Hill becomes war zone in test exercises

Monday, March 13, 2000 | 10:22 a.m.

But it was all a war game, or "operational readiness exercise."

Still, the tension was there as about 1,000 Air Force reservists from Utah, Idaho and Nevada tested their combat and medical skills. They erected tents and other contraptions to turn the Utah base into a facility in southwestern Asia called "Base X."

"It's like the movies. You're trying to create as realistic a situation as possible," said Col. F. C. Williams, 419th commander.

"You can't recreate the fog and friction of battle without a real war. But we try to put stress on our people to see how they'll perform," he said.

The unit has been deployed several times recently to Turkey to patrol Iraq's northern border, and is scheduled to return in May.

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