Camp Babylon
← Back to the bases map · Roll call · Message board
| Also known as | Camp Alpha |
|---|---|
| Location | Babil Province / ancient Babylon, near Hillah |
| Type | Multinational division headquarters camp built on an archaeological site |
| Category | NATO-member coalition base |
| Opened | 2003 |
| Closed or transferred | Handed over to the Iraqi Ministry of Culture in January 2005 |
| Coordinates | 32.54250, 44.42111 (32°32′33.0″N 44°25′16.0″E) |
Overview
Camp Babylon was a coalition base built in 2003 around the ruins of ancient Babylon, next to the Euphrates River near Hillah in Babil Province. When U.S. Marines and Navy Seabees attached to the I Marine Expeditionary Force reached the site early in the invasion, they found the city's museum and ruins looted and damaged; after the Marines secured the area, the Seabees built the camp, partly with the stated aim of protecting the archaeological site. One account describes the camp, more commonly called Camp Alpha, as built on the south side of the reconstructed palace of Nebuchadnezzar II.
During the summer of 2003 the camp hosted a Marine headquarters group and U.S. Army units; a telephone center for troops opened there in time for July 4, and a bipartisan congressional delegation visited on 20 August 2003. On 3 September 2003 the I Marine Expeditionary Force transferred authority for five provinces in south-central Iraq to the Polish-led Multinational Division Central-South in a ceremony at Camp Babylon.
The camp then served as the headquarters of the Polish-led division, which included Polish, Spanish and other coalition contingents. Polish soldiers guarded the main entrance, and U.S. Central Command commander Gen. John Abizaid visited in April 2004 escorted by Polish troops. In 2004 the division headquarters moved from Camp Babylon to Camp Echo in Diwaniyah.
The military use of the site drew strong criticism. A January 2005 British Museum report described widespread damage and severe contamination of ancient Babylon caused by the camp, including heavy vehicles crushing archaeological deposits and earth being removed to fill sandbags, and UNESCO later published its own report on damage to the site. In January 2005 Polish forces handed Camp Babylon to the Iraqi Culture Ministry and moved to a nearby area; Polish officials said the move was for security reasons, not because of the alleged damage.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Early in the invasion, Marines secured ancient Babylon; Navy Seabees with I MEF built Camp Babylon around the site. |
| 2003-07 | Second of six troop telephone centers in Iraq opened at Camp Babylon. |
| 2003-08-20 | Bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation visited troops at the camp. |
| 2003-09-03 | I MEF transferred authority for five provinces to the Polish-led Multinational Division Central-South at Camp Babylon. |
| 2003-10 | 716th Military Police Battalion, 101st Airborne Division held a change of command at Babylon after its commander was killed in Karbala. |
| 2004-04-08 | Gen. John Abizaid visited Camp Babylon, escorted by Polish troops. |
| 2004 | MND-CS headquarters moved from Camp Babylon to Camp Echo. |
| 2005-01 | Camp handed to the Iraqi Ministry of Culture; British Museum report on damage to Babylon published. |
Units stationed at Camp Babylon
Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from Camp Babylon. This list is not complete; units rotated frequently and many smaller elements were never reported. Veterans can add their unit on the message board below.
| # | Unit | When | Role at the base | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Marine Expeditionary Force | 2003 | Secured Babylon; transferred authority to MND-CS at the camp on 3 September 2003 | link |
| 2 | Navy Seabees attached to I MEF | 2003 | Built Camp Babylon and the troop telephone center frame | link |
| 3 | Marine Headquarters Group, Camp Babylon | 2003 | Oversaw the camp's telephone center | link |
| 4 | 716th Military Police Battalion, 101st Airborne Division | October 2003 | Held a change-of-command ceremony at Babylon | link |
| 5 | Multinational Division Central-South headquarters (Polish-led) | September 2003-2004 | Division headquarters before moving to Camp Echo | link |
| 6 | Polish 12th Mechanised Division (MND-CS rotation I) | May 2003-January 2004 | Provided the first Polish division contingent and command | link |
| 7 | Polish 11th Armoured Cavalry Division (MND-CS rotation II) | January-July 2004 | Second Polish rotation commanding MND-CS | link |
| 8 | Polish Army security detail (main entrance 'Reno') | March 2004 | Guarded the camp's main entrance | link |
| 9 | Spanish and other coalition contingents of MND-CS | 2003-2004 | Coalition countries based at the camp alongside Poland | link |
Notable events and facts
- Camp Babylon was built on and around the ruins of ancient Babylon, one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.
- A Seabee at the camp repaired the site museum's scale model of the Tower of Babel.
- In June 2003 one of only three military rabbis then in theater led Sabbath services for Jewish Marines and soldiers at the camp.
- A British Museum report in January 2005 described widespread damage and severe contamination of the ancient city caused by the camp's operations.
- A Polish patrol was attacked about 30 km northeast of Camp Babylon while returning from an operation to defuse a roadside bomb, according to the Polish Armed Forces memorial list.
Photographs
Roll call: who served at Camp Babylon
No names have been added yet. This roll call is built from the people who served here, one post at a time.
Message board: Camp Babylon
Served here? Share a memory, name your unit, or send a correction. Posts are reviewed before they appear. The full community board is on the Message Board page.
Sources
- Camp Babylon (GlobalSecurity.org). https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/camp-babylon.htm
- Multinational Division Central-South (Wikipedia). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_Division_Central-South
- Multinational Division (Central South) (CNN.com Specials) - search excerpt. https://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/coalition/deployment/polish/polish.html
- Report on damage to the site of Babylon, Iraq (UNESCO) - search excerpt. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000190812.locale=en
- Military occupation of heritage sites (Deakin University) - search excerpt. https://dro.deakin.edu.au/ndownloader/files/37454623/1
- Remembering the fallen - Iraq (Polish Armed Forces) - search excerpt. https://www.wojsko-polskie.pl/awl/en/remembering-the-fallen-iraq/