They're tearing down the Hescos!

"When a thing is done, it's done. Don't look back. Look forward to your
next objective." - George C. Marshall

Hesco... Did the word even exist before this war started? A last name perhaps? I never recall hearing, much less saying the word prior to deploying to Iraq a few years ago. Hesco is a word breathed to life during the course of the past few years. The image of a Hesco is seared into the memory banks of anybody who has deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Hesco is a noun. A Hesco is a portable barrier foundation constructed of canvas and steel wires. When folded open, it is filled to the top with dirt and voila! Instant barrier! When Hescos are lined up and stacked they form walls that can shelter people from bullets, shrapnel and other instruments of death. If you give a platoon of Soldiers a pallet of Hescos and some shovels they can have a formidable patrol base built in one night. Hesco walls have been constructed everywhere in Iraq. Normally, they are the force protection barriers for tent cities or CHUs. Did I mention they are everywhere? Well the age of the Hesco is coming to a close. They're tearing down the Hescos. As the force reduction continues it leaves behind ghost towns of Hesco walls that form the remnant of former life-support areas (LSA). These ghost towns are now an endangered species. The earth moving equipment is on the march. The beauty of the Hesco is that once it's torn down and the dirt hauled away there is no evidence of what once stood. Every week another Hesco village disappears from COB Speicher. You better hurry if you want to get a picture.

Most of the more permanent facilities may have once been surrounded by Hescos. The Hescos have since been replaced by t-walls - giant reinforced concrete construction barriers. The t-walls will be gone eventually as well. The ubiquitous t-wall will also always be remembered by everyone who has spent time here. However, it's the Hesco that will always be synonomous with this war. Vietnam had the Huey. Iraq has the Hesco. They both start with the same letter but they are entirely different in definition. Another generation of Veterans with stories to share who may each have different experiences but will be linked by a common word - Hesco. I had the good fortune to see many of them erected and now I get to see them come down. My deployment experiences have come full circle.

Do I consider this closure? Absolutely not. I wasn't seeking closure. I always want these memories - the good and bad. The past eight years of my life have been an amazing journey. I have seen places and things I never thought I would ever bear witness to. Iraq has become etched into my subconciousness. I know I'm not alone.

Perhaps in a few years I'll find the creativity to put all this into music. What type you ask? Banjo of course. And how could I find inspiration for the type of sound that my banjo would fit best? I think I'd start with Sixteen Horsepower and work from there.