FOB Kalsu
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| Also known as | Forward Operating Base Kalsu; Contingency Operating Site (COS) Kalsu; Camp Kalsu |
|---|---|
| Location | Northern Babil Province / near Iskandariyah, about 20 miles south of Baghdad |
| Type | Forward operating base, later contingency operating site |
| Category | U.S. installation in Iraq |
| Opened | May 2003 |
| Closed or transferred | Transferred to the Iraqi Army in December 2011 (closed 12 December 2011 by 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division) |
| Coordinates | 32.80525, 44.46002 (32°48′18.9″N 44°27′36.1″E) |
Overview
Forward Operating Base Kalsu was a U.S. military installation in northern Babil Province, about 20 miles south of Baghdad. It was established in May 2003 by the New York Army National Guard's 105th Military Police Company and named for Bob Kalsu, a University of Oklahoma All-American and Buffalo Bills player who was killed in the Vietnam War.
The base sat beside Main Supply Route Tampa, the main highway running south from Baghdad, and early units based there served as a quick reaction force for the route and conducted combat patrols. Guard, Reserve and active units rotated through in 2003-2004, including military police, infantry and armor companies from New York, Oregon, West Virginia, Indiana and California.
On 25 May 2004 a mortar attack on the base killed three soldiers and wounded others, one of the deadliest such attacks of the war to that point. In mid-2004 the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit assumed command of the base, using it as a command post for operations in northern Babil and in support of the November 2004 assault on Fallujah.
From 2005 onward the base served as a brigade headquarters in the area south of Baghdad, hosting in turn the 155th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division, the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) of the 25th Infantry Division, the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division, the 172nd Infantry Brigade, and elements of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
Renamed Contingency Operating Site Kalsu, it was occupied by the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment during Operation New Dawn from September 2010 until mid-2011, when the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division replaced it. U.S. forces closed the site and handed it to the Iraqi Army in December 2011.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2003-05 | Established by the 105th Military Police Company, New York Army National Guard, and named for Bob Kalsu. |
| 2003-10 to 2004-01 | Company A, 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry (Indiana Army National Guard) served as quick reaction force for MSR Tampa. |
| 2004-05-25 | Mortar attack killed three soldiers and wounded many others. |
| 2004-07 | 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit assumed command of the base. |
| 2005-02 | 155th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (Mississippi Army National Guard) assumed command, through January 2006. |
| 2005-11 to 2006-11 | 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division occupied the base. |
| 2006-10 to 2007-12 | 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division occupied the base. |
| 2008-12 | 4th BCT, 3rd Infantry Division transferred authority to the 172nd Infantry Brigade. |
| 2010-09 | 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment occupied COS Kalsu for Operation New Dawn. |
| 2011-12 | COS Kalsu closed and transferred to the Iraqi Army. |
Units stationed at FOB Kalsu
Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from FOB Kalsu. This list is not complete; units rotated frequently and many smaller elements were never reported. Veterans can add their unit on the message board below.
| # | Unit | When | Role at the base | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 105th Military Police Company, 104th MP Battalion, New York Army National Guard | May 2003 | Established the base | link |
| 2 | 300th Military Police Company | 2003 | Military police company at the base in 2003 | link |
| 3 | 1st Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, Oregon Army National Guard (elements) | August-November 2003 | Supported the MP companies | link |
| 4 | Company B, 1092nd Engineer Combat Battalion, West Virginia Army National Guard | August-November 2003 | Engineer support | link |
| 5 | Company A, 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment, Indiana Army National Guard | October 2003-January 2004 | Quick reaction force for MSR Tampa and combat patrols | link |
| 6 | Company B, 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division | January-May 2004 | Combat patrols and MSR Tampa quick reaction force | link |
| 7 | 118th Military Police Company (Airborne), 16th MP Brigade | March 2004-February 2005 | Combat patrols and MSR Tampa quick reaction force | link |
| 8 | Company A, 1st Battalion, 185th Armor Regiment, California Army National Guard | 2004-2005 | Provisional infantry attached to the 118th MP Company | link |
| 9 | 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit | July 2004-early 2005 | Assumed command; command post for northern Babil operations and support of the Fallujah assault | link |
| 10 | 155th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard | February 2005-January 2006 | Brigade in command of the base | link |
| 11 | 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment | 2005 | Attached to the 155th HBCT | link |
| 12 | 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division | November 2005-November 2006 | Brigade headquarters, 2nd Battalion 8th Infantry, 2nd Special Troops Battalion; later 3-16 Field Artillery and 204th BSB | link |
| 13 | 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division | October 2006-December 2007 | Brigade occupying the base | link |
| 14 | 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division | 2007-2008 | Brigade headquarters elements at FOB Kalsu | link |
| 15 | 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division | October 2007-December 2008 | Took control of the FOB; 703rd Brigade Support Battalion and 4th Special Troops Battalion present | link |
| 16 | 760th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company | March 2008 | EOD company at FOB Kalsu | link |
| 17 | 172nd Infantry Brigade | December 2008-2009 | Took over from the 4th BCT, 3rd Infantry Division | link |
| 18 | 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade | 2008-2009 | Route clearance on MSR Tampa near the base | link |
| 19 | 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division (elements) | September 2009-September 2010 | Manned COS Kalsu | link |
| 20 | 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment | September 2010-August 2011 | Occupied COS Kalsu with 1st Squadron and the Regimental Support Squadron, Operation New Dawn | link |
| 21 | 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division | July-December 2011 | Replaced 3rd ACR; closed the base | link |
| 22 | 115th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division | July-December 2011 | Replaced 3rd ACR; closed the base | link |
Notable events and facts
- The base was named for Bob Kalsu, an All-American football player and Buffalo Bills lineman killed in the Vietnam War.
- A 25 May 2004 mortar attack killed three soldiers; the dining facility later built at the base was named Unger Hall for one of them, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.
- Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour visited the 155th Brigade at the base in November 2005.
- Second Lieutenant Emily Perez, stationed at Kalsu, was killed by an IED near Najaf in September 2006, the first female West Point graduate killed in Iraq; the troop medical clinic was named for her.
- Retired Col. Oliver North filmed part of his Fox News program War Stories in front of the new FOB Kalsu sign in December 2007.
Photographs
Roll call: who served at FOB Kalsu
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Message board: FOB Kalsu
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Sources
- Forward Operating Base Kalsu (Wikipedia). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_Operating_Base_Kalsu
- Wikimedia Commons search results for Kalsu (file descriptions). https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Kalsu&ns6=1