Soldiers say it's the Army's newest, most realistic and best simulation of the front lines.

For a week, about 150 soldiers carry out every day at Ft. Gordon's new Forward Operating Base as if they're in Iraq.

"We had a pipe bomb inside the vehicle," said Staff Sgt. Nicholas Jones, explaining his role as an 'insurgent.' "My driver was wearing a mock-up suicide vest."

"I'm like we're dead," said Sgt. 1st Class Alma Renteria.

"You don't want to get it in where an explosion can be fatal and catastrophic," Jones said.

"We learned from it," admitted Renteria. "We're going to make sure we search all the vehicles."

Jones said that's the whole point of the new Forward Operating Base at Ft. Gordon.

"It's not a failure, it's a lesson learned," he said. "They make mistakes out here, so they don't make mistakes in the real world where lives can be lost."

Part of that training is pairing troops who will soon deploy with experienced soldiers.

Sgt. 1st Class Denny Smith has deployed six times so far.

"If this were Iraq or Afghanistan," he said. "Those trucks are searched thoroughly."

And while the five days of training are simulated, many aspects are very real.

"We're going to Heatcon five, that means ten minutes of work and 50 minutes of rest," Smith said.

"They're better trained to respond to any situation they could fall into when they get over there," said Jones. "It's about saving lives."