Anybody know about Camp Victory and Camp Taji?

Question

My BF will be at one of these camps for 12 months since next March. He's a logistics officer and mainly will train the Iraqis.

Are these camps located in a safe area? How dangerous is his work? How often will we be able to communicate?

Thanks!

Answer 1

I worked as a DoD civilian contractor at both Taji & Camp Victory/Liberty.

Camp Victory is located outside of Baghad and is within range of mortar attack by the insurgents hiding & operating in and out of the city. I was there for 12 months and the staging yard for the trucks that brought in the food (I worked or the company which delivered the the food to all of the bases in Iraq) and other supplies was locates 2km from some apartment building near Bagdhad. Several times we were hit by mortars and rockets from those buildings. Also, the entire camp is within range of mortar or rocket attacks.

OK, the good news. Because of the excellect and rapid ability of the army's counter battery fire ability the bad guys have learned the hard way that they can only fire off 2 rounds before US artillery rounds start to decend on their position, But if their is a concen that civilians will be killed...well you know how that goes. Also, once a mortar round or rocket is detected (there are a classified number of radars on around the camp) Apache helicopters are immediately dispatched toward the bad guys. But overall the attacks on the base were few and few between. During my 12 months there I estimate that fewer than 50 mortar rounds landed on the camp (and not all detonated) and only 4 rockets hit. One rocket hit and exploded 87 feet from me. The only reason I am alive to answer your question is because when I heard it coming in...and you do hear them coming...I jumped behind a 40 foot metal CONEX (BIG shipping container) that absored the blast shrapel and rocks it blew out.

At Taji the base is very large in terms of square kilometers and the range of most mortars can not reach far enough to hit the main troop areas. I was only there for a couple of month before going to work at FOB Speicher so my experience there is limited.

How dangerous is is work? Can't answer that.

Communications frequency? There are Hajji (not a slam)shops..meaning stores run by Iraqis (cleared and approved by the military) that sell cell phones at Victory. I can't say about Taji. But both bases have buildings/locations set up where the troops can access the internet (computers are provided!) 24/7 and Victory has an AT&T trailer when troops can use calling cards to call home. Again, I can't speak to AT&T service at Taji.

I hope that helps. Please thank your boy friend for his service for me. Thanks.

Answer 2

my husband has been at camp taji for almost a year now, he'll be coming back soon. at first he was calling a couple of times a week, e-mailing all the time, and we chatted on-line often. but the last 3 or 4 months have been tough, and there have been a lot of black outs, and communication hasnt been very often.
on the brighter side, they do have it a lot easier than others.
good luck!

Answer 3

my husband was stationed at taji for a year...he had it made there. the road they had to drive on outside of the camp to the other FOB's was pretty dangerous but i think all of the roads usually are.

here's a copy of an article i found about taji

The soldiers here live in air-conditioned, two-person trailers instead of the dusty communal tents that dot Camp Striker. They have access to flushable toilets, several gyms and recreational facilities that offer movies — there’s even movie-theater popcorn — board games, television and reading materials.

The two dining facilities are enormous and have a dizzying array of food — from hot dogs and burgers to chicken curry and flan.

The Taji PX rivals a small Wal-Mart and sells everything from mattresses and toiletries to espresso makers. A sign posted Friday at the entrance proudly announced the newest items for sale: bread, microwavable snacks, frozen burritos and, yes, meat. USDA certified beef.

At the plaza outside the PX, popular chains such as Taco Bell, Popeye’s and Burger King make a fast buck from soldiers craving their favorite fast food.

Answer 4

They are just as dangerous as any place over there. they are located in N Bagdad