New archaeology in Iraq and Afghanistan

At the end of 200 1, when bin Laden and his entourage sneaked into Pakistan at the mountain pass near Tora Bora, Afghanistan, a US Marine Corps task force occupied the abandoned US Embassy in Kabul for a long time, and restored the US control over the building. * * * seems to have been defeated. * * * at large. A new era is unfolding in real time, organized by the U.S. military, shaping itself into a replica after the Vietnam tragedy. The rebuilt embassy, small and quaint, is an accidental time capsule. Like an unexpected archaeological discovery, it preserved cultural relics such as wine, magazines and paper calendars from the previous era, starting from 1989. That year, as Afghanistan plunged into civil war, its diplomats suddenly withdrew from Afghanistan.

With the return of Americans, the place was rearranged by the hour. A sentry appeared at the front door. Here, the Marines stand next to a strange modern and geometrically simple bunker. This defensive position consists of prefabricated heavy metal boxes and synthetic net lining, each filled with gravel, sand or soil. These boxes are arranged as battle positions and explosion-proof walls, neatly stacked together, which is a labor-saving update on sandbags.

People ask: What are these? Heisko, the soldier replied. The name is short for Hesko Fortress, and it is this company that made these fortresses.

Put the clock forward 17 years, those monotonous crates are the symbol of American war values for a generation. The United States now spends more time fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq or other places than closing its embassy in Kabul 1500 days, which is enough to mark the almost forgotten battle on earth. During these years of war, the army spread out on the map and set up outposts on the occupied land. Almost everywhere they went, Hesko barriers were set up. The war has given disturbing new norms an opportunity-the prominence of improvised explosive devices, snuff movies regularly shown on the battlefield, killing people by remote control aircraft and so on. The prefabricated Hesko frame for the earthwork of the expedition has become the main physical feature of this violent universe. Then, during the end, pause and contraction of the Pentagon campaign, the same frame was abandoned on the arid land and became a typical ruin of the war.

Today, there are only traces of Omar outpost near Fallujah. This base experienced fierce fighting in the early days of the Iraq war. On the right, Marine Hank Lilienthal took a break in 2006. (Google Earth; Montemolin/). These outposts are interconnected points on the short-lived map of the Pentagon. Senior officers hope that their troops can establish security and stability in areas where criminals and militants are rampant. The war didn't go as planned. Today, in the era of Internet and open source satellite images, the old location is different types of points on the computer screen of veterans. For them, the ruins of Hesko are the gateway to memory and reflection. How did Hesko assume such a huge role? Military crates come in many sizes and are easier to harden than the perimeter. They are so common and useful that they become ubiquitous in military protection and buildings without engineers. Hesko Company has formed explosion-proof walls around the command post and cabin as medium-sized and large-scale base housing. They surrounded the fuel depot and ammunition depot. They were established to save lives in long-range battles, and to defend mortar pits and artillery battalions, as well as explosive bunkers that troops rushed into in the incoming rocket or mortar fire.

As time went on, Hesko began to represent the neighboring areas. Standard landscape guard towers, rows of portable toilets and simple toilets, and several acres of gravel and gravel used as helicopter landing areas were developed by Ebarrer. The PVC pipe that passes through the wall of Hesko or goes deep underground plays the role of an open-air urinal, which is called "urinary catheter" by the army. Small gyms, sometimes filled with dumbbells and Olympic weights, are also organic because of the smell of cigarette smoke, diesel smoke and human feces. The pungent smell of melting plastic, and God knows what else emanates from burning garbage-"burning pit", have become the basis for many veterans to claim medical compensation for their generation's orange agent inhalation injury.

Together with Hesko Village, it has become a common worry. In the dry season, a fine sand "moon dust" will sink or penetrate everything: the gap between laptop, camera, socks and teeth. In wet weather, dust will form thick mud. Sometimes it looks like cake paste, sometimes it looks like brown grease. And Hesko is not guaranteed to be safe. Although some troops and officers recognize the value of simple roadblocks, they also regard them as a symbol of American fear and excessive tendency to protect by force. This high wall poses a real danger. Around Hesko, when piled high, the view is limited, allowing militants to fire grenades or bombs hidden near the gate of the outpost.

If all this sounds boring, it is. But in other respects, Hesko's compounds are not dull at all. The army leads a colorful life in these narrow spaces. Hesko is a relatively safe place in the sea of chaos and violence, because of its refuge for foreigners who are engaged in occupation tasks. The residents made full use of them. Military practice consumes a lot of time, including maintenance, cleaning, shift work, mission planning and valuable rest. But the army also cooks, organizes pranks, exercises, watches * * *, communicates with the police in Iraq and Afghanistan, drinks tea and smokes. (In some outposts, especially in Afghanistan, some outposts smoke local marijuana and marijuana. )

Our dog dives into obstacles to finding a mate and discarding food. Because of the danger of parasites and rabies, the army adopted these tourists even under the official ban. In the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, some outposts are watched by monkeys. A cow often goes to a remote place. One day, I saw her go underground and enjoy wet muffins in the fire pit.

Most of these outposts only exist today, as a memory and a lingering trace of abandoned Hesko, a short career. Omar Post is located in the north of Kama center in Iraq, next to a two-lane asphalt road, surrounded by labyrinthine canals and farmland. It focuses on a region where * * * branches into a country, a dangerous place full of snipers and roadside bombs. After enduring bullets and truck bombs and staying inside the city wall for several years, the Marines left and Kama became a new battlefield. Omar was once considered necessary, but it was later forgotten.

"It's beautiful here ... just beautiful, but so deadly," a soldier said shortly before closing the Heisko Ring Combat Outpost in Lowell in 2009. (Reuters/Bob Strong) Lowell, a combat outpost near Kamu, Afghanistan, was named after Jacob Lowell, an army expert who was killed in a patrol in 2007. The soldiers built Lowell on the ground of a small castle in the valley next to the Landai River. The castle was fast and green. That's the hunting lodge of the king of Afghanistan. The Americans surrounded the fort with Hesco and reinforced some stone walls. This position has less than 100 soldiers, surrounded by mountains, and its defense ability is comparable to that of elevator shaft. After * * * destroyed a bridge on the only road in the valley, Lowell could not get there on land. Through air strikes and long-range artillery fire