Artifact of the Month
The large, flat surface of the typical Texas barrier was often used by units for artwork that symbolized their unit and mission of the 457th Transportation Battalion.
The unit crest of the 457th Transportation Battalion
A Bremer Wall, is a twelve-foot-high portable, steel-reinforced concrete blast wall of the type used for blast protection throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. The name is believed to have originated from L. Paul Bremer, of the Coalition Provisional Authority, who was the Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance immediately following the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The 12 foot tall Bremer barriers are usually referred to as Texas barriers. These T-shaped walls were originally developed by the Israelis in their West Bank Barrier. The term "T-wall" has also been used commonly by soldiers throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, due to the wall's cross-sectional shape resembling an inverted letter "T".
The large, flat surface of the typical Texas barrier was often used by units for artwork that symbolized their unit and mission. This artwork by the 457th Transportation Battalion, an Army Reserve unit now based out of Fort Snelling, Minnesota, was painted in 2005 and features the up-armored M915 Truck, the mainstay of the battalion’s line haul mission in OIF III, and the unit’s motto “Movement to Victory”. In 2010 this barrier was shipped back to Fort Eustis for display at the museum.