Combat Outpost/Firebase Wilderness | |
---|---|
Gerda Serai District, Paktia Province, Afghanistan | |
Coordinates | 33°17′N69°13′E / 33.28°N 69.22°E |
Type | Fire Support Base |
Site information | |
Controlled by | United States United States Army |
Site history | |
Built | 2006 |
Built by | Special Troops Battalion, 3rd BCT, 10th MTN DIV |
In use | 2006–2013 |
Battles/wars | Operation Enduring Freedom |
Garrison information | |
Garrison | 3rd BCT, 10th MTN DIV 4th BCT, 82nd ABN DIV 4th BCT, 101st ABN DIV 4th BCT, 25th INF DIV 3rd BCT, 101st ABN DIV 3rd BCT, 1st INF DIV |
Occupants | 203rd Corps, ANA Embedded Training Teams |
Firebase Wilderness, also known as Forward Operating Base Tellier, was a joint U.S.-Afghan outpost in Afghanistan, in the Gerda Serai District of Paktia Province.
The strategic position of FB Wilderness enabled U.S. and Afghan forces to provide security along the Khost-Gardez Pass, a critical route through the Sulaiman Mountains, which connects downtown Khost to Gardez City. [1] [2] FB Wilderness was first occupied in late 2006 after being built from scratch by elements of 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. [3] FB Wilderness then served as a base of operations for U.S. military elements, Afghan National Army soldiers from 1st Brigade, 203rd ANA Corps, and Afghan regional policemen. [3] During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, the area of the K-G Pass that Wilderness occupied was the site of frequent mujahedeen attacks on convoys including the Battle for Hill 3234. [4] The historically hostile region was considered a hotbed of activity, especially during the summer months when insurgent forces often targeted Wilderness with mortars and rockets. [5]
In 2007, 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers from 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment and based at FB Wilderness, renamed the firebase to FOB Tellier in honor of their fallen brother, Sergeant Zachary D. Tellier. [6] During a gun battle with insurgent forces in the vicinity of FB Wilderness, SGT Tellier was fatally wounded on Sept. 29, 2007. [7]
In October 2008, the CBS news program 60 Minutes aired a report by Lara Logan from FB Wilderness titled "Afghanistan: Fighting In A "'Hornet's Nest'". [8]
Since its establishment in December 2006, U.S. Army units have assumed control of Wilderness, including:
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operations to seize terrain. These operations can be conducted by mobile teams covering large distances, fighting behind enemy lines, and working in austere environments with limited or degraded infrastructure. Its unique battlefield mobility and high level of training have kept it in the vanguard of U.S. land combat forces in recent conflicts: for example, foreign internal defense and counterterrorism operations in Iraq, in Afghanistan in 2015–2016, and in Syria, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2018–2021.
The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areas with a U.S. Department of Defense requirement to "respond to crisis contingencies anywhere in the world within 18 hours". Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is part of the XVIII Airborne Corps. The 82nd Airborne Division is the U.S. Army's most strategically mobile division.
The 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) is a combined arms division of the United States Army based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. It is a direct subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and U.S. Army Forces Command. Its current organization includes a division headquarters and headquarters battalion, two armored brigade combat teams, one National Guard infantry brigade combat team, one task force battalion, one aviation brigade, a division artillery, a sustainment brigade and a combat sustainment support battalion along with a maneuver enhancement brigade. The division has a distinguished history, having seen active service in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Global War on Terror. The Medal of Honor has been awarded to 61 members of the 3rd Infantry Division, making the division the most honored in the Army.
The 506th Infantry Regiment, originally designated the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II, is an airborne light infantry regiment of the United States Army. Currently a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, the regiment has two active battalions: the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
The 508th Infantry Regiment is an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, first formed in October 1942 during World War II. The 508th is a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, and two battalions from the regiment are currently active: the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. The regiment served in combat during World War II, and regimental elements have served in combat in the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, also known as the Dagger Brigade, is a maneuver brigade combat team in the 1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army stationed in Fort Riley, Kansas.
Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) refers to a joint doctrine of reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition conducted by the United States Armed Forces. RSTA operations are designed to support military operations at a strategic, operational, or tactical level, either by dedicated RSTA forces or those which possess the capability.
The United States Army Regimental System (USARS) is an organizational and classification system used by the United States Army. It was established in 1981 to replace the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS) to provide each soldier with continuous identification with a single regiment, and to increase a soldier's probability of serving recurring assignments with his or her regiment. The USARS was intended to enhance combat effectiveness by providing the opportunity for a regimental affiliation, thus obtaining some of the benefits of the traditional regimental system.
The 501st Infantry Regiment, previously the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment and 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment, is an airborne forces regiment of the United States Army with a long history, having served in World War II and the Vietnam War, both as part of the 101st Airborne Division, as well as the War in Afghanistan. It is the first airborne unit by designation in the United States Armed Forces. Its 1st Battalion is assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, located at Fort Richardson, Alaska. Its 2nd Battalion is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Operation Magistral was a Soviet Army military operation during the Soviet–Afghan War that began in late November 1987 and ended in early January 1988.
Forward Operating Base Salerno is a former forward operating base used by the United States Armed Forces from 2002–2013 during Operation Enduring Freedom. It is located in the southeastern province of Khost, Afghanistan, near the city of Khost. On November 1, 2013, U.S. forces withdrew from FOB Salerno and transferred control of the installation to the Afghan National Army.
The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division is an infantry brigade combat team of the United States Army based at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Since its activation in 2004, the brigade has deployed four times to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2014, the brigade inactivated at Fort Drum, NY, and its infantry battalions were reassigned to other brigades while its special troops battalion, field artillery battalion, brigade support battalion and cavalry squadron were inactivated. The brigade reactivated at Fort Polk, LA in 2015 by reflagging the assets of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, which was inactivated. The infantry, cavalry and field artillery battalions of the 4th Brigade were reassigned to the 3rd Brigade. The brigade deployed to Iraq in 2017 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Recently, the brigade deployed to the Southwest Border in 2019 in support of Operation Faithful Patriot.
The 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division is an airborne infantry brigade combat team (BCT) of the United States Army. The unit is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska and is the only airborne brigade combat team in the Pacific Theater. It is also the newest airborne Infantry BCT and one of only five in the United States Army; the others are the three Infantry BCTs of the 82nd Airborne Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
In 2009, the United States and NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) coalition, along with Afghan National Army forces, continued military operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan. 2009 marks the eighth year of the War in Afghanistan, which began late in 2001. And 75th ranger regiment is also in Afghanistan as of 2018
The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division is an active Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the United States Army based at Fort Drum in New York. The brigade headquarters carries the lineage of the 10th Mountain Division's original headquarters company, and served as such in World War II, and in peacetime at Fort Riley, Fort Benning, and West Germany in the 1940s and 1950s.
The 219th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade was part of the United States Army Surveillance/reconnaissance formation introduced from c.2006-2011. The United States Army planned for the creation and transformation of nine intelligence brigades to a 'Battlefield Surveillance' role in 2007. The first Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (BfSB) was deployed the same year conducting Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Intelligence operations. However, gathering information is only half the challenge it faced. Along with the structural changes and intelligence capabilities, the sustainment capabilities of the brigade also changed.[2] The United States Army reorganized it’s intelligence formations into Battlefield Surveillance Brigades (BfSB). The brigades were self-sufficient Army Modular Forces. Army doctrine changed the name of the BfSB to Reconnaissance and Surveillance Brigade in 2011. In 2016, the 219th BfSB was redesignated to the 219th Engineer Brigade.
Combined Joint Task Force 180 was a provisional multinational land formation, primarily made up of units from the United States Army, that fought in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), especially in the initial invasion phase of 2001-2002. It was active from May 2002 to 2003/05. It was the senior headquarters in country reporting to United States Central Command.
The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division is an inactive Airborne Brigade of the United States Army. The brigade was active from 1968-1969, and from 2006-2014. The brigade conducted three rotations to Afghanistan, in 2007 and 2008, 2009 and 2010, and 2012. The brigade's two infantry battalions deployed for a fourth time in 2013-2014, and became part of other BCTs in the division upon their redeployment.
Forward Operating Base Lagman, simply known as FOB Lagman, is a former forward operating base in Qalati Ghilji, Zabul Province, Afghanistan that was operated by both the United States and Romanian Armed Forces.
Jacob Edward Schlereth was a United States Army soldier. He was in the infantry, cavalry, and was a drill sergeant.