Logistics Support Area Anaconda

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Balad Air Base (Balad South East)
IATA: - ICAO: ORBD
Summary
Airport type Military
Operator United States Air Force
Serves Operation Iraqi Freedom
Elevation AMSL 161 ft (49 m)
Coordinates 33°56′00″N, 044°22′00″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14/32 11,490 3,503 Concrete


12/30 11,495 3,504 Concrete

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. It is also designated Balad Air Base by the United States Air Force, and the 332d Air Expeditionary Wing is located here. 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 busiest air base in the world operated by the United States Department of Defense and is currently the second busiest airport in the world.[1] Camp Anaconda has also been more colloquially-termed "Life Support Area Anaconda"[2] or "Mortaritaville" [3] or the "Big Snake".

Contents

[edit] Location

The Sustainer Theater at LSA Anaconda.
The Sustainer Theater at LSA Anaconda.

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

A pilot and sensor operator man the controls of an MQ-1 Predator Unmanned aerial vehicle from the control room at Balad Air Base
A pilot and sensor operator man the controls of an MQ-1 Predator Unmanned aerial vehicle from the control room at Balad Air Base

In 2004, several mortar rounds were fired per day [4], usually hitting the empty space between the runways, although there were isolated injuries and fatalities. By mid-2006, this rate had dropped about 40% [5]. 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.[6] 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.[7]

[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.[8]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Morning Edition, NPR. Broadcast 28 September 2007. [1]
  2. ^ Carter, Phillip. "The Thin Green Line", Slate.com, October 18, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-07-25. 
  3. ^ "Balad Airbase", globalsecurity.org. Retrieved on 2007-07-25. 
  4. ^ "Letters to the editor for Wednesday, October", Stars and Stripes, October 27, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-07-25. 
  5. ^ Powell, Anita. "Attacks on the decrease at LSA Anaconda, aka 'Mortaritaville'", Stars and Stripes, Saturday, July 22, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-07-25. 
  6. ^ Mortaritaville. "Double-Tongued Dictionary: A lexicon of fringe English, focusing on slang, jargon, and new words.". Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
  7. ^ "U.S. Prepares 'Super Base' in Iraq", Newsmax.com, Sunday, April 23, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-07-25. 
  8. ^ Mason, Michael. "Dead Men Walking", Discover, March, 2007. 

[edit] External links