[September 15, 2025] Victory Base Complex It was a huge base, a sprawling compound that housed nearly 15,000 military and civilian personnel. Victory Base Complex was unique. It was an amalgamation of ten bases, each with controlled checkpoints, separate utilities, and living areas. At Victory Base, a large contingent of Special Forces, coalition members, and Iraqi National Guard and Police were present. Such Prima Donnas we were for being the main force in the 1st Cavalry Division.
Later, this complex would more than triple in strength. Living areas were given names like Freedom Village, Dodge City (where I lived), Audie Murphy, Omaha Beach, and Red Leg. It also included the Sports Oasis and De Fleury dining facilities. As Victory grew, new additions included a Burger King, Green Beans coffee café (very popular), Turkish restaurants, recreational facilities, and novelty shops.
Anyone who has been to Victory Base will tell you that the Saddam-era Al Faw Palace symbolizes the grandness of the base. It is a genuine palace, well constructed and grand in every respect. It symbolized Saddam Hussein’s belief that Islam would forever stand as the true religion for humanity.
The 1st Cav Area of Responsibility, where our Division was to operate, was roughly a 50-mile circle around the ancient city of Baghdad and physically larger than the 1st Armor Division’s area. Al Faw was the geographic center. Victory Base would remain the central hub of Coalition activities throughout the war and frequently receive more than its share of indirect fire from insurgents and terrorists.
All of us lived in military canvas tents surrounded by sandbags stacked to about waist high, just high enough to prevent shrapnel from hitting us if we were sleeping on an army-issue cot. Fortunately, we had adequate heating and cooling from split environmental units installed in each tent. I shared my tent with ten other Soldiers.
We showered and shaved in the open in what we called a “John Wayne” unit (wooden-constructed outhouses). Toilets were of the common porta-john variety.
I cautiously avoided most Iraqi constructed buildings because of structural damage, and they lacked heating and cooling. I did not want one unexpectedly crashing down on my men. On the other hand, Iraqi concrete buildings were safer in an indirect mortar or rocket attack.
These concrete masonry units were the model for our future construction efforts that would house incoming military units. Overall, Victory was an unexpected luxury. The base commander even required saluting of senior officers, something I was a bit worried about for obvious reasons. Of course, our 1st Cav brethren had to make something special out of the salute. There was something called the “Cav Salute,” involving a vertical hand salute from the center of the head, followed by the words “Hooah!” or “First Team!” And you had to say it like you meant it.
Such Prima Donnas we were.
But, you don’t dare salute off Victory Base or near its perimeter; your life might depend upon knowing when to follow the rules and not.
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Please read my books:
Indeed, we were Prima Donnas. 🫡
I found this funny, more than I think I should have.
PS, I was never in the Cav.
PSS, but I knew a lot of them and Gen. S. is spot on.
Good one, Gen. Satterfield. I heard that too.
Neat Man, I was thinking the same. Sometimes we are just – to use my mother’s phrase – “too big for our britches.” This was one of those articles posted by Gen. S that takes me back a long way to the lessons of childhood and to my manager times when I had to relearn lessons the hard way. Thanks all for reading this website that is clearly my favorite on leadership and learning how to be a good person.
I came here to let everyone know that this article, and others that we’ve read here daily, come from his first book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq” and it is a fantastic read. Get yourself a copy. Every page is a story and a page turner too. You won’t want to put it down after starting off reading. It is a pleasure and ANYONE can read it. No unnecessary military jargon or slang (not too much). Evrything is explained well. We all love it in our family household. Even my wife liked it and she is not into these kind of books.
You da man, Gen. Satterfield. No wonder we love your website. Keep on writing.
“Such Prima Donnas we were.” — Gen. Doug Satterfield ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Audrey, yep, this is some type of humor from Gen. Satterfield that will occasionally leak out. Look for it and you shall find. This is an old message from the Bible that Gen. S encourages us to read. This blog post is an example of just one story among hundreds in his book. His main theme is the courage of our fighting forces.
This is why we are such big big fans.
Good one. We were prima donnas. ha ha ha LOL
Rough living, for most of his unit. I know from reading Gen. Satterfield’s letters to his granddaughter, that he spent much of his childhood camping, fishing, running around, hunting, goofing off … all outside. Plus he was in the Boy Scouts (when the scouts were led by real men and now the wussies of today) that taught them the basics of outdoor living and the skills necessary to live there relatively easily. Thanks for this informative article about events from the early years in the war in Iraq. That is what I like to read about. And, oh, I do have the book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq.” The stories of Army Engineers in the fight.
🫡 Cav Salute 🫡
Ha Ha, good one, Gen. Satterfield as we look back upon the years 2004-05 and a reminder to read your great book “Our Longest Year in Iraq.” https://www.amazon.com/Our-Longest-Year-Iraq-Construction/dp/1737915510/ This is a book that “tells the stories taht need telling.”
EXACTLY RIGHT
Much of where Gen. Satterfield comes from intellectually is right here under our noses. Pay attention folks. Read his words and learn where to dig into the inside stories. But, it requires effort.
“ Author: Douglas R. Satterfield
Hello. I provide one article every day. My writings are influenced by great thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Jung, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Jean Piaget, Erich Neumann, and Jordan Peterson, whose insight and brilliance have gotten millions worldwide to think about improving ourselves. Thank you for reading my blog.”
Nailed it.