My Acting Career in the Army

During my first year or so at Fort Irwin, I spent exactly half my time (two weeks on, two weeks off) way out in the desert. My job out there was to portray an Iraqi civilian during war-games so the units that were on their way to the Big Sand Box could practice crowd control, interrogation, and walking into traps. I got to grow a beard and spend the majority of my time playing Scrabble.

You can't tell in the picture, but I'm wearing what we called a man-dress (ankle-length). We were mixed in with real Iraqis, and during our daily protests we just repeated whatever they were chanting. I don't know what I was yelling in Arabic. It wasn't nice. Most of the time it escalated into a riot and ended with a quick retreat by the Americans. This was always welcomed because it meant I could return to the shade and read a book.


Sometimes I miss those days, but mostly I'm glad I work in an air-conditioned office now and I get to go home every night and take a shower and sleep in a bed. Hooah!