Navy recruiters send Montgomery Co. students on a VR mission - WTOP

2 years ago 36

As less and less young radical motion up for subject service, recruiters are turning to unconventional means to pique their interest. On Monday, recruiters astatine Clarksburg High School successful Maryland sent hundreds of students connected a virtual world ngo to extract Navy Seals connected a unsafe river.

Students entered a trailer successful the school’s parking lot, strapped connected Oculus VR headsets, headphones and vibrating backpacks, simulating the roar of the boat’s engines arsenic good arsenic the thuds of machine-gun fire, and simulated driving Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmember boats done dense gunfire and astir rocky terrain.

“It felt similar you had a centrifugal connected your back. It was truly realistic,” said sophomore Cole Eastley. “And past astir you, 4 guys posted connected cannons. Every clip they fired, you would consciousness that — you consciousness similar you were astir successful a warfare zone.”

Eastley told WTOP helium stopped by the acquisition due to the fact that helium was already funny successful serving successful the Navy.

“It truly gives you that penetration into what being successful an progressive warfare portion is like, and surely if you’re capable to header nether that benignant of pressure,” helium said. “Because if you can’t, past you’re conscionable putting yourself successful harm’s mode for nary reason.”

Clarksburg High pupil Jacob Escobar besides drove the SWCC boat.

“It was precise interesting, due to the fact that that’s however it astir apt is successful the existent Navy and I liked the experience,” said Escobar, though helium inactive is not precise funny successful signing up for the existent thing.

Navy Recruiter FC1 Warren Golston told WTOP the unconventional instrumentality tin assistance thrust involvement successful the military.

“What we’d similar to connection is benignant of similar a realistic benignant of experience,” said Golston. “So that volition springiness them an thought to beryllium capable to enactment themselves successful the shoes of idiosyncratic who really does service successful the Navy, performing this task connected a day-to-day basis. This allows america to springiness them the accidental to determine ‘OK — you cognize what? I tin spot myself doing this.'”

Luke Lukert

Since joining WTOP Luke Lukert has held conscionable astir each occupation successful the newsroom from shaper to web writer and present helium works arsenic a full-time reporter. He is an avid instrumentality of UGA football. Go Dawgs!

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