Training Our Troops!

So, last night I got the coolest opportunity to help train our American soldiers for combat.

Down by Fort Knox, they have a place where civilians can participate. It's called the Zussman Urban Combat Training Center and I got be a terrorist.

Yeah, I know what you're saying... "but DW, you have a red goatee and I'm pretty sure that terrorists don't look like that. You're too white!"

But, see below... are you sure about that? Some of us got guns! At least the guy on the far right (Maxim) looks like a terrorist! Crazy Ukranians :)



We got to participate (about 20 civilians total) on two different training exercises. I've never been to bootcamp, nor seen anything like this. It felt very very real when you see explosions, helicoptors, tanks and hear gunfire and troops yelling "get down get down get down." We had normal paintball guns. The troops had super-mega "military" paintball guns. Instead of the normal round paintballs, they were 9mm "pill size" paintballs. It was pretty cool.

I personally played more of the lookey-loo "random citizen on the street who sometimes gets to close to the troops" both times. I wasn't arrested and was generally left alone. If I got too close the troops, they yelled at me until I figured out what they were saying (I couldn't speak english of course) and ran away.

I look forward to going back.

--DW