Sociology

Urbanization and the creation of slums were thought to be a problem from the past.  The fast rate of industrialization proved to create desolation in cities of Western Europe and America.  The Third World countries still lived as they had for centuries, while filth and disease spreads through the newly densely populated areas.  The spread of plagues and epidemics created fear and the governments avoidance of the problems only made matters worse.  Child labor, unsanitary living and working conditions, no medical attention, poor housing, and limited food were all part of the daily lives of the poor living in the industrialized cities of Europe.

Now the Third World countries are catching up and are feeling the same deprivation as 19th Century Europe and United States.  The fact that most urbanized locations in India have slums that account for over 40 of the population. Some go as high as 70 of the population.  The living accommodations are worse than ever.  Latrines over flow, weather runs people out of their homes due to floods, cottage industries are helping the families make a little money, but most are being exploited and child labor is rampant.

The slums are also inundated with migrants from farming villages.  These villages send their young men to work for a mere 2.00 a day in rupees.  To these villagers, this little bit of money is the difference between eating and starving in their village.  Some of the slum rooms are single rooms that house up to eight people, sleeping in shift, and some actually working in the room as well. They are willing to give up their lives to ensure their families have money and have a place to live.  The slums are not just created by the poor, but by the rich tourists who require people to work for them during their stay in the country.  Rickshaw drivers and guides work to give the tourists a memorable experience for only cents at a time.  However, in times of epidemics of disease and illness, the tourists and the rich take leave and those left in slums are left to die.  Those living in the slums are the backbone of the urban city, but are treated as if dirt on the body or the country.

Graham Summary
Even just 20 years ago, the military focused on the battlefields being in rural areas, but with the fall of communism and the increased interest of the US military in the Middle East, training has to be change, because now the battlefields are cities, villages, and urban centers that are known to those who live there much better than those in the military.  The fact is that there are now many sites in the US and England that are used as urban training facilities for the military, so that the troops will no longer be sent into urban areas untrained and made easy targets.

During World War II there were towns created that replicated Japanese villages and Berlin tenements and were used to practice with all out war.  However, in this modern day it is not annihilation that is required, but a savvy soldier in counter insurgency and military occupation of the location.  The military is upping the ante by creating whole cities and slums that can be used by troops to role-play possible scenarios before being sent into real combat.  The reason they are working so hard to train the troops is because the average casualty rate is still around 30 of all soldiers in active areas.  One of the newest training tools is virtual reality simulations that help the troops to learn what is required to have a successful mission in the urban battlefield.

The most useful training mode is the video game.  Both the Army and Marines have their own versions of urbanization battle strategy games.  However, another use for these simulations is the ability to work with traumatized soldiers.  They can relive their traumatic moments and work them out so as to be able to relieve the distress the event caused.  Both as a training tool and healing tool, more and more types of simulations are being created to encompass not only the current needs of the military, but any future needs as well.