By Pfc. Jerome Bishop, 1st Corps Support Command Public Affairs Office
LOGISTICS SUPPORT AREA ANACONDA, Balad, Iraq -- Some 23,000 people call LSA Anaconda home, but who called it home before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and what did they do here?
Balad Southeast Air Base, as it was called before the start of OIF, was the site of the Iraqi Air Force Academy and the home of several MiG fighter jet battalions. Although the base didn't have a large role in the defense of Iraq during the combat of OIF, it has played important roles in the military of Iraq in previous wars, said an Iraqi local national who wished to remain anonymous as a former Iraqi service member and resident of Balad SE AB.
Construction of the base began in what used to be open farmland in 1978 by a Yugoslavian company contracted to design and build it. It wasn't completed until Sept. 1, 1983, said the Iraqi.
The decision to construct the base was made before the start of the Iraq-Iran War, and although the base's purpose wasn't specifically for the war, it played an important role in the defense against the Iranian air force.
"It was used for training as well as operations," said the Iraqi worker.
Balad SE housed hundreds of aircraft of Soviet origin such as the MiG 23, MiG 21, Su-22, 24, and 25, he added.
"Some of the aircraft were used for training, the rest were used for scramble; to protect Baghdad and the border to the north," said the Iraqi. "Iraq had a strong air force; none of the aircraft were damaged."
The base was considered a super-base to the Iraqi military because of the size, location in relation to the border and the number of troops and equipment stationed here, he said.
Several other bases in Iraq were created from the same design. Although the base played a significant role in the Iraq-Iran War, it wasn't able to maintain its high standards during Operation Desert Storm.
In order to undermine the base's role in the defense, the U.S. military bombed the communication centers, hangars, unit offices, the runways, and the taxiways making the base otherwise useless. However, no ground forces made it to the base, said the Iraqi.
In hopes of maintaining the air force, the Iraqi's moved 186 aircraft off the base. Most of them went to Iran where some still remain today. After Operation Desert Storm, an Iraqi company was employed to reconstruct the base, however the aircraft on post was limited or around 50, said the Iraqi.
The base maintained regular operations until the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The military presence left the base on or around April 9, 2003, eight days before U.S. forces landed on the base and took over.
The sensitive materials that the post housed were taken by the Iraqis and moved to Baghdad and other higher military offices, he said.
Soon after the take over, U.S. troops began traveling to the nearby villages to gain support from the Iraqi civilians and former military service members. Iraqis began coming onto the base to work for the U.S. military May 17, 2003.
They had jobs ranging from post reconstruction to providing information to help with operations, said the Iraqi.
Although the U.S. controls LSA Anaconda, the Iraqis will have another chance in the coming years to allow it to hold an essential place among the Iraqi military.
Editor's Note: Pfc. Bishop is a member of the 1st COSCOM Public Affairs Office at LSA Anaconda.
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| Date Taken: | 03.02.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 03.02.2005 12:38 |
| Story ID: | 1243 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 264 |
| Downloads: | 9 |
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