Camp Salerno / Forward Operating Base Salerno
FOB Salerno is located just north of Khowst. The facility was occupied in mid-September by the 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and was named for the beachhead that the 505th parachuted onto on September 14, 1943. FOB Salerno is bigger than Orgun-E, but smaller than Kandahar.
Camp Salerno is in the province of Khost, close to the border with Pakistan, where hundreds of Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters are believed to be hiding. It came under rocket attack late on 18 March 2003. Shortly afterwards, a group of armed men approached the camp and the Italian troops opened fire on them. "Security personnel engaged hostile elements, presumably wounding one of them, while the others escaped. No Italians were injured in the incident. Some 500 Italian troops were based at the Salerno camp. It was frequently attacked when it was controlled by US troops.
Since September 2003, the FOB has been built up from the single concrete building and sand bag perimeter that was orginally located at the facility. The perimeter has since been extended. Floors for all of the tents have also been laid down, while perimeter guard towers and fighting positions have been built. The field landing strip located at the site has been repaired and a helo pad has been cleared.
Firebase Cobra Strike at Khowst is at an elevation of 1,140 meters. Forward Operating Base (FOB) Salerno was a few hundred meters from Firebase Cobra Strike.
Apache Company of the 501st PIR was the company charged with security for FOB Salerno. It can get pretty boring at times, and with the weather starting to really heat up in early 2004, it can get rather miserable for the soldiers in the towers over watching the surrounding countryside. Despite these factors, it remains a very important duty and all the companies share in it.
Improvements were continuing steadily at Salerno. The new dining facility was finished in early 2004 and civilian contractors took over the operation. Work began on a school to begin to teach the local populace English. The gym is housed in brick and concrete, which is much cooler than the old tent. Much of the task force moved over to the new Force Provider tents with climate controlled comfort. Apache Company eagerly awaited generators that can power the air conditioning units. For now, soldiers had large fans in the tents and roll up the sides during the day.
By late 2004 Forward Operating Base (FOB) Salerno in Khowst Province was one of the largest forward operating bases in Afghanistan. Because of its size and close proximity to the Pakistan border, a large contingent of engineers and supporting infantry soldiers are stationed at the base. Not far from the jagged, mountainous terrain of the Afghan/Pakistan border, this fortified helicopter base keeps a vigilant watch for terrorist activity.
One of the big surprises at FOB Salerno was the number of local nationals that work inside the Hesco wall. There are over 100 men from the town of Khowst that work on FOB Salerno doing everything from cleaning the showers to filling and moving sandbags. Interaction with them is challenging as few of them speak English.
Yaqubi [Lat: 33:24:00N (33.4) Lon: 70:04:07E (70.0686) ] 15 kilometers (around nine miles) northeast of Khowst, just a few kilometers from Salerno. Yaqubi is in the Sabari District, considered among the most dangerous in the province by the Fort Bragg-based paratroopers who patrol it.
Under the command of Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark, the Fifth Army, a great Allied force composed of the British 10 Corps and the United States VI Corps, carried out the first large scale invasion of the European mainland and secured a firm base for future operations in Italy at Salerno. Some fifty miles south of Naples, Salerno had a twenty-mile stretch of beach, favorable landing gradients, and numerous exits to the main coastal highway linking Salerno to Naples and Rome. The Salerno site also had some drawbacks. The mountains surrounding the Salerno plain would limit the depth of the initial beachhead and expose the invading troops to enemy observation, fire, and attack from higher ground. The amphibious assault began early on the morning of 9 September 1943. The failure of counter-attacks on 15 and 16 September indicated that the Allies could not be dislodged, so Kesselring directed German forces to begin an orderly delaying action and a withdrawal north.
An Italian light infantry battle group had been in control of daily operations out of Salerno since March 2003. While in Khowst, the Italian soldiers conducted the first air assault in the history of the Italian army. They participated in Operations Haven Denial and Warrior Sweep with the 82nd Airborne Division, Afghan National Army and Special Operation Forces. They conducted more than 2,000 conventional patrols that led to the disposal of many weapons caches, and they developed a strong relationship with local Afghans.
Italian Task Force Nibbio handed over the reigns of Salerno Forward Operating Base to the 10th Mountain Division during a transfer of authority ceremony 15 September 2003. Task Force 1-87 of 10th Mountain Division took over operations at the FOB near the southeastern border of Afghanistan. Their main responsibilities were providing security for the firebase, and protecting the forward landing strip and helicopter-landing zone.
Engineer projects at Salerno include construction of a brigade-sized tactical operations center, Marine command operations center, regional interrogation facility, and buildings to house soldiers living at the base. Smaller projects include pouring a large concrete slab to be used as a wash point and the addition of a concrete batch plant on the base that can be used for the many concrete-related projects being done to reconstruct the base.
The US Postal Service’s unofficial motto reads that it’s not stopped by rain, snow, heat or gloom of night. Add on the possibility of mortar or rocket attacks and it’s a more fitting version for the 1st Platoon, 303rd Adjutant General Company (Postal). In November 2003, the Army Reserve postal platoon from Fort Devens, Mass., started sending two-soldier teams with small, portable post offices to outlying firebases such as Orguun-E, Shkin and Salerno once a month. Armed with a unit’s mail, stamps, money orders and postal mailing boxes, the teams take on most postal duties. They also inspect outgoing packages for contraband.
On 20 December 2003, two rockets struck near Forward Operating Base Salerno, in Khowst. They caused no injuries or damage. Officials said the rockets were fired from two separate points of origin, both about five kilometers southwest of the base. The 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment began operating in Afghanistan in early May 2004 and then moved to Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khowst Province. They previously operated in several different provinces near Kabul and Bagram Airfield.
At Salerno, the battalion was offered a change of scenery and many new challenges: a welcome change. They had the biggest area of operation in the theatre, with many different units operating with them. The battalion was working with three different Provincial Reconstruction Teams, including the Afghan National Army, a division of the Afghan Militia Force and several other coalition forces. In less than a month, the battalion has conducted numerous operations throughout Khowst Province and an equal number of operations in the Nangarhar and Paktia Provinces. All operations were in the eastern and most active area of the country. In addition, the battalion has conducted numerous humanitarian projects, to include medical care for villagers, construction of wells and providing school supplies to children. The Forward Operating Base endured many rocket attacks and IED threats. Furthermore, the Marines supported several attacks by Anti-Coalition Militants at the Border Checkpoints near Pakistan.
Anti-Coalition militants commonly attack Coalition bases throughout Afghanistan with indirect fire. But many don’t consider the fact that once they fire, their position is being tracked. Armed with fire-finding radar, Coalition assets throughout the country have the ability to track incoming indirect fire and provide timely, accurate retaliation. Within seconds of a projectile being fired, the AN-TPQ-36 fire-finding radar system at Forward Operating Base Salerno begins tracking it.
Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan maintain some basic soldier skills on weapons-qualification ranges such as the one set up at Forward Operating Base Salerno. Attending ranges is good for all soldiers, no matter how long they have been in the military. Ranges are important for staying familiar and current with your weapon. While the training here is slightly different from that at home stations, soldiers are able to maintain their skills and confidence in firing a weapon. For most soldiers, going to the range is a chance to refamiliarize themselves with their weapon. For others, it is a chance to get used to a weapon they haven't used before.
Forward Operating Base Salerno received the 125th Signal Battalion on 11 May 2004. Originally the Task Force Salerno personnel and equipment started off in Kandahar as the reserve switch. However, because of the expansion of Salerno, LTC Daley moved personnel and equipment from all over Afghanistan, forming the Task Force Salerno Signal Team (otherwise known as the “A” team). Soldiers and civilians serving at Salerno have combined to make an outstanding Signal Detachment Task Force.
Life at Salerno is rather simple. Soldiers begin the day with morning physical training, followed by breakfast at the Salerno Dining Facility (DFAC). The Salerno DFAC acquired two grills used for cooking fresh eggs and making omelets, which has turned into a huge attraction. The Salerno chow hall also serves a dinner meal with steak and lobster tail or crab legs every Friday.
Following breakfast the Signal Soldiers and Civilians usually begin work at or around 04:00z (08:30 local time). SFC Dorey, the Detachment First Sergeant describes the day to day at Salerno as “Proud young Americans coming together as a team, striving towards a common goal.” Following a shift in the Automations Section, a Switching Shelter or Satellite System soldiers usually retire to the gym or to the MWR facility. On Sunday’s at Salerno the Signaleers started the First Regional Salerno Horse Shoe Tournament.
Through it all, the Signal soldiers and civilians at Salerno have grown very close to one another and would not trade their meager accommodations for any other base camp. Although the temperatures pass one hundred degrees and we are without air conditioning, and the dust and dirt fill the tents and cots, morale remained high.
Those seeking a place to worship here will longer have to settle for a cramped tent that leaks when it rains. A newly-built, wooden chapel was dedicated 15 December 2004 that replaced the tent that was previously used as a chapel for the 1,500 service members and civilians living here. Because there is still a threat of rocket attacks to the base, the soldiers had to practice light discipline and were forced to use small pen-sized flashlight to see so they could cut wood. Eventually there would be shutters on the windows so worshippers can practice light discipline during night services.
With safety at the forefront in everyone’s minds, having firefighters ready and standing by is important when an emergency happens on base. The types of emergencies the team is prepared to react to range from aircraft and tent fires to overturned vehicles. One of the main roles of the firefighters is to stand by when aircraft land. There is a total of 39 firefighters who rotate through Salerno. They rotate out so that no one gets complacent. Every person will experience something different than the person who (he or she) replaced or who comes after (him or her). To help the firefighters do their job efficiently, they use two P-19B fire crash vehicles, each with a 2,000-gallon capacity.
The Forward Operating Base Salerno Field Hospital provides medical services to both coalition members and Afghans throughout Regional Command East. By focusing on the other needs the local community has in terms of medical infrastructure, the hospital is helping in countless ways.
As of early 2005 the Coalition was using 14 airfields in Afghanistan. These ranged from from an airfield like Bagram, which is a big airfield, to a small airfield like Salerno, Shkin, or Tarin Kowt or something like Farah that is a dirt strip. If the Coalitino needed to do a medical evacuation of either an Afghan citizen or Coalition, then some of these airfields like Salerno, Tarin Kowt or Shkin become very important to move people around the country.
A new brick-and-mortar medical clinic opened 24 April 2005 at Forward Operating Base Salerno. On hand for the opening ceremony were Mera Juddin Pathan, Khost provincial governor; U.S. Army Lt. Col. Dave Barber, commander of the 249th General Hospital; U.S. Army Lt. Col. George T. Donovan, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment; and Afghan doctors Bashir Ahmadzai and Dr. Rasool. The building will be used by Coalition forces to offer medical services to Afghans in what is known as a Medical Cooperative Assistance Program, or MEDCAP. The facility is near the north gate of FOB Salerno, which is located near the city of Khowst. Security for the clinic will be provided by the Khost Provincial Force, led by Commander Shafiq. The new facility is called the Brick & Mortar Clinic. It won’t be open continuously; it will open to the public only during MEDCAP operations. Dates and times for MEDCAP operations will be announced through local media and radio.
