Gen. Wayne Downing; Deputy National Security Adviser

Gen. Downing favored the overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and his recommendation was to mimic the path that succeeded in deposing the Taliban in Afghanistan -- a limited deployment with U.S. special forces accompanying Iraqi exiles and rebels and backing them with U.S. air power.

He worked intimately with exiles such as Ahmed Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress and was credited in 1998 with helping win passage of the Iraq Liberation Act, which provided $97 million for military weaponry and training for anti-Hussein fighters.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff rejected his plan in favor of one that would bring hundreds of thousands of military personnel to the region.

Wayne Allan Downing was born May 10, 1940, in Peoria. His father was killed while serving with the Army's 9th Armored Division in Europe during World War II.

Gen. Downing was a 1962 West Point graduate, served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War and received a master's degree in business administration from Tulane University in 1971.

A former Ranger regiment leader, he commanded the special operations of all services during the 1989 invasion of Panama that led to the surrender of President Manuel Noriega. During the Persian Gulf War, he oversaw a joint special operations task force that destroyed Iraqi Scud missile sites behind enemy lines.

He was commanding general of the Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., from 1991 to 1993.

His military decorations included two awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Silver Star, four awards of the Legion of Merit and the Purple Heart. He also received West Point's 2006 distinguished graduate award.

In retirement, his board memberships included Metal Storm Ltd., an Australian-owned defense technology company, and the defense contractor Science Applications International Corp.

His marriage to Linda Chester Downing ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 12 years, Kathryn Bickerman Downing of Peoria; two daughters from his first marriage, Elizabeth Revell of Clifton and Laura Downing of Brooklyn, N.Y.; six stepchildren; his mother, Eileen Downing of Peoria; a sister; and four grandchildren.