The emotional intensity seemed real. So did the weapons, sights and sounds.
Thankfully, nobody burst my bubble by reminding me you shouldn’t wear high heels in a combat environment.
Maybe my getup -- a dress and red pumps -- wasn’t ideal for a recent media preview of the new combat simulators at the National Infantry Museum.
But that didn’t prevent me from getting caught up in the battle scenario. When I began my mission, I said a silent prayer amid tense muscles: “Please, don’t let me shoot at the wrong people.”
The simulators, which opened to the public late last week, are a new addition to the National Infantry Museum. Go to the museum’s lower level and you’ll find a real Humvee and a replica Black Hawk helicopter.
The simulators, complete with weapons, sit beside large screens that display the area you navigate while fulfilling your approximately six-minute mission.
Your goal: make your way through armed militants while rescuing humanitarian aid workers and refugees who are being held captive.
Sound easy? Not entirely.
For someone untrained in combat strategy, the mission held various concerns, like my initial unfamiliarity with Weapon Handling 101.
Maneuvering a reporter’s notebook is one thing. Maneuvering a rifle is an entirely different ordeal.
The aforementioned prayer wasn’t a joke. At multiple times during the exercise, I was genuinely afraid I was shooting at the wrong people.
Oh yeah, there’s also some pretty intense noise, similar to the sounds you’d hear in a real battle environment. To curb the impact, I rocked some pretty cool headphones.
The vehicles navigate identical landscapes -- one gives you a view from the air, while the other gives you a view from the land.
The game is rated “T for Teen” by the Entertainment Rating Software Board. You must be at least 50 inches tall to fire the M4 rifles.
If you’re not tall enough to operate the weapons, you can use a video game controller in the Humvee’s back seat.
Physically, I was unscathed, but I left the experience with a deeper understanding of real combat -- you know, the kind that doesn’t let you change into more comfortable shoes when your six minutes are over.
Sonya Sorich, reporter, can be reached at 706-571-8516.
