In the Global War on Terrorism, the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan have become a non-traditional challenge.  Service members from all branches and military occupations have, or will at some time, find themselves in direct combat with insurgent forces.  The United States Army Reserve’s newly formed 89^th Sustainment Brigade, commanded by Colonel Mikel J. Burroughs, is taking the problem seriously by stepping up its training.

Soldiers of the 89^th Sustainment Brigade were extensively trained and drilled on small unit tactics.  Staff Sergeant Robert Szkutnik, Staff Sergeant Jose Lezama and Corporal Edward Flanagan, three combat veterans with vast deployment experience, wanted to make sure the training was realistic.  The dilemma: to find a way of evaluating soldiers under simulated combat conditions. The answer: McConnell’s paintball field, run by Outdoor Recreation.

The field is a small fenced-in patch of land with dense woods, open fields, barriers and obstacles constructed by Airmen on their off-duty hours.  Outdoor Recreation supplied paintball guns and equipment for the soldiers to rent.  Additionally, they had paintball trip wire devices and mines that simulated UXOs (Unexploded Ordnances) and IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices).  The cost was limited and paid for with unit funds in support of the Army’s intent to train soldiers down to the lowest levels.

 Practical war-time scenarios were issued to each team.  The Team Leader briefed and rehearsed with soldiers and set out to accomplish his mission.  In one scenario, a well-aimed shot from an enemy sniper struck a soldier while his team was on the move.  Unlike when playing paintball, the soldier fell to the ground instead of holding his or her weapon over their head and walking off the field.  The team leader quickly established security, while the medic ran forward and patched up paintball splats as if they were open wounds.  The radio operator called in for MEDEVAC.  The soldiers were doing all this while being assaulted with paintballs. 

Although they had a rough start in the morning due to the “fog of war” and the anticipation of being hit by paintballs, as the day went on the soldiers began to steadily improve.  They were able to use the scenarios to learn lessons of team work and aggressiveness.  The lessons learned and the spirit to fight and win couldn’t be taught from a book or in a classroom; they could only be learned on the battlefield.