Abu Ghurayb Presidential Site
The presidential palace at Abu Ghraib (Abu Ghurayb) includes a command bunker, sleeping quarters and a large underground military and intelligence center. The Abu Ghraib complex was one of eight designated presidential palaces, and Iraq's decision to declare it off-limits to UN arms inspectors spurred the 1998 US-Iraqi showdown.
Special Republican Guards, regarded as particularly loyal to Saddam Hussein, were billeted at a base at Abu Ghraib. The Eighth Battalion (Security) headquarters was located at Ridhwaniyeh/Saddam International Airport near the prefabicated residences of airport employees formerly used to house the French company that supervised the building of the airport, near the Al-Faris Al-Arabi Club. The Eighth Battalion was tasked with protecting the entrances to the airport from the Airport Highway and from the Abu Ghraib road.
Construction at the Abu Ghurayb Presidential Palace was ongoing during the 1990s. It featured extensive and complex water works. The Abu Ghraib palace is an extravagant amalgam of marble, tile, gold fittings and massive chandeliers, all surrounded by an azure artificial lake. The palace features extensive and complex water works. Saddam Hussein's government claimed extensive crop damage due to drought, yet didn't hesitate to use scarce water resources to ensure that the lakes of Saddam's palaces were filled and grounds well cared for.
The Qasr al Faw Palace was one of Saddam's newer palaces. The Al Faw Palace is named after a southern town that was occupied by the Iranians and then won back in a bloody siege that cost thousands of lives. It is set on an artificial lake that looks like blue-green glass. All around the lake are Roman-style villas. Saddam reportedly had the palace built to commemorate his nation's "victory" over Iran. He would bring guests there to watch or hunt the wildlife and relax by the lakes.
There is some considerable confusion on the part of Western intelligence concerning the most appropriate nomenclature for the palace complex that envelopes the airport to the South, East and North. In the DoD Briefing on Iraqi Denial and Deception of Oct. 8, 2002 the Radwaniyah presidential palace was said to be the extensive complex to the East and North of the Airport. Subsequently, the NIMA map of Baghdad assigns this nomenclature to the much smaller palace complex to the South of the Airport. This map assigns the name Abu Ghurayb to the palace to the East of the Airport, while the palace to the North of the Airport is termed "Presidential Palace North" -- otherwise known as the Qasr Al-Faw Palace.
Cobra Base
The Abu Ghurayb palace in Baghdad is the home of Cobra Base, headquarters of Coalition Joint Task Force-7 [CJTF-7]. The security and access control of Cobra Base is important, since it is a chief meeting ground for military and civilian officials and dignitaries. CJTF-7 headquarters was previously named the Coalition Forces Land Component Command and was the headquarters unit responsible for all land combat unit operations. In early April 2003 the CJTF 7 the Abu Ghurayb North Palace became the headquarters of Lt. Gen. John McKiernan, chief of US Central Command's ground forces. The CJTF 7 headquarters brought along its very own self-sufficient medical facility called the Cobra Base Medical Aid Station.
On 30 April 2003 Defense Secretary Rumsfeld met top US commanders at their base in Abu Ghraib. At that time some 12,000 US troops were deployed in Baghdad, patrolling the streets of the capital with the help of Iraqi police volunteers.
Camp Victory / Camp Victory South / Camp al-Nasr
In mid-September 2004, as part of an Army-wide effort to give its facilities around Baghdad friendlier connotations, Camp Victory was also given the Arabic name translation of "Camp Al-Nasr".
Camp Victory is the US Army base situated on the airport grounds. From Camp Victory near the international airport, it's about a 15-minute drive by Humvee to downtown Baghdad. Camp Victory is five kilometers from Baghdad International Airport. Iraqi workers are working on buiding up Camp Victory's brand new Tent City with a population 12,000 soldiers from dozens of nations, including the USA.
Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory is where the Army is now headquartered. Some of the villas were still being built as of mid-2003. Coalition hired construction crews around the lake to finish the job that Saddam had started. Military units use most of the marble-clad facility. An Australian army unit has one side of the palace's ground level and US Army legal officials have part of the second floor. A few soldiers also call the palace home. The soldiers -- 30 to a room -- sleep there, hanging their underwear and socks on the windows to dry.
Missouri National Guard members stationed at Camp Victory, Iraq, spent their July 4th holiday competing in a 5k run. The 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry of the Indiana National Guard, is responsible for ensuring that Saddam Hussein's former Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory stays in good repair and keeps its presidential charm.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said "amazing progress" had been achieved in Iraq during the past four to five months with the creation of city councils across the country and a national governing council. Briefing reporters at Camp Victory in Baghdad 05 September 2003, Rumsfeld said the next step for Iraq is to set a date for a convention to draft a constitution. He said the Coalition Provisional Authority intends to stay in Iraq only as long as necessary.
Mosquitoes, flies, and rats got the (combat) boot from the 714th Medical Detachment. Shortly after arriving at Camp Victory, the 10-member team from Fort Bragg, NC, which provides preventive medicine for V Corps, Combined Forces Land Component Command and Baghdad International Airport, went right to work. Investigating a rat-infested living area, they found rat droppings in dozens of locations, inside and out. They laid traps throughout the area and taught the soldiers there how to properly clear and reset them. In less than a week, nine rats were killed. During a typical week, a team from the 714th inspects living and work areas here for rodents and sets mosquito light traps around sites with large concentrations of standing water. Later, team members collect the light traps and refrigerate them to ensure all mosquitoes are dead.
The US Army is working on improving living conditions for the troops while Operation Iraqi Freedom progresses. One of the larger projects is the revamping of the Camp Victory base. The soldiers of C Company, 389th Engineer Battalion from Dubuque, Iowa clear the thick wild fields surrounding Camp Victory. The first thing that has to be done is to proof the land - clear and level the grounds scheduled for construction. Most of the land on Camp Victory is covered with wheat fields that need to be burned and trees that need to be torn down. The soldiers of C Company also have to clear the area of any possible landmines or improvised explosive devices on at least sixty acres. The 389th En. Bn. cleared the whole west side of BIAP (Baghdad International Airport). In October 2003 they were doing the same thing here. This is probably a bigger area. Next the soldiers level the ground and layout gravel for vehicle traction and to decrease dust levels from the fine-grain sand. This is necessary because the water tends to sit over the sand rather than soak into the ground. After the ground has been leveled, the job of construction will go to KBR (Kellogg, Brown, and Root). KBR will truck in modular buildings and install electrical wiring and plumbing. The buildings will be fully operational living, dining, and administrative facilities.
Iraqi contractors and American soldiers shared the heat, sweat and asphalt in a recent joint paving project at Camp Victory. The 94th Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade soldiers teamed up with the Iraqis in mid-September to pave a 40-foot-wide road with 854 tons of asphalt in order to reduce traffic congestion in the center of the camp.
Camp Victory is home to the Pegasus Dining Facility and also sports a short-order grill, salad, pizza, sandwich and ice cream bars. A Burger King stand, operating out of two mobile tractor-trailers is located outside the Camp Victory's PX which offers a wide variety of products ranging from televisions, gas grills, A/C units, microwave ovens, women's thong underwear and condoms. As of June 2004, that Burger King had the distinction of being Burger King's sole Iraq location. In addition, the base offers Internet cafes, weight rooms and basketball courts.
The large man-made lake between Camp al-Tahreer and Camp al-Nasr was once stocked with fish as part of Saddam Hussein's private hunting reservation, and has since become one of the largest overseas American military bases built since the Vietnam War. Though the lake is no longer stocked, the 1st Cavalry Division soldiers stationed here have found that fishing season is still open. The division's fishing fanatics and amateurs who fish this lake received a boost when an Alabama sporting goods company collected hundreds of rod and reel combos and thousands of fishing accessories for donation to the soldiers. The gear started arriving June 2004 when the parents of 1st Lt. Kevin Black, executive officer for 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters Company, contacted Simmons Sporting Goods Co. of their hometown of Birmingham. When company officials heard soldiers in Iraq had a place to fish, they immediately donated about 20 rod and reel combos along with around 200 lures from their shop
Camp Liberty / Camp al-Tahreer
Camp Victory North
The largest of the new camps, Camp Victory North, since renamed Camp Liberty/Camp al-Tahreer, is twice the size of Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo - one of the largest US overseas posts built since the Vietnam War. Camp Victory North lies northeast of Baghdad International Airport, known to troops as BIAP. Victory North at its full capacity will hold around 14,000 troops. As of January 2004, about 16,000 soldiers from the Germany-based 1st Armored Division lived in a makeshift camp along the south side of BIAP.
At first, the division engineers built up the camp south of the BIAP runway. In September 2003, word came down to cease construction because the airport would be returned to the Iraqi ministry of transportation. The charge was to get off BIAP by the spring and turn the airport over to civilian authority. Most of the tent cities along the runway and the Bob Hope Dining Facility will close. Only the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps will remain at the airport.
The land behind nearby Camp Victory was a former hunting reserve for Saddam Hussein. The best view is from a man-made hill created from soil removed from a man-made lake nearby, Tall reeds and palms line the roadside into the camp. Each day, seemingly endless convoys of civilian dump trucks drop off loads of gravel used to harden the wetlands.
By January 2004, several hundred mobile white-walled trailers, to be used as soldiers' living quarters, were laid out in rows, in a manner resembling a large trailer park. Each soldier would have 80 square feet of living space. Rooms inside the trailers were to be approximately 4m2 large, oufitted with a small window, equipped with two beds, a table and lamp, a closet, and be air-conditioned. Between the two rooms, within each trailer, soldiers would share a shower, sink and toilet. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service has built two structures, each larger than a circus tent. Kellogg Brown & Root workers also have a slice of the camp. They will continue to provide soldiers with food, morale programs and base maintenance.
About 100 Missouri National Guard troops from the 203rd Engineer Battalion built the first of seven headquarters buildings. But they were making slow progress on the long wooden structures, known to troops as SEAhuts. Some problems later persisted: doors ordered for the project didn't fit frames, insulation was cut to the wrong size, and some concrete blocks crumbled. The lumber used for the construction came mostly from Germany and Canada while the electrical supplies came from all over. Most of the time, metric measurements had to be converted to standard.
Compared to other Army installations in the Baghdad area, Camp Victory North was relatively new, and was still under development as of March 2004. At that time, soldiers there wishing to take advantage of services such as a larger PX or full postal service meant having to hop on the shuttle to Camp Victory South. As construction continued, soldiers in Victory North found less need to bus it to a different location, and some troops from other installations found it advantageous to shuttle to Victory North.
The Army has a lot of troops to accommodate; this means the largest PX in Iraq. It will have a food court, barber shop and there will be a number of local vendors outside of it. The new PX opened on the 15 April 2004, and there was later a report of a Burger King. Though some may agree that the current dining facilities on Victory North are sufficient, new ones are under construction. The new chow hall at the Camp Blackjack section of Victory North dwarfs the old by all dimensions, and was operational on 29 March 2004.
In addition to the new PX and chow halls, Victory North has a number of other facilities. The three sections of Victory North, Camp Blackjack, West Life Support Area (LSA), and Division LSA, all have their own mayor cell.
By May 2004, each had a new chapel, Moral Recreation and Welfare building, PX shoppette, barber shop, internet café, gym and more. Most of these facilities initially existed in some form, but the new facilities were more permanent and much larger. Also under construction were basketball courts and volleyball arenas in each section of Victory North. Many of these projects were proposed by units who stayed on the installation.
As of June 2004, Gulf Catering Co. was reported to be the contractor in charge of catering the thrice-daily meals to soldiers stationed at Camp Victory North, inside a massive air-conditioned and new dining facility equipped with two wide-screen televisions.
In addition to the new MWR activities and buildings, Victory North continues to improve the perimeter, demolishing unoccupied buildings near guard towers as well as building more roads on the inside. Camp Victory North has come a long way from how it was months ago, and it continues to improve every day as several projects are under construction to help make life better for the troops who call it home.
Members of the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate began occupying the new Camp Victory North Legal Services Center and Courthouse in June 2004. The new building comes complete with a courtroom and enough office space for the Military Justice, Administration, Legal Assistance, and Claims sections. The Operational Law and Detainment Operations sections are housed in the new 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters building, which, as of early-June 2004, was near completion.
In mid-September 2004, as part of an Army-wide effort to give its facilities around Baghdad friendlier connotations, and try to resolve the issue of constantly-changing facility names, Camp Victory North was renamed Camp Liberty, with its Arabic translation "Camp Al-Tahreer".
Camp Al-Tahreer is a sprawling base camp that looks like a perpetual construction site. Loose gravel lines the path between long rows of dusty white trailers. The trailers provide a place for Soldiers to crash for a few hours of rest before they have to go back out: to patrol, to a civil affairs project or to the task the war on terrorism will demand of them that day.
Hundreds of soldiers gathered outside the post exchange at Camp Al Tahreer to see their favorite celebrities perform during the Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff Handshake Tour on 14 December 2004. The event was sponsored by the United Service Organizations and hosted a handful of entertainers like comedians Robin Williams and Blake Clark, model Leeann Tweeden and former Broncos quarterback John Elway.
It was clear that the best one-liners of Robin Williams' career did not come from Mork and Mindy, Good Morning, Vietnam, or Dead Poets Society. According to those who were there, his greatest words of impact came on a chilly December morning in Iraq, when the comedian graced an outdoor stage and, in the presence of hundreds of American soldiers, shouted "Goooood Morning Baghdad!" From the word "go!" Williams was all about giving the troops a good show.
More than two dozen soldiers assigned to 1st Cavalry Division units got to send greetings to their loved ones on a variety of local and national TV news programs over the December 2004 holiday weekend. And a few got to see their relatives in the flesh. Members of the division's 122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment turned part of the Camp al-Tahreer office into a remote TV studio, broadcasting live greetings to CNN, Fox News, the Today Show and local TV stations throughout the country.
Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., greeted Soldiers hailing from his state at Camp Al Tahreer in Baghdad, Iraq Jan. 5, 2005. During the visit, Kerry discussed sports, the presidential election, and the state of the war in Iraq. Kerry met with soldiers from his state, asking them what he should tell Congress about the war in Iraq. The troops told him that the good work that they are doing was not getting reported in the United States.
On January 12th 2005 the Army and Air Force Exchange Service opened a new bazaar at Camp Liberty to "provide more shopping for soldiers, but also to help Iraq take another step forward in the rebuilding of the country," said Dan Tompkins, AAFES Iraq vice president. "This bazaar represents a historic moment; this facility was planned, coordinated, financed and built by the Iraqi vendors," said Tompkins. "These entrepreneurs represent the future of Iraq - men who will not yield to the terrorists and will bring Iraq into the brotherhood of democracies."
The bazaar building houses more than 70 vendors selling everything from local perfumes to Iraqi souvenirs. Many of the vendors sell items that are unique to Iraq and provide soldiers an opportunity to buy a true souvenir without having to go outside of the camp. Shoppers at the all-Iraqi bazaar at Liberty can find items such as stained glass, handcrafted art, paintings, electronics, hardware items, custom made leather goods, Iraqi jewelry and footwear. A unique centralized checkout system accepts cash and credit cards as well as the Department of Defense's Military Star credit card. AAFES carefully monitors prices and products, and all credit card transactions are conducted securely through the AAFES network.
The new bazaar is a metal warehouse building built entirely by Iraqi contractors. The contractors provided all construction labor and material for the approximately 10,000 square-foot, $140,000 building located next to the Camp Liberty Post Exchange. The previous facility, a 5,000 square-foot series of Iraqi-provided tents with inadequate lighting, averaged about one-half of what it makes now. The original bazaar began in mid-2003 at the AAFES facility located at the Baghdad International Airport in a warehouse across from Iraq's first AAFES Burger King facility. Negotiations took place with AAFES contracting at the end of 2004 to establish the first long term bazaar contract in Iraq.
When most people think of rugby they might think of England or Australia, and although they might think of football without the pads, they probably don’t know the meanings of a maul, scrum or try. Having organized a weekly game at Camp Victory in June 2005, one Australian major is teaching people a maul is where one or more players are in contact with the ball, a scrum is like the line of scrimage, and a try is a touch down. After hearing a British officer mention that there used to be a regular rugby game at Camp Victory, Australian Maj. Andrew "Vargs" Varga, coalition logistics officer, Resources and Sustainment, Multi-National Force - Iraq, took it upon himself to revive the game at Camp Liberty and extend an open invitation to whoever would like to play.
"We didn’t have anywhere to play so we decided to make our own field," Varga said. "It was a difficult task because there aren’t too many places around here that are unoccupied and big enough to hold a rugby field." After a long search of Camps Victory and Liberty, he found a spot that was unoccupied, big enough and flat enough. He and a small group of equally devoted rugby players built their field by rigging a discarded piece of fencing to a Humvee to produce a makeshift rake. They proceeded to till and form the piece of land until they had a field worthy of hosting multiple games of rugby on a weekly basis.
The players have affectionately named their new field the "Dust Bowl" and have played many games in the three months of its existence, Varga said. It was very important to Varga that the game be made available to any and everyone who wanted to play. The games are played every Sunday at 6 p.m., and he is happy to see it is a good time for all who come, he said. Playing this game is really more about having a good time than competing against each other, and I haven’t seen anybody leave the field who would say they didn’t have a load of fun. Many different nations and cultures have come together in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Games like Varga’s weekly rugby match strengthen the camaraderie and bonding between the different cultures who have united for a greater good.
It was reported in February 2005 that Camp Liberty was now able to offer its soldiers something rather different from the regular mess hall - Pizza Hut, Burger King, Subway, Popeye's, and Taco Bell. This is in addition to the PX that sells anything from candy bars to televisions.
Camp Liberty Detention Facility
A portion of Camp Liberty reportedly serves as a tent compound used to house detainees scheduled to be freed. That facility at Camp Liberty, along with Camp Redemption at the Abu Ghraib Prison, sprung up as a result of the need to streamline the processing of Iraqi prisoners. It is meant to address overcrowding issues highlighted by the Abu Ghraib Prison abuse scandal, as well as formalize the interrogation process.
The facility opened on September 14, 2004, is surrounded by a barbed-wire fence, and consists of air-conditioned tents in which prisoners are housed.
Camp Blackjack
(2BCT Test Fire - Range)
Organizers from the 1st Cavalry Division brought together Soldiers and civilians from Camp Blackjack and Camp Victory in a "Brotherhood of Bikers" gathering July 24. Admission was free to all, but for $5 attendees received a custom T-shirt commemorating the event as well as a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of more than $1,000 worth of prizes donated by various motorcycle shops around the Fort Hood area. All proceeds generated from the sales of T-shirts and raffle tickets benefited the 1st Cavalry Division Association.
Life on Camp Blackjack is improving daily. The people in the neighborhood (Yarmouk) are generally nice and really glad the Army is here. Not a day goes by that soldiers do not receive waves and smiles from children and adults as they walk and ride through the streets. The children mob the soldiers everywhere they go. They are looking for anything they are willing to give away. They mostly want candy or chemlites. No matter what language they speak, kids are kids. Yarmouk has about 55,000 people and there are about 23 schools within it.
Though a MWR facility did not initially exist at Camp Blackjack, the MWR coordinators put on events to help soldiers relieve the stress of combat. A different event is put on every other week. There was a flag football tournament called The Clash of The Titans and also The World Cup Soccer tournament. At the soccer tournament American, Estonian and Iraqi teams competed; of course the Iraqis got first place. It was a great opportunity for camaraderie between the different cultures.
Regular MWR events include the Friday Night Jam where from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. a DJ sets up some music for soldiers to just listen or dance to. Also, every Sunday at the same place and time MWR puts on an event called Jubilee for church goers to listen to their favorite Christian music.
Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team crowded into the new building to see their brigade commander cut the ribbon to officially open their field kitchen. Col. Michael Formica cut the ribbon in the Blackjack Dining Facility Saturday, 03 April 2004 to signify the grand opening. Contracted chefs and supervisors from Buffalo Food Service, a subcontractor for Kellogg Brown and Root, were recognized by Col. Formica for their hard work leading up to the opening of the new facility. "The guys we recognized have been with their company since they opened up, when they were serving in trailers all the way up to this point," said 2BCT's top enlisted member, Command Sgt. Major Neil Ciotola. "They are selfless, hard working, and they are just wonderful human beings. They treat every soldier who goes through [here] with a far greater degree of respect than I would have expected from any group of civilians out here supporting us." After awards were presented, the crowd moved toward the center serving line where a large cake shaped and colored like the 1st Cavalry Division patch awaited. The colonel commended the staff on the beautiful treat for the soldiers as he took up a knife to cut the cake. "Traditionally this is done with a cavalry saber, but I wasn't able to bring one out here, so this will have to do", sais Formica while positioning a long kitchen knife. "And since we never do anything half-baked in the cavalry", he added, as he took up the blade with two hands and hacked the cake with two quick chops. The spectators laughed and applauded their commander. A special meal was laid out for the troops to enjoy. The menu included T-bone steaks, catfish and lobster tails. The importance of keeping Soldiers fed isn't lost on the Blackjack leadership. In fact, the importance of a good dining facility goes far beyond what ends up in a Soldier's belly. "One part of our history is something that we used to call the mess hall. Some still prefer to call it that, or an open mess," Ciotola said. "That's not to imply that the people who eat there are sloppy hogs... "What it is to us is a place where we can meet. It's a place where we can sit down and we can share a meal with our friends. What it is for us is the closest that we will come to what we call home," he continued. "You and I might not see each other for days on end because we have different missions, but we can look across the chow hall and share a smile. We can share our memories, our frustrations and our hopes. That's what this place is."
