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Middlesex Township near Carlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

HESCO Barriers

U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center

 
 
Hesco Barriers Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Don Morfe, May 31, 2015
1. Hesco Barriers Marker
Inscription.
Hercules Engineering Solutions Consortium (HESCO) Barriers
HESCO Barriers are a modern type of gabion currently employed in the battlespaces of Iraq and Afghanistan. HESCO barriers are constructed of Galfan coated steel welded mesh and lined with non-woven polypropylene geotextile. They are then filled with local dirt and rock. The use of these barriers had reduced the amount of time and manpower needed to build defensive positions and they are generally sturdier than those constructed of sandbags.

Structures like the one you see before you have been used by the US Military for additional security at permanent traffic control points in places as the Green Zone in Baghdad and various locations in Afghanistan. Typically this configuration would be manned by two or three Soldiers equipped with a medium to heavy machine gun with additional support provided by the Soldiers’ personal weapons. These structures would provide protection from small arms as well as limited protection from explosions.

Field Works on the Army Heritage Trail
Throughout American history Soldiers have built structures to serve as strong points on the battlefield and in their area of operations. These have ranged from simple ditches and earth works to wayside stations, block houses and forts. On the Army Heritage Trail you
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will encounter recreations of some of these structures that point to key experiences in Army history. Many of these structures incorporate similar features that have been in use around the world for centuries. One such feature that has traveled through time is the gabion. A gabion began as a woven basket of branches filled with earth. Use of gabions can be seen on the Army Heritage Trail in the recreation of Redoubt 10 (Yorktown) as well as in our recreated WWI trench line. During the American Civil War gabions were extensively used in both Federal and Confederate fortifications, most notably at the siege of Petersburg.

(Inscription below the photo in the upper left)
A front end loader fills HESCO barriers during construction of a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Iraq. (Inscription below the photo in the upper right) Gabions being built for the Federal trenches at Petersburg, Virginia, 1864.

(Inscription beside the drawing in the lower right)
Drawings of gabion construction from the Complete U.S. Infantry Guide, 1917.
 
Erected by U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center.
 
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: War, 1st Iraq & Desert StormWar, 2nd IraqWar, Afghanistan.
 
Location. 40° 12.45′ N, 77° 
Hesco Barriers Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Don Morfe, May 31, 2015
2. Hesco Barriers Marker
9.546′ W. Marker is near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. It is in Middlesex Township. Memorial is on Army Heritage Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Carlisle PA 17013, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. HESCO in Iraq (a few steps from this marker); HESCO in Afghanistan (a few steps from this marker); HESCO at Home (a few steps from this marker); Specialist (SPC) Charles Posey III (within shouting distance of this marker); Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) (within shouting distance of this marker); Sergeant (SGT) Robert Easley, Jr. (within shouting distance of this marker); The Army Introduces a Heavyweight: The 3-Inch Antitank Gun M5/M6 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); General Matthew Bunker Ridgway (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Carlisle.
 
Hesco Barriers Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Don Morfe, May 31, 2015
3. Hesco Barriers Marker
Sign at the entrance to the US Army Heritage and Education Center image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Don Morfe, May 31, 2015
4. Sign at the entrance to the US Army Heritage and Education Center
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 5, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 616 times since then and 9 times this year. Last updated on July 13, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 5, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024