Photographer Eric T. White stumbled upon a fascinating military training exercise while in Germany in 2009. “The venue is called the Joint Multinational Readiness Center and is located in Bavaria, Germany,” White explains to Feature Shoot. “It’s an American-run military training center used to train American and NATO troops. The role players are mostly German citizens — they live in the surrounding areas.” It’s an interesting form of cultural appropriation that we don’t normally see, and it proves useful for those in the military who are traveling to the Middle East for active duty. “The purpose of these villages and ‘players’ is to train soldiers to deal with populations that do not speak their language or identify with them culturally,” White says. “Remember, many of these troops heading to battle have never been outside of the United States.” But it still feels a little eerie, no?
Image credit: Eric T. White
Image credit: Eric T. White
Image credit: Eric T. White
Image credit: Eric T. White
Image credit: Eric T. White
Image credit: Eric T. White
Image credit: Eric T. White
Image credit: Eric T. White