Tell us a bit about yourself and your role on the America's Army project

I am a retired Master Sergeant (MSG) with over 23 years time in service in the U.S. Army. My career was spent in Special Forces, I held five Army MOS's, 21B, 11B, 18C, 18F and 18Z. I was rated as a master parachutist and was qualified as a Military Free Fall Jumpmaster. I deployed to fourteen different countries on varies types of training missions during my career and I served in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003.

I am also a Subject Matter Expert for the Army Game Project and as such my job is to use my time and experience in the Army to make sure the game portrays Army life as accurately as possible. I accomplish this through monthly visits out to the developers and daily contact using the wiki and e-mail. I review all parts of the America's Army game and provide comment on the accuracy of the weapons, movements, and scenarios. I worked hand in hand with the developers to make sure they have all updated data from the Army when they are creating the game. In addition, I've served as the motion capture model for the team. I've also worked with the team to get them into the field with Soldiers where they are able to experience different aspects of the Army and get hands on with our weapons and technologies.

What was your role in the Green Up event?

I was at the Green Up to be a liaison between the Drill Sergeants and America's Army team if needed. I was also a friendly face for the developers; we did not want them to think they had been completely abandoned. We wanted to the team to have an authentic Army experience.

Why do you think it's important for developers to experience events like the Green Up?

There is no way to explain what it is like to be in the Army and to experience the things a Soldier experiences and feels. So by giving our developers short glimpses into the Army way of life, they now know what it feels like to go through a line in a dining facility or to make it through an obstacle course, or to have to manage their time so they can wash their uniform, clean the barracks and learn the Soldiers Creed before lights out. They also got experience with weapons through Basic Rifle Marksmanship training and learned the importance of working as a team. This short glimpse into the Army life helps them more accurately portray the life of a Soldier in the America's Army game.

What were you thinking when you saw the developers struggling during the green ups and being disciplined?

As I watched the developers go through this experience I kept thinking, this is for real. The Drill Sergeants are not holding back on these guys. I kept thinking the team is going to hate me when this is over. But, when they graduated from Mini-BCT, they were so proud of themselves and really appreciated the opportunity to experience life as a Soldier.

What was your favorite moment of the Green Up? Your most proud moment?

We were able to attend an actual Basic Training graduation, and I remember looking back up at everyone from America's Army in the stands quietly reciting the Soldiers Creed along with the Soldiers out on the field and seeing the pride in their faces and yes even some tears. I knew then they got it and that they had a better understanding of what it means to be a U.S. Army Soldier and everything that goes along with that understanding.

Did you see a change in the developers after the Green Up?

Most definitely. For example, they now know what it feels, smells and tastes like to be on an Army rifle range with Drill Sergeants around coaching and correcting you. So they can now translate that emotion into the game with an authenticity and energy they did not have before. I saw a level of pride, excitement, and intensity after the Mini-BCT that was not there before, of course that was after they healed up their bumps and bruises.

What other kinds of events have you done with the developers to get them familiar with different aspects of the Army?

We have had some great experiences with sound capture. We were able to take some AA team members out to an Army post and let them record the sounds of current Army issue weapons. After recording the weapon sounds, we were able to set up their recording equipment so they could capture the sounds of actual bullet impacts on a wide variety of materials. We were surrounded by Soldiers all the time, so the developers were able to quietly observe Soldiers in their normal operating environment. No one was yelling or being loud, just quietly and professionally going about their business making sure everything went smoothly and safely. The Soldiers answered all their questions (and there were lots of them), they let them take pictures of all their equipment and at the end of the day the Soldiers thanked them for their work and for showcasing what they do.