Playing war

Photos by JERRY HALE | Special to Laker Weekly

Ed Giuffre of Black Ops Challenge points out targets to Tristan Finazzo.

Jordyn Webb, Tarah Satalind and Chris Blankenship try out the seats in a DPV.

A simulated mortar round explodes following an on-target shot.

There's plenty on SML to keep a teenager entertained, but, it never hurts to have some off-water things in mind for when guests want to try something dry.

Such was the case earlier this month, when my niece Holly Finazzo and her son Tristan from St. Louis squeezed in a four-day stay before Tristan's freshman team soccer tryouts began.

We enjoyed wakeboarding, skiing, swimming and boat rides late Thursday and throughout the day Friday. A trip to Westlake for more gas and groceries (the appetite of a 14-year-old astounds) on Saturday morning presented a chance to check out the new Black Ops Challenge concession located next to Nobologna sub shop behind Phil Hager Insurance off Virginia 122.

I figured Tristan would happily provide user feedback on Black Ops Challenge's promise of a taste of pretend military aggression.

Arriving just after the 11 a.m. opening time, we found Ed Giuffre and Ralph "Rich" Richards situating a mortar tube on sandbags outside a 20-by-35-foot "command tent" ringed with knee-high walls of sandbags.

Both men are combat veterans, and Giuffre is a demolition contractor who blasted through bedrock for roads, water and sewer lines in LakeWatch Plantation a couple years back.

He also has experience creating military battle and other explosive simulations for a variety of documentaries that have appeared in theaters, on TV and at several battlefield visitor centers. Among his credits: "TAPS," "The Equalizer," "Miami Vice," National Park Service films in the Richmond and Yorktown areas, and several documentaries for the History Channel.

Already in place were three realistic representations of rapid-fire machine guns from wars past, perched on sandbags and pointing out over a valley dotted with black silhouette targets.

"I developed Black Ops Challenge so the public could see a bit of what we do working on films," Giuffre said.

For weapons, he draws on the stock -- kits from military weapons manufacturers around the world, imports from governments, manufacturers' surplus stocks -- he's accumulated to rent to the film industry.

The setting definitely had a "bunker on the high ground" feel to it. In fact, as a Vietnam vet who trained on several of the Army's live-fire shooting ranges, I found it hauntingly familiar, enough so to trigger several memories, good and bad, of my years in uniform.

A Desert Patrol Vehicle -- little more than a tubular-frame auto chassis with VW engine and passenger seats for two heavy machine gun operators -- sat next to the bunker, realistically concealed from overhead spotting by camouflage netting. It's there for atmosphere right now; no ride "missions" are available at this time. But patrons can clamber aboard and imagine firing from a vehicle designed to hide in depressions between sand dunes, then roar to the top to inflict real damage on an enemy before ducking out of sight again.

Navy Seal Team Three is said to currently be using similar DPVs for search-and-destroy missions in the Middle East.

While all the guns have been modified to prevent firing live ammunition, they make realistic shooting sounds when their triggers are pressed and shoot high-powered laser beams down range. Sensor-equipped targets operated by compressed air show a "hit" by falling over backward and then returning to upright position a second or two later.

Giuffre said the custom-designed laser system is effective up to about 600 yards. Warning signs caution visitors about getting out in front of the bunker where eyes could be damaged by the lasers. The beams are invisible during the day, but Giuffre said they can be seen flashing between the gun barrels and targets after dark. Nevertheless, the Black Ops operation shuts down at 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Hitting the targets requires each firer to adapt the sight picture he or she sees through the rather low-tech notched gun sights to account for each firer's position behind the gun. But as Tarah Satalind of Wirtz found, once you determine whether to aim a bit left or right, a little up or down, you can bang the bad guys fairly reliably. Her $10 admission got about 300 shots, enough to zero in and then blast multiple targets with several different guns.

Praised for her accurate shooting, Satalind, 29, quipped, "I just think of the target as my ex-boyfriend" -- a dig intended to be overheard by the ex, Chris Blankenship, 27, also of Wirtz, with whom she had come and who was standing right behind her.

A third member of their group, Jordyn Webb, 21, of Rocky Mount, found the shooting experience enjoyable as well.

"It's more realistic than I expected it would be," she said.

Tristan said he also was pleased with his experience.

"It's really pretty cool -- well worth 10 bucks," he concluded after a half-hour or so of shooting and climbing around on the DPV.

Tristan said he especially enjoyed seeing the compressed-air-powered mortar tube send its foot-long, 5-pound dummy round through a graceful arc toward a sandbag bunker target about 150 yards out.

Firers pay $6 for that experience, which includes a practice firing to see exactly where the check round lands. Then the firer makes windage adjustments with a crank on the mortar tube's sturdy mount before dropping the purchased round into the tube, where it slides slowly down to the base. The shot then is triggered using a red button mounted on a nearby post, ensuring that the firer is clear of the tube's muzzle as the round exits.

A hefty poof of air sends the dummy round out the tube, and all eyes follow it through its graceful arc. It's aloft for several seconds, enough time for spectators to speculate aloud on the accuracy of the shot.

If the projectile lands on or close to the bunker, Giuffre manually triggers a movie land-type flash powder explosion that he has pre-set in a pan in the target bunker. The "whump" is satisfying without assaulting the eardrums, and an impressive column of smoke rises and drifts on the wind.

Giuffre said this is really a fine-tuning set-up for Black Ops Challenge; he hopes to set up an expanded version near Disney World in Florida for the winter months.

"We wanted to work out the bugs, see how the public reacted and figure out what we could do to make it better," he said.

Giuffre has a government-issued Class 3 weapons manufacturer's license, so he can create and modify weapons to suit filmmakers' needs. He also arranges for heavier equipment -- planes, tanks, trucks, artillery pieces -- needed for film projects.

"I know where to go for just about anything military," he said matter-of-factly.

Seeing those old machine guns at Black Ops Challenge made me think about how sophisticated military weapons systems have become, how much gear (80 pounds is now common, I'm told) our troops carry when they go out on patrol overseas, and how grateful those of us enjoying life at beautiful Smith Mountain Lake should be for those who sacrifice to protect and ensure our freedom.

When we returned Holly and Tristan to the Roanoke Regional Airport for their flight home, I had the chance to greet several soldiers traveling in uniform and thank them for their service. I try to make a habit of doing that and hope you will, too. They always seem to sincerely appreciate the gesture.

For more information, visit www.blackopschallenge.com.