The Sims

War games in the army was basically a huge game of laser tag. Every person and piece of equipment in the game is fitted with receivers that will register hits based on the type of weapons employed against said equipment. At the beginning of the game everyone/thing is outfitted with this gear. There is a band that wraps around you helmet as well as your chest and back. For every weapon there is a laser that's mounted to the barrel somewhere. The gear works pretty well if it's set up right. When you fire a weapon, like a rifle, the sensor gets tripped off and sends a beam out to whatever your shooting at. This makes for some pretty realistic action. Ammo, in the form of blanks, is used. So if you run out of bullets, you're S.O.L.

Some things still have to be simulated though. There are referees attached to every unit. They serve three purposes. First, they make sure things are working out in a realistic fashion. For example, if you detonate a nuclear bomb and you're standing 2 feet away from it, they bust out their "god gun" (a magic gun that will kill anything with receivers on it) and wax you for being a dumbass. Second, is to simulate action and make sure things are fair. Indirect fire weapons (weapons like artillery cannons) and other things such as bombs, are simulated. If you're standing in the middle of an open field when an artillery barrage comes in, chances you're going to be put out by the "god gun." The last purpose the referees serve is to give after action reviews. The whole purpose of the game is to make our forces better at fighting under real conditions. The refs will analyze what you did right and wrong and give advise on how to be better prepared the next go around. The experience is invaluable in the amount of lives it saves.


Every person is given a card in a sealed envelope. That envelope is sealed in your little medical pouch. On that card is a picture of a human silhouette. Each card has a little write up of the location and symptoms of the injury. One card might have a description like "1/2 inch puncture wound in the lower left abdomen with no exit wound" while another card might simply say "KIA" (Killed In Action). Also, on the card, would be a prognosis like "patient will be KIA if treatment is not received in 15 minutes." The whole process is to train to fight the entire war from your average infantryman, to the paper pushers, medics and logistics officers. It all works pretty well.

There are some flaws in the system though. It's hard to simulate artillery rounds coming into your position so they have dudes running around on quad runners with little noise makers (that are probably available at any fireworks store) to simulate where the rounds land. The problem with this system is, you hear the quad from a mile away whereas you might have 1/2 a second before an actual round hit. The refs try and make sure you don't run from the quad, but like any game, there are always cheaters. Sometimes the referees get in the way. Imagine you're trying to sneak up on some bad guys and the ref, who is following you around, is tramping around like a wounded elephant. Another problem is the gear. Imagine you're in the field wearing a helmet, boots, parka, ammo belt (six mags of ammo, 2 quarts of water, a grenade), a gas mask, and a rifle. Unless your bathing or less than 10 feet from it, you're carrying this gear the whole time. The receivers and senders add weight to what you're already strapped down with. The worst are the receiver on your helmet and the one on your rifle. The best money I ever spent was 49 cents on a foam pad that fits inside your helmet. MILES gear (I forget what the acronym stands for) adds more weight to an already heavy helmet. The worst part is the weight isn't evenly distributed and the battery pack is at the back of your head and renders your 49 cent pad ineffective. Your neck starts killing you after about 2 hours.

It's been ten over years since I've been in. I hope they have replaced that crap with some newer stuff!