Forward Operating Base Kalsu

Forward Operating Base Kalsu, also known as 'FOB Kalsu', COS Kalsu or simply Camp Kalsu, was a U.S. Military installation in Iskandariya, Iraq, 20 miles south of Baghdad. It was officially closed by members of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division on December 12, 2011 as part of the US Army's withdrawal from Iraq.

History

FOB Kalsu was established in May 2003 by the New York Army National Guard unit the 105th Military Police Company^[1] based in Buffalo, NY and serving in Iraq. It was named in honor of Buffalo Bills and the University of Oklahoma All-American football player Bob Kalsu who was killed serving in Viet Nam. The 105th and 300th MP companies were supported by elements of the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team 1-162 Enhanced Infantry Battalion from August to November 2003.

Subsequent deployments

After Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 (OIF1), FOB Kalsu was occupied by A Co. 1-152, Indiana Army National Guard from October 2003 to January 2004 acting as a quick reaction force (QRF) for MSR Tampa and conducting combat patrols. The base was then occupied by B Co, 2-505th Parachute Infantry, 82d Airborne Division from January 2004 to May 2004 effectively conducting combat patrols and acting as the QRF for MSR Tampa. It was then occupied by the 118th MP CO (ABN), 16th MP BDE (ABN) and Task Force A CO 1-185th Armor and the Mortar and Scout platoons of HHC 1-185th Armor, 81st Heavy Brigade Combat Team of the California Army National Guard from March 2004 to March 2005 conducting combat patrols and acting as a QRF for MSR Tampa. In July 2004 the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), 1st Marine Division, assumed command of FOB Kalsu using it as a command post for operations in the Anbar Province and the areas south of Baghdad to northern part of Babil and then subsequently the assault on Fallujah in November 2004. One month after the Marines took over command of FOB Kalsu the mortar and rocket attacks dramatically decreased. In February 2005 155th Heavy Brigade Combat Team of the Mississippi Army National Guard assumed command through January 2006. 2d Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment from FT Irwin, Ca, was attached to the 155th HBCT during this period. In November 2005 the 155th was visited by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour.^[2]

From November 2005 to November 2006, FOB Kalsu was occupied by 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. Units of 2BCT/4ID that occupied FOB Kalsu included 2d Battalion 8th Infantry Regiment, 2d Special Troops Battalion, and 2d Brigade Headquarters Company. Prior to the end of the deployment 2d BCT's 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment and 204th Brigade Support Battalion had also moved to FOB Kalsu.

Second Lieutenant Emily Perez was stationed at FOB Kalsu in September 2006 when, while leading a convoy conducting re-supply operations in the vicinity of Al-Najaf, her HMMWV hit an IED, making her the first female West Point graduate to be killed in Iraq.^[3] The COS Troop Medical Clinic was named in her honor.

From October 2006 to December 2007, FOB Kalsu was occupied by the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division headquartered at Ft. Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. The area around the FOB, some 40 miles south of Baghdad, is on a Sunni–Shiite fault line. Daily mortar attacks by various factions of Muslim extremist groups persisted for eight months when pressure by the Airborne Brigade Combat Team as well as a robust civil affairs engagement effort finally quieted the area. Upon departure in December 2007, the 725th Support Battalion's medical company, Co. C, had seen more than 900 traumas, most of which were combat or IED related.

In October 2007, the 4th BCT of the 3rd Infantry Division took control of the FOB. In December 2008, the Vanguard Brigade transferred authority to the 172nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Blackhawk Brigade) headquartered at Grafenwoehr, Germany.^[4]

From September 2009 to September 2010, COS Kalsu was manned by elements of 3HBCT (Heavy Brigade Combat Team), 3rd Infantry Division.

From September 23, 2010, and continuing until August 2011, COS Kalsu was occupied by the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, as well as their subordinate units, 1st Squadron 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Tiger Squadron) and Regimental Support Squadron (Muleskinner Squadron) in support of Operation New Dawn.

In July 2011, 2-5 CAV and 115th BSB of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division replaced 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in support of Operation New Dawn.

Current use

In December 2011, COS Kalsu was officially transferred to the care of the Iraqi Army and closed down by members of 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.^[5][6]

See also

• Triangle of Death (Iraq)
• List of United States Military installations in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)

References