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Army unveils urban combat facility

May- 3-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

[Link to Full Article]
WAINWRIGHT: 25-acre complex is wired for video, sound and smell.
The Associated Press
(Published: May 3, 2004)

FAIRBANKS -- The Army's new urban warfare training facility at Fort Wainwright is the closest thing to battle and the rigors of survival, as far as Cpl. Jared Goert- zen is concerned.

He should know, having just returned from Iraq.

"It's real realistic training," Goertzen said. "This is as close as it gets to the real thing without getting into the real thing."

He and a few dozen other soldiers put on a mock siege April 22 at the new Pvt. Joe Martinez Combined Arms Collective Training Facility, a multibuilding complex touted as the future of urban warfare training.

There were pyrotechnics, fake terrorists and the sound of Islamic prayers blasted over a sound system in the exercise staged for the opening of the new facility as video cameras rolled and civilian and military guests looked on.

Army officials say the 25-acre complex offers soldiers an opportunity to train for situations they might face in Iraq or Afghanistan in a way they've never been able to before. Maj. Gen. John M. Brown, commander of U.S. Army Alaska, noted that this is the sixth such complex built by the military.

Follow the Full Article link to read the rest of the story and view some great pics.


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