Fighting the Iraq War in West Duke Building

A group of Duke and North Carolina Central University students turned out of a hallway in Duke's West Duke Building and walked into Baghdad, Iraq. Their job: to ambush a team of Iraqi insurgents.

This journey was possible because of Duke DARWARS, an award-winning computer war game developed at Duke that mimics actual combat scenarios from the Iraq war. The game provides the 40 Army ROTC cadets in the program with training in the type of squad-level combat they would see as second lieutenants serving in Iraq.

The program has proved so effective that it's now going national. National Cadet Command is sending the game to each of the 1,300 Army ROTC programs it oversees. Officials from the organization were on campus last week filming an explanatory video to accompany the game.

Duke employee by day turns insurgent

Several times a week, Nancy Bateman, (above) a 30-year Duke employee with an outstanding work record, described by co-workers as "sweet" and "gentle," sits at her desk, opens her computer and becomes an international terrorist.

When the Duke and NCCU students participate in the Duke DARWARS war game simulation, somebody has to play the enemy. Most days, that role falls to Bateman or Thelma Keith, a civilian ROTC employee for human resources at Duke.

The two sit at their desks across the hall from the students and act out the role of insurgents in any number of scenarios created by the Duke cadre for the game. They may set incendiary explosive devices (IEDs) or they may ambush the soldiers; in short, their job is to fight against the students and in the process train them to become Army leaders.

"We try to get them before they get us," said Bateman with a laugh that lets one know she is fairly amused at the situation. "I've worked in this office for three years, and I've gotten to know the students very well. But once you get into that war game, it's like an addiction. You just want to keep playing more."

The students are amused by their opponents as well. Keith, who describes herself as the tougher of the two, says the students talk back when she pushes them to do required human resources paperwork.

"Sometimes I have to be aggressive with them about forms, and when I do, they'll say, ‘I'm going to get you, Mrs. Keith. I'm going to come after you,'" Keith said. "But Nancy, she's a sweeter person. They'll tell her, "We'll let you survive a little longer.'"

The joking is good natured, but Keith and Bateman said the game is serious. They know that these students may be in Iraq or other combat zones after graduating and that if they do their job well, the students will be better prepared. It could save their lives.

Bateman started her work at Duke three decades ago in the hospital laundry. She said her work with the Army ROTC will be her last stop at the university.

"I came here not knowing a thing about the military, but I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute here," she said. "The staff and the students are so friendly to work with. This is a special place."

"The war game has served many valuable purposes for us," said Lt. Col. Charles Hodges, Duke professor of military science and director of the Duke-NCCU Army ROTC program. "Our cadets are Duke students, and Duke students have limited time for training, and they like to be challenged. We don't want to just lecture them.

"This game challenges them, and they master skills they need in their training faster," he said. "We have limited time to train outside, and because of the game, when the cadets do get outside they are more accomplished in a shorter period."

Duke DARWARS is a modification of an Australian war game bought off the shelf by the U.S. military. It was altered to reproduce the Iraq war, but when Hodges saw it he thought it could be further modified to meet the specific needs of ROTC training.

Hodges and Master Sgt. David Norby altered the program and developed several scenarios, including navigation over land, squad attacks, ambushes, defenses and drills to react to contact with the enemy.

Computer games have a natural appeal to many college students, but the ROTC cadets said they take this game seriously. They said they know that a year from now, they could be facing real combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, and the war game is meant to give them the skills they need to survive and succeed in that.

"I always get pretty excited about playing it," said Adam Zell, a Duke junior. "It's a worthy addition to our training."

"We know there are differences from real scenarios," said junior cadet Catherine Koba. "In the real world you have to worry about getting tired; in this game, your character can run forever and never seem to get tired. It's all about learning the tactics, and that's important."

National ROTC officials said they think what Duke has developed will help other programs as well.

"The quality of training and the level of awareness you get in the program are higher than in what we've encountered in other programs," said Kevin Garvey of National Cadet Command. "It's more cost-effective, and it gets cadets to a high level of training in a shorter period. It doesn't replace getting out on the ground, but it helps the cadets pick up the skills they need there faster."

Hodges said he's proud that the Duke-NCCU unit has contributed to ROTC. He said it's a sign of the growing strength of the program. Despite being in a time of war, the program has doubled in size over the past three years.

"I joined ROTC because I feel like I have a duty to serve," Zell said. "I'm not any different from other Duke students. I have friends who are going off to work for Goldman Sachs and other similar places. I'm just going to do something different when I graduate. My friends are very supportive."