Firebase Wilderness, also known as Forward Operating Base Tellier, was a joint U.S.-Afghan outpost in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, in the

Gerda Serai District Gerda Seray is a district of Paktia Province, Afghanistan. It was created in 2005 within Wuza Zadran District Zadran District ( ps, د ځدراڼ ولسوالۍ) is a district of Paktia Province, Afghanistan. The district is within the heartland o ...

Paktia Paktia (Pashto/Dari: – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 6 ...

Province.

Overview

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 , settlement_type =City , image_skyline =gardez_paktya.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption =The Bala Hesar fortress in the center of Gardez City , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_sea ...

City. 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. FB Wilderness then served as a base of operations for U.S. military elements,

Afghan National Army Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia * Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity **Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

soldiers from 1st Brigade, 203rd ANA Corps, and Afghan regional policemen. During the

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

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 The battle for Hill 3234 (Russian: Бой у высоты 3234) was a successful defensive battle fought by the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, Soviet Airborne Troops, in Afghanistan against a force of some 250 Mujahideen rebels wh ...

. 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. In 2007,

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

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. During a gun battle with insurgent forces in the vicinity of FB Wilderness, SGT Tellier was fatally wounded on Sept. 29, 2007. In October 2008, the CBS news program ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

'' aired a report by

Lara Logan Lara Logan (born 29 March 1971) is a South African television and radio journalist and war correspondent. Logan's career began in South Africa with various news organizations in the 1990s. Her profile rose due to reporting around the American ...

from FB Wilderness titled "Afghanistan: Fighting In A "'Hornet's Nest'".

U.S. military occupants

Since its establishment in December 2006, U.S. Army units have assumed control of Wilderness, including: * 3rd BCT, 10th Mountain Division *

508th Parachute Infantry Regiment The 508th Infantry Regiment (508th PIR, 508th AIR, or 508th IR) ("Red Devils" or "Fury from the Sky") 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 u ...

, 82nd Airborne Division * 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division * 4th BCT, 25th Infantry Division * 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division * C Troop 1-61 Cavalry * B Troop, and D Troop, 6th Squadron,

4th Cavalry Regiment The 4th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment, whose lineage is traced back to the mid-19th century. It was one of the most effective units of the Army against American Indians on the Texas frontier. Today, the regiment exis ...

, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division * A Battery 1st platoon 1st Battalion 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division * A Battery, 1st Platoon, 4th Battalion,

320th Field Artillery Regiment The 320th Field Artillery Regiment (320th FAR) is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army. A parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, the 320th FAR currently has two active elements in the 101st Airborne Division, 101s ...

, 4th Brigade Combat Team,

101st Airborne Division 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 operati ...

https://www.ausa.org/sites/default/files/Avallone_0608.pdf CBS News: Afghanistan: Fighting In A "Hornet's Nest"
/ref>

References

External links

CBS News: Afghanistan: Fighting In A "Hornet's Nest"
{{War in Afghanistan, state=collapsed Military installations of the United States in Afghanistan Fire support bases

Overview

U.S. military occupants

See also

References

External links