FOB Sykes
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| Also known as | Forward Operating Base Sykes; Tal Afar Air Base; Tal Afar Airfield; ORTF (ICAO) |
|---|---|
| Location | Nineveh Governorate, outside Tal Afar |
| Type | Former Iraqi air base used as a forward operating base |
| Category | U.S. installation in Iraq |
| Opened | Air base built 1982–1984; used by U.S. forces from 2003 |
| Closed or transferred | 2011, handed over to Iraqi forces on the U.S. withdrawal |
| Coordinates | 36.37917, 42.44972 (36°22′45.0″N 42°26′59.0″E) — approximate |
Overview
FOB Sykes occupied Tal Afar Air Base, a former Iraqi Air Force airfield a few miles outside Tal Afar in Nineveh Governorate. The Belgian firm SIX-CFE built the airfield between 1982 and 1984. Yugoslav contractors built a dozen hardened aircraft shelters at each end of its main runway, which was about 10,000 feet long.
Coalition aircraft hit the base heavily in March 2003, and coalition ground forces then seized it. U.S. forces turned it into Forward Operating Base Sykes and ran it until the American withdrawal in 2011, when it was handed to Iraqi forces. In September 2003 soldiers of the 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division were at the airfield.
In 2005 the base supported the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment's Operation Restore Rights in Tal Afar. Regimental AH-64 Apache helicopters flew from Sykes. The 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment finished the operation, and in 2006 it handed its last area of responsibility in the city to an Iraqi army battalion and pulled back to the FOB.
Over the following years the airfield was home to cavalry and aviation units, among them 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment with OH-58D Kiowa Warriors and MEDEVAC crews of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade. Later the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment and battalions of the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade were based there. In 2010 the base also housed a Continuing Education Center for Iraqi security forces.
After the U.S. departure, the Islamic State seized the air base in June 2014. It used the base as a training camp and as a detention site for Yazidi prisoners until Iraqi forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces retook it in November 2016.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1982-84 | SIX-CFE of Belgium built Tal Afar Air Base for the Iraqi Air Force. |
| Mar 2003 | Coalition airpower struck the base heavily, and coalition ground forces seized it. |
| 25 Sep 2003 | Bruce Willis and his band performed at the airfield for soldiers of the 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. |
| 2005 | 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Apache helicopters operated from FOB Sykes during Operation Restore Rights in Tal Afar. |
| Jul 2006 | The Sergeant Major of the Army visited FOB Sykes. |
| 2006 | 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment handed its last Tal Afar area of responsibility to the Iraqi army and moved back to FOB Sykes. |
| 2006-07 | 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment (Kiowa Warriors) and MEDEVAC crews of C Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment were based at Sykes. |
| 2009 | 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division held a Bronze Star ceremony at Sykes in November before handing over authority. |
| 2010 | Arizona National Guard military police ran a Continuing Education Center for Iraqi security forces, and 6th Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment was listed at Sykes. |
| 2011 | The base was handed over to Iraqi forces on the U.S. withdrawal. |
Units stationed at FOB Sykes
Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from FOB Sykes. 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 | 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division | September 2003 | Soldiers based at the airfield after its capture; Bruce Willis led his band in a performance for them there. | link |
| 2 | 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (incl. Longknife Squadron, Renegade Troop) | 2005 | Started Operation Restore Rights in Tal Afar; its AH-64 Apaches were deployed to FOB Sykes. | link |
| 3 | 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment ('Iron Dukes') | 2005 – 2006 | Finished Operation Restore Rights, handed its Tal Afar area of responsibility to the Iraqi army, and moved its operations back to FOB Sykes. | link |
| 4 | 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division (attached to 25th Combat Aviation Brigade) | 2006 – 2007 | OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout-attack squadron based at FOB Sykes. | link |
| 5 | Company C, 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade | 2006 – 2007 | UH-60 MEDEVAC ('Dustoff') company operating from FOB Sykes. | link |
| 6 | 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division | 2009 (until November 2009) | Cavalry squadron at FOB Sykes; it held a Bronze Star ceremony there on November 15, 2009 at the end of its tour. | link |
| 7 | 855th Military Police Company, Arizona Army National Guard | 2010 | Supported the Continuing Education Center, which trained Iraqi police and Emergency Response Battalion members at FOB Sykes. | link |
| 8 | 3rd Battalion, 73rd Cavalry Regiment | March 2010 | Cavalry squadron from Fort Bragg; it supported election-related escort missions in Tal Afar. | link |
| 9 | 88th Military Police Company, U.S. Army Reserve | March 2010 | Attached to 3rd Battalion, 73rd Cavalry Regiment; escorted Provincial Reconstruction Team and UN officials during the 2010 Iraqi election. | link |
| 10 | 6th Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division | 2010 (listed September 2010) | Stationed at FOB Sykes, outside Tal Afar. | link |
Notable events and facts
- The airfield infobox gives a 3,300-meter (10,827-foot) concrete runway, and the hardened aircraft shelters at each end were known as "Yugos".
- Bruce Willis performed with his band for 101st Airborne Division soldiers at the airfield on September 25, 2003.
- FOB Sykes supported the 2005 Battle of Tal Afar (Operation Restore Rights).
- A MEDEVAC crew of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade based at FOB Sykes received the Army Aviation Association of America's Rescue of the Year Award.
- The Islamic State held the former base from June 2014 to November 2016 and used it for training and to detain Yazidi prisoners.
Photographs
Roll call: who served at FOB Sykes
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Message board: FOB Sykes
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Sources
- Tal Afar Air Base - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tal_Afar_Air_Base
- "Iron Dukes" finish the fight (DVIDS, 2006). https://www.dvidshub.net/news/7713/iron-dukes-finish-fight
- Sergeant Major of the Army visits FOB Sykes (DVIDS, July 12, 2006). https://www.dvidshub.net/news/7175/sergeant-major-army-visits-fob-sykes
- U.S. Military Units In Iraq (Musings on Iraq, Sept. 2010). http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2010/09/us-military-units-in-iraq.html
- Wikimedia Commons: 3rd ACR Apache debrief, FOB Sykes 2005. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_050805-N-5027S-057_U.S._Army_personnel_deb
- Wikimedia Commons: OH-58D at FOB Sykes 2006. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Defense.gov_News_Photo_061203-F-8006M-017.jpg
- Wikimedia Commons: MEDEVAC Crew Delivers From Remote Corner of Iraq. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MEDEVAC_Crew_Delivers_From_Remote_Corner_of_Iraq_D
- Wikimedia Commons: 855th MPs Operate Iraqi Security Forces Continuing Education Center. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:855th_MPs_Operate_Iraqi_Security_Forces_-_Continui
- Wikimedia Commons: Cavalry Soldiers Hand Over Authority. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cavalry_Soldiers_Hand_Over_Authority_DVIDS225261.j
- Wikimedia Commons: Forward Operating Base Sykes Soldiers take part in Iraqi history. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forward_Operating_Base_Sykes_Soldiers_take_part_in
- Wikimedia Commons: Air Ambulance Team Receives Award for Daring Rescue. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_Ambulance_Team_Receives_Award_for_Daring_Rescu