Iraq War vets protest America's Army game

America's Army is an interesting product. Used primarily as a public relations and recruiting tool and targeted specifically at the teenage male demographic, the game has been a relative success in the past. This is especially thanks to the fact that it's available for free, though it has made it to retail in the form of an Xbox version and soon an Xbox 360 version. But although America's Army may be just a game, there are some who take it very seriously
Veterans recently banded together in St. Louis at an expo to protest the game. Clad in black shirts and marching uniforms, the group of roughly 90 vets—known as the "Iraq Veterans Against the War"—chanted in unison while standing at attention: "War is not a game!" This isn't the first time that America's Army has been the subject of protest.

One of the protest's figureheads was a 29-year-old woman named Kelly Dougherty, who served as a medic and military police officer under the National Guard. Dougherty and the rest of the protesters were hoping to get the message out that joining the Army had its share of problems, including "increased chances of repeated deployment, extended tours of duty, a call back into war even after a contract expires, and difficulty accessing benefits upon return." The vets worry that unknowing youth will join the Army hoping that war is as "fun" as the game, and thus hope to educate those interested in service.

Videos of the demonstration have made their way onto the Internet. Reactions to the protest were mixed, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, as some in the crowd declared the vets as being unsupportive of their country, while others countered in the vets' defense.