Sites around Al Taqaddum Airbase

Here is the low down about where I am working. Alot of people have been asking where is this place. I have never heard of it. Well according to Wikipedia, this is what they have to say.

Al Taqaddum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Al Taqaddum Airbase (ICAO: ORAT) (Called TQ in military shorthand slang.) is an airbase that is located in central Iraq approximately 74 kilometers west of Baghdad. The airfield is served by two runways 13,000 and 12,000 feet long. When American forces took over the base in 2003 from the Iraqi Air Force, they established Camp Ridgway and it served as one of the bases of operation for the 82nd Airborne Division. In 2004 the base name was changed to Camp Taqaddum to keep a more Iraqi face on the local military mission. On August 22, 2004, a group of Marines dedicated the airfield at Al Taqaddum to Lt. Col. David S. Greene, a reserve Marine AH-1W Super Cobra pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 775 who was killed in action earlier in the year. "TQ" is a major hub of men and material moving into Anbar province by coalition forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
According to the Gulf War Air Power Survey, there were 24 hardened aircraft shelters at Al Taqaddum. At the each end of the main runway are hardened aircraft shelters knowns as "trapezoids" or "Yugos" which were built by Yugoslavian contractors some time prior to 1985. Al Taqaddum is one of the few Iraqi air bases not located inside the "No-Fly Zone." Survey teams found numerous MiG 25 and Su 25 Iraqi Air Force fighter jets buried in the area, presumably from the time of the Gulf War.
While out looking around we did find a few of the damaged planes they talk about. It was pretty interesting to see. Of course now they have been vandalized and have grafitti all over them from the locals who do get close enough to the fence line but still quite interesting to see. Now we know why my living space is as nasty as it looks, the base was bombed, who knows what was left in the place I call home now.. LOL


Of course if you know me, I have to push the envelope. I am right up to the fireing line,
sometimes ya have to be a little dareing and even if you look at the pic I labeled,
you'll notice something else.. Shhhh!!! Not good to do.



The next two pics are of the prison that they held the captives in when they tool the base over.


The nearest town to us is the town called Habbaniyah, we are not allowed to go there
because alot of the sniper fire and mortar rounds originate from out here. We are not
permitted to leave the base at all unless you are in a convoy on a mission or ummm hardheaded!!!

That is all I have for now. I will update the pages when I get take more pictures and/or get a
little more dareing *evil grin*. Take care!!!!




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