Navy recruiters get in on the VR game, showing potential sailors what it’s like to drive a special warfare boat

MEDFORD — The Navy does more than drive boats, but recruiters say students won't just learn that from reading a brochure nowadays.

The Nimitz, a virtual reality-filled tractor trailer used by recruiters, made its way to Burlington County Institute of Technology's Medford campus Wednesday, putting teenagers at the wheel of a boat through simulations of missions.

“The simulation gives them an opportunity to see the different mission areas the Navy has,” Commanding Officer Kemi Elebute, from the Philadelphia recruiting district, said. “There's one that takes them through a special warfare mission, they get to drive a boat. They get a real-life feel of how it could be.”

Outside in the school parking lot, students were given individualized dog tags that gave them access to VR missions and let them know they did at the end. While they waited, members of the Navy recruiting team also held a pull-up challenge and used the dog tags to show students their results in real time.

“There's a whole lot of different technology the Navy uses,” senior Tashoun Butler said. “I learned some of the actual situations they're in, and it was really informative.”

Elebute said the Nimitz is helping students get a better grasp on the wide variety of paths available within the Navy. For students at vocational tech schools in particular, it's a chance to learn how their skills might align with careers the Navy offers, he said.

“It's great to be able to talk to students. The Navy's unique. We're always seeking technically proficient students. We are constantly looking for young men and women trained in science, technology, engineering and math, so it's great for students to see it.”

©2019 Burlington County Times, Willingboro, N.J. – Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.