Free Republic

Ramin Ahmed is a 21-year-old Afghan-American who sells mortgages in California. But for the past six days he has played the part of a warlord as he helps prepare 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers for a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. More than 3,000 paratroopers from the 82nd's 1st Brigade Combat Team will deploy to Afghanistan in the spring. The soldiers are in the midst of a nine-day exercise that is the largest and most intense training held on post since Sept. 11, 2001. Soldiers have converted Fort Bragg's training areas into a simulation of Afghanistan called ''Braggistan." More than 100 role-players...