@ae_rollinson,

Digging into my upcoming annual training period (my company has been designated SIM Cell and OPFOR… yes, I bought a special uniform) I wanted to throw another point out another thing that would greatly help out commanders and PLs; go to your local Training Support Center (TSC). Walk around, get their catalog, see what they have to offer and you can use for training. Unless you KNOW, you have no idea how much stuff they have that will make training more realistic, more challenging, and more effective. Doing some sort of evacuation training? Get one of the human bodies and put a uniform on it – boom! Now all of your troops get a chance to train, you don’t have to worry about “hurting” the dummy, and Joe gets the chance to feel what DEAD weight really means. Get IED sims that throw dust. Get mock weapons and explosives for the visual feel. Get various sorts of local garb so the OPFOR doesn’t look like an American. Most even offer simulators for artillery and machine guns that sound and push the concussion of the real thing… And these are just a few things they offer.