I had a big break in service (1987-2000). I have deployed a few times for overseas and domestic tours since joining the guards in 2000 . I am preparing for my second combat tour (Iraq in 2004) . This one will be to Afghanistan. They took our tanks away from us and made us grunts about a year ago. Should be interesting .
OIF/Transition of Iraq (2003-04)/LSA Anaconda/Joint Base Balad, Iraq
From Month/Year
May / 2003
To Month/Year
June / 2004
Description Balad Air Base is an Iraqi Air Force base located near Balad in the Sunni Triangle 40 miles (64 km) north of Baghdad, Iraq.
It was opened during the 1980s called Al-Bakr Air Base which housed Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 fighters, during the 2000s the base was occupied by the United States Armed Forces as part of the Iraq War and called both Balad Air Base by the United States Air Force and LSA Anaconda by the United States Army before being renamed Joint Base Balad on 15 June 2008. The base was handed back to the Iraqi Air Force during December 2011 returning to be called Balad Air Base.
During the Iraq War it was the second largest U.S. Base in Iraq and today is home to the Iraqi Air Force's General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons.
