Forward Operating Base Caldwell

Forward Operating Base Caldwell was a United States Army base.

Origin

Forward Operating Base Caldwell was named for United States Army Specialist Nathaniel A. Caldwell of Omaha, Nebraska who was killed in action on May 21, 2003 while responding to a civilian call when his vehicle rolled over in Baghdad, Iraq. Caldwell was assigned to the 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Location

FOB Caldwell was located in a complex that was within Kirkush Military Training Base (KMTB), Iraq (Mercator Grid Reference System 38SNC 22027 30374) is approximately 70 miles (110 km) east of Baghdad, close to the Iranian border. Kirkush is located some 90 km northeast of Baghdad and 20 km from the Iranian border. Kir Kush [Kirkhush, 33°43'10"N 045°17'24"E ] is not a city but is a reference that Iraqis use or the general area the base was located in. It lie due east of Balad Ruz, Iraq.

History

Until the US Army arrived, it was an abandoned Iraqi military facility. Construction had begun in the mid-1980s by the Czechoslovakian government and ceased in the late 1980s or early 1990s. The entire facility covers about 100 acres (0.40 km²) and has several medium size groups of building called pods. A kilometer outside of Kirkush is a brick factory which has several smoke stacks that are black and about 50 feet (15 m) high.

Military units

Several US Army units lived and worked on FOB Caldwell and KMTB as a whole. Notable units that were on FOB Caldwell proper:

1-10 CAV, 4th Inf DIV, and 1-17 FA founded Camp Caldwell in June 2003 and relinquished command to 30th BCT in March 2004
G Btry 202 ADA, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (United States), Early Warning Team 4, HHB 4-3 ADA 1st Infantry Division (United States) (held it down in 2004)
278th Armored Cavalry Regiment (United States)
1-32 Cavalry (RSTA)
5-73rd Cavalry Regiment (United States) (-) earned the Presidential Unit Citation for operations conducted while assigned to FOB Caldwell
2d Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (-) earned the Valorous Unit Award for operations conducted while assigned to FOB Caldwell, Nov. 2007 to Oct. 2008.
B Btry 2/4 FA, MLRS, Dec. 2007 to Sept 2008.
1st Cavalry Regiment 5th Squadron, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
5th Iraqi Army MiTT
14th Combat Engineers 2003
Garrison Support Unit Jolly Roger, founded 2006
Logistics Military Assistance Teams (part of Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq) (U.S. Air Force/U.S. Army team providing logistics advice to Iraqi base commander)

Current use

FOB Caldwell was dissolved into the larger KMTB on April 3, 2010 and turned over to the 5th Iraqi Army Division.

References

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