Online Soldiers
Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
--The Ballad of the Green Berets,
Sadler/Moore
_________________
Fearless men who jump and die
--The Ballad of the Green Berets,
Sadler/Moore
_________________
Submitted for your consideration (via Komando.com):
This is the closest you can get to becoming a soldier without leaving your keyboard. In fact, the game is sponsored by the U.S. Army. You can be part of a team of other online soldiers, each with a different role.
Your missions have you in villages, city streets, mountains and tunnels in all kinds of weather. You'll get real mission briefings and the chance to choose your equipment from real-world weapons. America's Army: Special Forces boasts an online community of 5 million players and holds online events.
In America's Army: Special Forces, players attempt to earn Green Beret status by completing individual and collective training missions drawn from the Special Forces Assignment and Selection (SFAS) process.
Players who complete the SFAS process have the opportunity to take on elite Special Forces roles and are qualified to play in multiplayer missions with units ranging from the elite 82d Airborne Division to the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Link: www.americasarmy.com
Yeah, buddy. So, like -- you don't have to change your skivvies or give up on that Schlitz to earn your Green Beret -- how cool is that? And don't tell me it might up recruitment.
The Army recently released figures showing 48,000 potential recruits were rejected for being overweight -- more than the total number currently in theatre on Afghanistan. I guarantee you these dudes have plenty of Dominoes boxes and litres of soda surrounding them for their ultra secret online missions.
As reader Sheerahkahn might say, *facepalm*.
Labels: americasarmy, gtreen berets
posted by Lisa at 6:19 PM
8 Comments:
Well, I think a big part of getting people to participate in wars willingly is hoodwinking them. If you can make the whole idea of war into some grand idea, bigger than you, which is lots of fun, then you can get people to do it.
Personally, I have no desire to ever be shot at again, and I think people who can spend 20 years doing so either have a little something extra that lets them deal with it, or are missing a little something that makes them completely sane.
So we turn it into a video game, sponsored by the Army, show them only the fun side, and then get people into it that way. Never mind that when you're playing the game, you didn't have to spend hours walking there, your muscles aren't on fire, the screen turns red if you get shot but it doesn't hurt, and there is a reset button (all things curiously different than my time in the military).
I think throughout history they (they being whoever happens to be in charge of whatever government in place) have used similar tactics to disguise the ugly realities of warfare, because people wouldn't deal well with the truth, and that's combat is sort of shitty and putting yourself through it so old men can sit back and have arguments in Congress about nonsense and foolishness seems stupid.
Grant L ,
Little lesson from Ranger- getting shot at is no biggy!!! It's when they hit you that ruins the warrior moment thing. Ask Minstral Boy., but I roger your point.
This article is sorta timely as I just found a certificate that I didn't even know that i had. It was found at my parents home during this visit. It's a certificate from JFKSWC authorizing my wearing of the Green Beret. I also have my RVN 5th Grp Beret back in my possession. This will probably help more than does Viagra. We old timers must take help wherever we can get it.
I will post these pics and certificates when i return home.
jim
Ranger,
This game has been out for a long time. I remember them giving it out at recruiting booths when I was in high school in 2002.
In the game you spend about 10-15 minutes going through basic, crawling under some wire and shooting some targets. Shit, even the DS don't yell at you in the game!
I don't know how it impacts recruiting but it sure does paint a pretty picture of life as a infantryman.
Joe,
In the ice ages before computers we did the same type of thing- we ate a worm and jumped off a footlocker, this was the Ranger short course.
jim
I don't know, if I had my choice I'd pick getting shot over getting blown up, depending of course on the relative calibers involved and exactly where I'm getting shot. The getting blown up is what really rocked my world. The getting shot at is only terrifying afterwards, during you can just focus on your training. My training to get blown up consisted of a suggestion to jump a dozen feet in the air and tear myself to bits. Which would probably look spectacular but won't do much for my survivability.
Anything they can do to get you to sign the contract, pretty much. Painting a realistic picture of the situation is only a good way to get crazy people to enlist.
"As reader Sheerahkahn might say, *facepalm*."
dam'it!
You beat me to it!
I wonder how many insurgent units use this for a training aid to familarize them with US tactics and weapons?
terrible,
Excellent OPSEC observation.
jim
Post a Comment
<< Home