters include accounts from one of the first firefighters who arrived on the scene to extinguish the flames and a federal prosecutor who was involved in the investigation and trial. Later chapters address the fallout and aftermath of the events and examine the mistakes and miscalculations made by the government as the crisis unfolded. The last chapters conclude with a discussion of common misconceptions about the tragedy and answer the most-asked questions. Learn the reasoning behind the decisions to serve the search warrant and later to insert CS gas into the compound. Find out who the Davidians were, why they resisted the service of the search warrant, and why they were so determined to remain in the compound.

This is the complete story, and as stated in the subtitle, it is also the Untold Story, of the Waco Branch Davidian investigation, shootout, siege, fire, and trial. It includes never before seen photos and never before documented personal accounts from numerous individuals with first-hand knowledge of the events. Additional contributors to the book include a Branch Davidian Minster and others who had close connections to compound members and David Koresh. The historical information contained in the writing was derived from months of extensive research of numerous credible sources as cited. Other documents utilized include ATF investigative reports, the affidavit for the search warrant, the original operation plan for the search warrant, deed records, autopsy reports, FBI records, transcripts of conversations, activity logs, and lengthy reports of resulting investigations initiated by the Treasury Department, the Department of Justice, and various congressional hearings/investigations that later followed.

You will be amazed and shocked while reading about some of the things you didn't know about the tragedy. I hope you find Ranch Apocalypse interesting and educational, but more importantly, I hope we can all learn from the events at Mount Carmel in order to prevent another calamity like it from ever happening again.