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Golden Coyote exercises seek to mimic modern combat theaters, which differ from past ones significantly. Combat environments in Iraq and Afghanistan are much more urban, presenting a host of new dangers for soldiers.

Enemy combatants rain fire on soldiers from windows, and soldiers must clear buildings, fighting in close quarters.

“It’s generally very eye-opening. There’s no real good way to go about it. When you come upon a cit, it’s a really scary situation,” Nachtigall said.

For some of the soldiers, these exercises are the most trying and realistic exposure they have to a combat-like situation. Doe-eyed, they can feel confused and lost, but also pulsing with adrenaline.

“It’s exhilarating, it’s a rush, all the training you’ve done up to this point, culminating in this exercise,” said Sgt. Matthew Beckendorf, who has been in the Guard seven years and deployed to Iraq twice. “You get amped for it.”

For greenhorns, learning how to react to unforeseen situations is especially important.