Sgt. Christopher Osborne was riding in a Stryker through Baghdad’s International Zone when his view went black.

“Man, we just got smoked!” one soldier yelled.

“Catastrophic kill,” another announced over his headset. “1-2 is dead.”

If Osborne had any doubt what happened, he could just look at the computer screen, which displayed a simple message in white letters: “You are dead.”

Undaunted by his sudden demise, the 26-year-old Lacey resident dished out some good-natured trash talk to his platoon mate.

“Hey,” Osborne said, “I would’ve moved out of the way.”

Welcome to Virtual Battlespace 2, a computer-based trainer that soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are using this week at Fort Lewis to prepare for the Stryker brigade’s fall deployment to Iraq – its second trip in three years.

The system, first used at Fort Lewis in March, links dozens of desktop computers and allows soldiers to play different roles. The software gives users a first-person view of the scenery, be it buildings in Baghdad or the interior of a 21-ton Stryker vehicle.

With a few clicks of the mouse, an instructor at the control computer modifies the landscape, such as adding a bomb near a sidewalk or adding an angry mob that throws stones at the vehicles.

The system can be adapted to include a variety of equipment, including Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Humvees, tanks, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and watercraft. The terrain, too, can be adjusted.

At Friday’s training, soldiers from Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment reacted to roadside bombs and snipers. Capt. Jeremy Guy, who helps train company-sized units and smaller at the post’s Battle Command Training Center, emphasized that the training was a cheaper way of working on reactions to attacks.

“You don’t get the smell or taste of the battlefield,” said Guy, 34. “But you will see guys sweating. You’ll see guys yelling about IEDs and snipers.”

It seems like a perfect tool to train a generation of soldiers who grew up playing video games. Many said the software was a lot like the popular first-person shooter games.

“You got to get them past that stage where they can just walk into a building because it seems like a cool thing to do – and if something goes wrong, they just hit the reset button,” Guy said. “We let them get that out of their system before they start, and they know why we’re here.”

Lt. Michael Pedersen, a platoon leader, gathered the soldiers for an after-action review when their mission was finished. He wanted his unit to focus its training on proper communications during an attack.

Sgt. Blake Lormand rode in the back of a virtual Stryker when it hit the roadside bomb. His screen went black, and he spent the remainder of the situation watching his platoon mates dragging bodies from the wreckage and securing the scene.

Scott Fontaine: 253-320-4758

scott.fontaine@thenewstribune.com

blogs.thenewstribune.com/military