Aaron, John, 1SG

Camp Warrior, also referred to as Forward Operating Base (FOB) Warrior and initially known as Camp Renegade was located at Kirkuk Air Base in northern Iraq. Kirkuk Air Base was approximately 240 kilometers north of Baghdad on the West side of the city of Kirkuk, some 1.6 kilometers away. The FOB was in addition to US personnel stationed at Kirkuk Air Base to manage operations there. Kirkuk Air Base was referred to, at least initially, by the informal nickname "Krabtown."

Task Force Ironhorse, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based out of Vicenza, Italy secured the oil rich, ethnically diverse city of Kirkuk and surrounding areas in the northern portion of the Task Force area of operations. The gave the name Camp Renegade to their facilities there.

In mid-April 2003, the first contingent of the 5th Combat Communications Group communicators stepped off a C-130 on an airbase in Kirkuk, Iraq. The 12 members of the force were to bring state-of-the-art communications to this airbase held by the Iraqi government only weeks before. Only 3 Air Force aircraft landed previously bringing in the tanker airlift control element. Combat communications had arrived early in the fight. Kirkuk was devastated in the previous weeks by looters taking everything that could be removed. There was no electric power, running water or restrooms, and every glass window in every building was broken. With only 2 C-130s full of equipment the small group provided DSN, NIPRNET, and SIPRNET services to Air Force personnel. Initial services were provided in a communications cafe on the compound. The cafe instantly became the hub of activity on the base as members of every functional area flocked to the cafe. Airmen took their positions at the NIPRNET and SIPRNET consoles in order to do their work. Also early in the fight, air traffic control and landing systems flowed onto the base. Once sited, a tactical air navigation system was the first system to be set up. In a mere matter of hours the system was up and running through alignments and tests. Following soon after, an AN/MSN-7 mobile tower was set up, providing communications capability to air traffic controllers. Finally, an AN/TPN-19 mobile radar system was sited and installed. This was to be the first operational use of the AN/TPN-19 as an in-route center radar system. The mission was a big change from the typical terminal approach control normally conducted with the AN/TPN-19. In route or air center control was performed across the entire northern part of Iraq, which required the radar and air-ground radios to perform far beyond normal requirements. Kirkuk Air Base matured quickly the mission grew every day as northern Iraq increasingly depended on this resupply and airpower hub. The communication requirements continually grew and expanded into mission areas not traditionally provided by expeditionary communicators.

Members of the USAF's 506th Air Expeditionary Group based at Kirkuk Air Base and the US Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team at Camp Renegade teamed up to educate Kirkuk residents on public health issues, safety and the well-being of the city. Members of the Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams in Kirkuk had removed and destroyed more than one million pounds of ordnance.

Task Force 1-63rd Armor provided medical treatment to detainees at Camp Renegade, Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, in November 2003. 64th Military Police Company operated at Camp Renegade, the 173rd Airborne Brigade's Collection Facility inside Kirkuk Air Base, during late 2003.

Contractors worked into the evening to complete a dormitory that would house up to 1,664 airmen in 13 buildings with 6 to eight people to a room. Each dorm would feature its own latrine with 14 sinks, 8 toilets and 8 showers. The new dorms were scheduled to open on 1 December 2003. The units were originally purchased by US Air Forces in Europe and earmarked for construction at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, for Operation Northern Watch.

Nearly a year after parachuting into enemy territory, the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team was relieved of its area of operations by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, the "Warriors," on 19 February 2004 during a transfer of authority ceremony. The facility where the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team had been operating out of was renamed for the new unit. Subsequently named Camp Warrior, the facility was also referred to as FOB Warrior. Located just outside the city of Kirkuk, about 140 miles north of Baghdad, Kirkuk Air Base was situated in the center of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division's area of operations, starting February 2004.

To many soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom II FOB Warrior was home. Task Force 1-21st Infantry and support elements from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, including the Brigade's headquarters were stationed there, where they conducted operations in and around Kirkuk. When their duty day was completed, they rested and slept in 4-person containers. The containers were an improvement from living in outdoor hooches and provided some measure of privacy and insulation against harsh weather elements. The containers were themselves equipped with a heater, air conditioner and electricity."

An AAFES exchange, gift shop, alterations and dry cleaning services, barber shops, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Taco Bell, internet and phone facilities, Green Beans Coffee Shop, pool, beauty parlor, a 24-hour gym, shuttle bus service, a dining facility that can seat up to 1,600 patrons and the 'Clamtina' club provide a variety of entertainment and accommodations for the Soldiers and Airmen residing here.

Everyday, hundreds of Third Country Nationals (TCNs) with their vehicles entered FOB Warrior. A large number of TCNs worked on base construction projects, while the rest were employed for life support activities such as linguist, laundry, barber, tailor, and the like. Due to the existing force protection stance, it was necessary to search every TCN and vehicle that entered the FOB. In addition, all TCNs had to be escorted throughout the FOB (the TCN escort mission was manning intensive that required augmentation of the forces assigned to it).

It was imperative that soldiers escorting these TCNs were rotated. If not, familiarity and closeness between Soldiers and TCNs could develop, which could be dangerous. TCNs could be a tool for the enemy in gathering intelligence. For instance, a TCN might ask about a rocket attack the previous night on the FOB and could show genuine concern. The unsuspecting escort, due to his familiarity with the TCN, might pass critical information, such as impact location, casualties, or other details. Unknowingly, the soldier just gave the TCN an accurate damage assessment. If this information was passed to the enemy, they could fire or adjust fire from the same firing position since they had been made aware of their firing effectiveness from last night. The friendliest TCNs were the ones wanting information. However, escorts had to be reminded to treat all TCNs with respect and dignity. TCNs also serve as an important tool to the US information operations campaign. TCNs worked on base and lived off post.

Closely related to the TCN escort mission was the defense of the only TCN access gate onto the FOB. Although FOB Warrior was primarily defended by the Air Force Security Forces, the Headquarters platoon had taken ownership of defending one gate. At any given morning, close to 600 TCNs and 200 vehicles entered the FOB through this gate. When the outgoing unit transferred the TCN escort mission, US forces immediately saw the need to improve the defense of the TCN access gate. The enemy has been targeting local nationals working with or supporting coalition forces. The presences of an Iraqi National Guard compound just down the road made this gate an even more lucrative target.

To counter the VBIED threat FOB Warrior had installed a second drop arm from the main gate. This provided a 200-meter blast stand off. In addition, a 30-foot guard tower was built to over watch gate operations and all avenues of approach.

There was a 40-bed hospital tent facility at Forward Operating Base Warrior. As of September 2005, the staff consisted of 4 doctors and 4 physician assistants with the 116th Brigade Combat Team, Virginia Army National Guard. Serious injuries, requiring more than 3 days of care, meant the soldier got shipped out to Germany or the States for care there.

The mission of the 506th Air Expeditionary Group (AEG) at Kirkuk Air Base was to facilitate the reconstruction, operation and maintenance of the base in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and other US Central Command (CENTCOM) contingency plans. Kirkuk was a key element in the coalition effort of the reconstruction of Iraq. Kirkuk Regional Air Base also served as a logistical hub for US Army and Special Operation Forces. In addition, the 506th AEG provided ground-based military air warning and control, and civil Air Traffic Control services for all of northern Iraq.

By 2006, Airmen with the 506th Expeditionary Communications Squadron had installed more than 45,000 feet of cable to 55 facilities at Kirkuk Air Base to support telephone and computer network communications for deployed forces.