[judgementday]

In assiting the ROTC twice a year with their FTX events and playing the roll of the OPFOR, our goal is to make each simulation as real as possible for when they are over seas. We dress as insurgents, some of us have even take on their accents when in the role, etc... Even though I have never been overseas, I have studied their culture and spoke with soldiers, and middle eastern students to try and understand where these people are coming from.

The event is broken into "lanes" in which the cadets have an objection and we are there to cause as much confusion as possible whether it is with weapons or just giving them the run around. Since we bagan participating in this, to my surprise, the lane evaluators get pissed the most when the cadets screw up during a non-shooting lane where it is just public relations. Just making the wrong body movement can turn off a tribal leader or spark a gun fight. So it is imparative whether they like it or not, that they learn their customs while they are in their country.

The point that I am trying to make as Vundy has eluded to is that we have made a bad habit of grouping all muslims into the same group. From what I have been told and learned, one on one interactions with these people is what is most important. Showing them that we are not "evil" is what, IMO, will keep WWIII at bay.

We are hated over there because of their media, just as ours here show only the rioting.