Veterans Protest Army Recruitment Techniques, America's Army

Protesting what they consider to be deceptive recruitment techniques--such as the free online shooter America's Army (PC)--a group of approximately 90 Iraq War veterans gathered outside an Army booth at the recent Missouri Black Expo and shouted "War is not a game." Dressed in black shirts bearing the group's name, Iraq Veterans Against the War, the group repeated its message three times before dispersing. A video of the protest has since surfaced on YouTube. "We want people to know the truth about military service and that it's not always what they say," IVAW executive director Kelly Dougherty reasoned to STLtoday. According to the official America's Army site, America's Army: True Soldiers is expected on Xbox 360 this year, with version 3.0 of the game coming to PC in 2008. The Navy also has its own game, NTE: Navy Training Exercise - Strike & Retrieve (PC), though it has failed to achieve the same degree of popularity as the Army's effort.