Military history: North America / United States Stub‑class

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This article seems biased to me. Close it down.

How do you figure? It's true that there's a fair amount of conjecture, but it's reported as such. The mention of 2 fatalities, out of dozens, seems peculiar. The article needs work, but what specifically seems biased? Martin.duke 14:59, 8 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This is an excellent article. That photograph of neat kerbs, lamp post and a Subway outlet (!) is one of the most striking and inspiring images I've seen. It just goes to show that Iraq can be transformed into a pleasant little Westernised client state if we really put the effort in. 80.47.61.189 20:47, 19 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

LSA Anaconda is a US Army base. Balad Air Base is USAF. I believe they should have their own articles. --JAYMEDINC 02:54, 8 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They're physically the same installation even if the services call them by different names. I'm not sure how you parse out the information between two articles, or if you end up having the same article twice. I also think it's confusing to readers. I do agree that adding some language about the two names, in addition to a redirect from "Balad Air Base", is in order. Martin.duke 19:07, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose - I agree with what you said above. They are physically the same place and there is no clear distinction segregating one area from another. -- VegitaU 03:08, 4 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Balad Air Base is ensconced within LSA Anaconda. It is an inseperable part of the installation. and secondary to it. Th USAF commander reports to the Army commander for all instalation related decisions, if I'm not mistaken. Aestiva 01:42, 3 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This discussion has been open for more than six months and is clearly weighed toward opposition. I got rid of the spilt tag. VegitaU 20:28, 14 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Recently, this article has been sinking into a minor edit war regarding the use of the term Mortaritaville. The argument seemingly revolves around the opinion that the unofficial term doesn't apply to LSA Anaconda. As an active party in the argument, I decided to begin discussions and state my opinion here...

It doesn't matter where the real Mortaritaville is supposed to be located... Balad AB is known as Mortaritaville colloquially, meaning informally and not officially. The name Mortaritaville may apply to various bases, depending only on the inhabitants (not official documents). As such, stop deleting the colloquial references from the main page under the justification of being inaccurate. This page is about Balad Air Base, aka LSA Anaconda, and not about where the "real" Mortaritaville is located. The term is cited properly from a dependable source and is useful in illustrating the type of culture that has evolved on the base. -- VegitaU 04:15, 11 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with the user VegitaU, it irrelavent where the real Mortaritaville is located, the Balad AB/LSA Anaconda is known as Mortaritaville, I personally do not know when this was coined by the servicemembers and contractors who were living on the base but I do know that Log Base Seitz was known as Mortaritaville in 2003 - 2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and when the base was initially established next to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) to the West of Baghdad, this name was coined due to the high frequency of rockets and mortars landing inside and around the compound from personal knowledge and experience (having been there). I personally do not know if this is still the case today in 2007 although as I understand, it is. There are plenty of sources online that also comment about Log Base Seitz as Mortaritaville:

Definition from an article from the Fort Sill's magazine Field Artillery in October 2006, Mortaritaville or Mortarville - noun, Mortaritaville or Mortarville is a military base that is attacked regualarly. It usually refers to Logistics Support Area (LSA) Anaconda near Balad, Iraq, although an informant says that a multicolored "Welcome to Mortaritaville" sign was displayed at Log Base Seitz (also known as "Seitzkatraz" or "Impact Zone Seitz") in late 2003. Mortaritaville is a play on the Jimmy Buffet song "Margaritaville."

Definition and discussion about Log Base Seitz as Mortaritaville from online users

http://newsblip.net/article/id_article/8501/grp_id/191/push/1/?PHPSESSID=a62938052244c4cbd9f75b7fdf349ccc

http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2006/02/05/opinion/0205060016.txt Published February 2006 coining Log Base Seitz as Mortaritaville
Signaleer 06:39, 11 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Anaconda gift shops had lots of Mortaritaville gear for sale when I visited there in 2005. However, I passed on it. If I make it sound like a tourist destination, that is because Anaconda was used as an R&R destination for the 102nd Field Artillery while deployed to FOB Spartan. I just thought I would add the interesting side note to the discussion. --JAYMEDINC 11:45, 11 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

As you said above, the shops on base sold all sorts of paraphernalia at least as of last year while I did my tour. There were colorful coins, hats, and shirts all proclaiming Balad AB as Mortaritaville. -- VegitaU 23:52, 11 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Your innaccurate sources are not justification for the inclusion of the name "Mortaritaville". That name originated on Log Base Seitz, therefore, that is to which post it belongs. I was on that post from 2004-05, and I know for fact that the name originated there. The phrase "Welcome to Mortaritaville" was included on all signage for Log Base Seitz during 2003. Also, cheap trinkets with a stolen name do not qualify as acceptable sources.RFP15 00:05, 12 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Alright, let's address this wholly:

1. First, GlobalSecurity.org, the source we've used to cite the information, is an acclaimed source that is easily considered verifiable and relevant.
2. Second, wherever the name came from doesn't matter. This article is not about "Mortaritaville". It's about LSA Anaconda that is referred to as Mortaritaville colloquially by the people stationed there. There aren't any official documents that refer to LSA Anaconda as Mortaritaville. Any place can be colloquially referred to as anything; it's only dependent on the inhabitants. And as many have addressed above, the name "Mortaritaville" has been so widespread through merchandise and such, that it has become a notable piece of military culture.
3. Third, no one "stole" anything. The article already notes, albeit unreferenced, that FOB Seitz probably originated the name. If you feel so passionately about the issue, you should create an article on FOB Seitz and call it the "original Mortaritaville" (hopefully referenced).

-- VegitaU 02:25, 12 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]