Virtual Army Experience

I wrote a story for the Washington Times this week on the Virtual Army Experience, the Army's new tool to shape public conceptions of the Army. The 19,500 square foot arena is designed to give players a real feel for the combat situations that our military experiences every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Truth be told - nothing can emulate real combat in my opinion, but the simulator harps on the more glorified aspects of being a soldier. If you want to read more about it, take a look at the article.

The highlight of my day was meeting Sergeant Jason Mike, a silver star recipient for his service in Iraq. Sgt Mike is a part of the Army's "Real Heros" program which is designed to put a heroic face to the Army.

Sargeant Mike is truly a hero.

When his convoy was on a patrol mission to clear supply routes of hostile targets and IED's, Sgt Mike's three hummer convoy was ambushed. Sgt Mike, a combat medic, proceeded to encounter the threat head on, fending off over over 50 insurgents while treating three injured soldiers. At one point Sgt Mike faced the enemy alone, wielding two weapons, an m249 light machine gun and an m4 assault rifle. Because of his heroism, Sgt Mike's convoy escaped the ambush with no casualties.

This man could not be more awesome. He even has his own action figure, which true to the story, has him wielding two weapons. Just as an aside, I was let down that the action figure was made in China.

His full story is here



The VAE was being showcased during a Joint Forces open house at Andrew's AFB. The tarmac was covered by aircraft from each o the services. I snapped a few photos, so here they are for
your enjoyment.















The B17 Memphis Belle. Probably the most famous bomber from WWII.















The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor. RIP






Sikorsky HH-53 "Super Jolly Green Giant"















The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon