thedrifter
03-13-07, 05:49 AM
Paintballers in the crosshairs of Army recruiters
Reported by ABC7 News
Posted on: Monday, March 12, 2007
FORT MYERS: Army recruiters set their sights on a new target. Officials within the military hope those who frequent paintball battle fields will want to live out the real deal.
Playing paintball is fast-paced - especially with paintballs flying around the course at nearly 300 feet per second. It is actually one of the fastest growing sports in the country.
"This is like a war zone to them. You have to have strategy and you have to have teamwork," said paintballer Manny Fernandez. "I could say it's similar to the Army or the Marines."
The analogy is simple. You can see just from the way the game is played that it's very similar to certain types of warfare.
Players say when you have on one of the protective masks on, you either shoot - or be shot.
Now, struggling for new recruits to aid in Iraq and Afghanistan, the armed forces have turned to paintballers. In fact, the Army is even sponsoring events in some northern states.
They are spending thousands of dollars to draw parallels to the real thing - even the guns look the same.
Fernandez says it's a lot like simulated battle.
"My first tournament, we went against a team of Army people and we beat them," said Fernandez.
More than 10 million competitive paintballers in the U.S. could now be in the crosshairs of Army recruiters.
Local recruiters say paintball recruitment is not being practiced in Southwest Florida just yet. The tactic has been successful in northern states and could soon be issued nationwide.
Ellie
Reported by ABC7 News
Posted on: Monday, March 12, 2007
FORT MYERS: Army recruiters set their sights on a new target. Officials within the military hope those who frequent paintball battle fields will want to live out the real deal.
Playing paintball is fast-paced - especially with paintballs flying around the course at nearly 300 feet per second. It is actually one of the fastest growing sports in the country.
"This is like a war zone to them. You have to have strategy and you have to have teamwork," said paintballer Manny Fernandez. "I could say it's similar to the Army or the Marines."
The analogy is simple. You can see just from the way the game is played that it's very similar to certain types of warfare.
Players say when you have on one of the protective masks on, you either shoot - or be shot.
Now, struggling for new recruits to aid in Iraq and Afghanistan, the armed forces have turned to paintballers. In fact, the Army is even sponsoring events in some northern states.
They are spending thousands of dollars to draw parallels to the real thing - even the guns look the same.
Fernandez says it's a lot like simulated battle.
"My first tournament, we went against a team of Army people and we beat them," said Fernandez.
More than 10 million competitive paintballers in the U.S. could now be in the crosshairs of Army recruiters.
Local recruiters say paintball recruitment is not being practiced in Southwest Florida just yet. The tactic has been successful in northern states and could soon be issued nationwide.
Ellie