Dancon / Irak Dancon / Irak is short for " Danish Contingent / Irak " , and was the designated name for the Danish ground contingent deployed to Iraq from June 2003 to July 2007 . History . Dancon ' s units were subordinate to Multi - National Division ( South East ) ( " MND ( SE ) " ) , which is responsible for the southern provinces of Al Basrah , Maysan , Dhi Qar and Al Muthanna in Iraq . MND ( SE ) is a British - run division containing units from several other European nations . Dancon arrived in Kuwait on 2 June 2003 , and reached its Area of Responsibility ( AOR ) in Iraq on 6 June 2003 . After an initial setup phase , Dancon / Irak took official charge of its AOR on 12 June 2003 during a ceremonial reception in CIMIC - house , Al - Qurna , from the British Joint NBC Regiment . The formation was initially 380 personnel , and 42 more were added in July / August 2003 . By February 2005 , the contingent consisted of approximately 545 soldiers . Danish troops were rotated every six months , and each contingent had a slightly different composition of units and men . By March 2007 , its size had fallen to about 460 . A 53 - man Lithuanian unit , designated LITCON , had been attached to Dancon since June 2003 . They were withdrawn along with the Danes by August 2007 . Additionally , Denmark temporarily deployed around 35 soldiers as guards for the United Nations presence in Baghdad , and as of 2005 , had sent ten instructors and seven guards to serve under the NATO Training Mission in Iraq . The 601st Iraqi National Guard Battalion was briefly under Dancon command , as was a detachment of about 130 British troops in February 2004 , due to the expansion of their AOR . The majority of the Danish troops deployed to Iraq withdrew at the end of July 2007 and were replaced by a 55 - member contingent , known as HELDAT ( under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Jannik Skov ) , whose task was to operate a unit of four helicopters in support of British and Iraqi forces . This unit was withdrawn by 21 December 2007 , and has been replaced by 50 military personnel charged with protecting Danish diplomats and liasing with coalition forces in Baghdad . Composition of Dancon / Irak . Each contingent of Dancon consisted of the following units : Also attached in the invasion phase : Camps and Locations . Camp Eden . " Camp Eden " was located about 9 km north west of Al - Qurnah , near Glory Canal . The camp was built in June / July 2003 by the then attached Engineer Company . Covering around 500 . 000 m² , it was built on top of one of Saddam Hussein ' s military installations , previously destroyed . The camp was nicknamed " Ørken Fortet " ( Desert Fortress ) by the locals . Its radio - communications code name was " Amsterdam " . Camp Eden was disassembled in August – September 2004 when Dancon ' s AOR doubled in size due to an expansion further South . Dancon moved to " Camp Danevang " , located inside Shaiba Logistics Base . Cimic - House . " Cimic - House " , located in Al - Qurnah , is a former Ba ' ath Party building . It was the site of the Danish Civil - Military Co - operation ( CIMIC ) from June 2003 to May 2004 when it was handed over to the Iraqis . Camp Yggdrasil . " Camp Yggdrasil " was located on Shaiba Logistics Base , about 15 km west of Basra . It was built during June / July 2003 . The home of the National Support Element ( NSE ) , the camp was later incorporated into the newly built Camp Danevang . Yggdrasil , from which the camp was named , is a mythological tree between heaven and hell in Norse mythology . Camp Danevang . " Camp Danevang " , located on the Shaiba Logistics Base , was officially handed over by the construction company on 18 October 2004 . However , it had already been in use since September of that year , following the closure of Camp Eden . The units responsible for the construction of the camp were the Army Operational Command ( " Hærens Operative Kommando " ) and the Defence Construction Service ( " Forsvarets Bygningstjeneste " ) . The foundations of the camp were built by Danish Camp Supply A / S and Iraqi Basra Engineering . The construction of the actual camp and all the associated requirements , including the transportation of all equipment from Camp Eden , was done by Dancon itself with help from an attached Engineer Detachment and the Danish International Logistical Center . It was decided in June 2004 to reposition Dancon to this location following the doubling of Dancon ' s AOR ( now about 20 , 000 km² , nearly extending all the way down to Kuwait ) , thus allowing Dancon to be more centralized in its AOR . Camp Danevang was handed over to the Iraqis in March 2007 . Camp Einherjer . In January 2007 Dancon relocated to Camp Einherjer , located on the British Basra Air Station , west of Basra . The camp was built between November 2006 and January 2007 . With the withdrawal of both Dancon and its smaller successor HELDAT from Southern Iraq , the fate of camp Einherher is unclear ( presumably , it has been transferred to Iraqi forces ) . Subordination . While Dancon was subordinate to Multi - National Division ( South - East ) , the British division that ran MND ( SE ) often changed , meaning that control of Dancon switched between various units . Fatalities during Dancon / Irak . Since 2003 , seven Danish soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq . Awards and decorations . Every Danish soldier who participated in Dancon / Irak received " The Defence Medal " with an inscription reading " OIF " ( the abbreviation for " Operation Iraqi Freedom " ) . The Defence Medal for participation in Iraq has also been awarded posthumously to all the fallen soldiers . Furthermore , in May 2005 , two Danish soldiers received " The Defence Medal for heroic deeds " during their tour of duty in Iraq . They were both from Den Kongelige Livgarde . One of the two soldiers , Sergeant Ole Gretlund , was awarded the medal when he saved the lives of Lithuanian soldiers in Al - Qurnah . The Lithuanian soldiers , who were under the command of DANCON / Irak , were pinned down in a firefight with insurgents . Gretlund saved the lives of the soldiers by his exemplary leadership and personal valour . After some hours , the insurgents withdrew their positions and the Lithuanian soldiers were evacuated with no Danish or Lithuanian casualties . Another Danish soldier , Pfc . Thomas Huusmann of the Danish Army Reserve , was awarded the medal because he saved the lives of both Iraqis and Danes in two firefights in Iraq . During the first , he saved the lives of an officer , an interpreter , and a sheikh while under heavy fire from local tribes in Al - Qurnah . In the second firefight in August 2004 , Huusmann protected ten Danish soldiers ' lives while under assault rifle and RPG fire from insurgents at close quarters , by remaining calm and returning fire . There were no casualties among any of the coalition soldiers on either occasion . Each commander of Dancon / Irak has been awarded the Order of the Dannebrog for his service to the Danish Army . Soldiers who served under Dancon / Irak that have been killed or wounded in action have also been awarded " The Medal for Killed and Wounded in Service " .