Joint Base Balad
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| Joint Base Balad (Balad South East) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| IATA: - ICAO: ORBD | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Operator | United States Air Force | ||
| Serves | Operation Iraqi Freedom | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 161 ft (49 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 14/32 | 11,490 | 3,503 | Concrete
|
| 12/30 | 11,495 | 3,504 | Concrete |
Joint Base Balad[1], formerly Balad Air Base and Logistics Support Area Anaconda, or simply LSA Anaconda - formerly known as Al-Bakir Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة البكر الجوية)[citation needed] and known in popular media as Camp Anaconda - is one of the largest American military bases in Iraq. The Army's 3d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and the Air Force's 332d Air Expeditionary Wing is headquartered at JBB. It was decided that the facility share one name, even though for many reasons and for its many occupants, it has differing names. Balad is the central logistical hub for forces in Iraq and the busiest air base in the world operated by the United States Department of Defense and is currently the second busiest airport in the world.[2] The base is so large and has so many occopants that it has it's own 16-page, weekly newspaper, the Expeditionary Times (Anaconda Times before the base name change), which serves residents of the base, as well as all logistical servicemembers in Iraq and their families at home. The newspaper is staffed solely by Army journalists, usually the sustainment command's public affairs detachment, as well as a print team from a mobile public affairs detachment. Camp Anaconda has also been more colloquially-termed "Life Support Area Anaconda"[3] or "Mortaritaville" [4] or the "Big Snake".
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[edit] Location
Located near Balad, Iraq in the Sunni Triangle 68 miles (109 km) north of Baghdad, its concrete walls house 28,000 soldiers and 8,000 civilian contractors.[citation needed] Unlike most bases in Iraq, LSA Anaconda offers amenities including movie theaters, fast food courts, dance lessons, and an olympic size swimming pool. The base is a common destination for celebrities and politicians visiting American troops in Iraq.
[edit] Conditions
In 2004, several mortar rounds were fired per day [5], usually hitting the empty space between the runways, although there were isolated injuries and fatalities. By mid-2006, this rate had dropped about 40% [6]. Due to these attacks, the soldiers and airmen refer to the base as "Mortaritaville", though this nickname was originally given to Log Base Seitz, near Baghdad International Airport.[7] The base is thought to be one of four "super-bases" planned by the Pentagon once US forces are replaced by Iraqi forces on the front lines.[8]
[edit] Hospital
LSA Anaconda is also home to the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Airbase, a Level I trauma center which boasts a 96% survival rate for wounded Americans and Iraqis alike.[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Renamed U.S. military base in Iraq reflects joint status
- ^ Morning Edition, NPR. Broadcast 28 September 2007. [1]
- ^ Carter, Phillip. "The Thin Green Line", Slate.com, October 18, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
- ^ "Balad Airbase", globalsecurity.org. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
- ^ "Letters to the editor for Wednesday, October", Stars and Stripes, October 27, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
- ^ Powell, Anita. "Attacks on the decrease at LSA Anaconda, aka 'Mortaritaville'", Stars and Stripes, Saturday, July 22, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
- ^ Mortaritaville. "Double-Tongued Dictionary: A lexicon of fringe English, focusing on slang, jargon, and new words.". Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ "U.S. Prepares 'Super Base' in Iraq", Newsmax.com, Sunday, April 23, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
- ^ Mason, Michael. "Dead Men Walking", Discover, March, 2007.
