Kirkush Military Training Base was a United States Army installation near the city of Balad Ruz in Diyala Governorate, Iraq.

FOB Caldwell

Forward Operating Base Caldwell was named for United States Army Specialist Nathaniel A. Caldwell of Omaha, Nebraska who was killed on May 21, 2003 when the vehicle he was riding in at night rolled over while traveling at excessive speed in Baghdad, Iraq. Caldwell was assigned to the 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Until the US Army arrived, FOB Caldwell was an abandoned Iraqi military base. 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 buildings called pods. A kilometer outside of Kirkush is a brick factory which has several black smoke stacks about 50 feet (15 m) high.

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. Kirkush [33°43'10"N 045°17'24"E ] lies due east of Balad Ruz, Iraq.

Military units

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


  • 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 2nd Infantry Division, 2009–2010. Headquarters & Headquarters Troop (HHT). Support elements as well as an outpost for command with a Quick Reaction Force (QRF). Last to pass the torch to the Iraqi Army.

Coalition Military Training Team (CMATT) Advisors to the Base Operations, Iraqi CG, Base Defense Team 2005-2008 FOB Caldwell was dissolved into the larger KMTB on April 3, 2010 and turned over to the 5th Iraqi Army Division.

See also

References

  1. "1-32 Cavalry (RSTA)". unitpages.military.com.
  2. "Welcome home 172nd Infantry Brigade: Bringing back Balad Ruz".

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