NATIONAL GUARD WAR GAMES NEW AT SEMO FAIR

The National Guard will bring war games to the SEMO District Fair this year.

Recruiters at the Cape Girardeau armory came up with the idea, Maj. Dwight Lusk said, and went to the fair board with it.

After much wrangling with insurance companies over additional liability coverage, the project was approved just days before the fair was slated to begin.

Eleven Guardsmen divided into two teams will battle along Cape LaCroix Creek on the south side of the fairgrounds. They will be equipped with smoke grenades and blanks -- equipment usually reserved for weekend training activities.

"This is unlike anything we've ever done at the fair before," board vice chairman Pete Poe said. "The National Guard has helped us for a number of years, and they're always looking to increase their presence at a big event like the fair."

In years past, Guardsmen have manned a recruiting booth and allowed teen-agers to work with some of the National Guard's mechanical equipment. The war games are expected to attract a lot more attention and interest in the Guard.

Lusk said there was some concern about doing the games because of the large crowds and animals present at the fair. But having only a few people participating should make things safer.

The men will be outfitted with machine guns firing blanks. However, each gun also has a laser, which triggers a device in the opposing team's gear. When someone is hit, his gear begins making a loud noise, and he is out of the game.

"Hopefully, people will see our equipment and some of the things we do and they will become interested," Lusk said.

War games will be played at 7:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, along Cape LaCroix Creek.