Thursday, June 29, 2006

Actor Stu Siegal sets up Marine training..Whoa!!!

From NBCSanDiego.com/news :

Marines Turn To Hollywood For Combat Training
Realistic Sets, Actors Used In Exercises
POSTED: 6:30 pm PDT June 28, 2006
UPDATED: 8:31 am PDT June 29, 2006

SAN DIEGO -- An urban setting that looks and feels like Iraq is actually a patch of land east of Interstate 15.

The hyper-real setting has been created by the movie studio Stu Seigal, which employs actors who speak Arabic for training exercises.

"That's about as real as it gets," said Marines reservist Geoff Gainer. "I mean, it's stressful in there, and you know it's not real."

Marines are taught to deal with the blast from a roadside bomb. A mock-up of a building in Kearney Mesa prepares Marines for entering Iraqi homes. Marines can change the way the set looks to mimic the changing environment they might encounter in Iraq.

"They continue to practice techniques of going through these buildings, and they gain more confidence in themselves as they continue to go through," said Cpl. Matthew Strecker.

In the past two years, 23,000 Marines have gone through the Hollywood training.

Copyright 2006 by NBCSandiego.com.

Wrap...

No comments: