Real Tier 1 Operators Talk Respect In Medal Of Honor

Everyone knows about the controversy. But let's focus on the game, and the experts who lent their time to the creation process.

We're talking about the guys from the Special Operations Community who volunteered to help DICE make Medal of Honor the most authentic, most intense installment yet. OffDutyGamers got a chance to talk with a few real-life Tier 1 Operators, around whom the story of the new MoH is based. There are a lot of interesting replies; for instance, when asked if they were gamers, the response was:

"Every single one of my peers is an alpha and alpha types need competition no matter what the format." ...that's awesome, but a little frightening. Then, because honoring the military is a question many have in regards to the game, ODG asked if the designers "met their stated intent of 'honoring the community.'" Here's what one of the Tier 1 guys said in response:

"The Medal of Honor brand was built with the intent of living up to Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan. The franchise has always carried the spirit of that series and the movie. Those transitions were made from the original Medal of Honor WWII games to the current one. But never has it been as insightful or will resonate as strongly as this one. They have brought the human side to a man that has never been seen before. And, with respect.

As a collective group, we never thought it was necessary to reflect the military as accurately as much as the importance of accurately reflecting the men and women that make up the military. There have been a lot of people sitting here in the U.S. playing Monday morning quarterback. Folks sipping scotch in a warm room one minute, and then debating the issues live on TV the next. It doesn’t sit right and never will. The core of our Nation’s values lie in our brothers and sisters abroad. They represent us. The best of us. And, as ambassadors, representatives and agents of our cause, we wouldn’t settle for anything but 'honorable.' EA understood this, and their intentions from the get-go were honest and forthright. They made our relationship – in an otherwise difficult situation – easy to build."

All we have to say is we hope some of the naysayers read that. It may not be indicative of every last soldier's view of the matter, but it seems strong enough to warrant a bit of respect and understanding. We at PSXE said it from the start: those "armchair quarterbacks" he speaks of really shouldn't - and in fact, don't - have a say. All that matters is what those "ambassadors, representatives and agents of our cause" think. And there's nothing else to argue about.

Related Game(s): Medal of Honor

Tags: medal of honor, moh, tier 1, medal of honor ps3, ea

10/8/2010 10:47:52 AM Ben Dutka

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Comments (51 posts)

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Underdog15
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 11:08:42 AM
Reply

Cool. I know I've said I'm relatively removed from this whole issue being a Canadian, but I definitely appreciate the fact that these Alpha dudes feel strongly enough about the honor in this game to speak out about their appreciation for EA's efforts.

Like Ben said, it's not likely that reflects EVERY soldier's point of view, but I definitely feel like this adds a very legitimate point of view to the discussion.

I'm a huge fan of story and exploring the human emotion... must be the theatre in me... needless to say, I'm very likely to pick up this title.

3 up, 0 down

MadKatBebop
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 11:23:52 AM
Reply

I pre-ordered the limited edition version of this game, and I really hope it is as honorable and respectful as they say it is. If the story, characters and gameplay are as good as I hope it will be, it can be one of the best fps ever made.

4 up, 0 down

A2K78
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 11:31:42 AM
Reply

Given how games like MOH and COD do nothing but promote militarism and the warfare state in no way do I have any respect for either. If any its no wonder why the american war machine aka the Pentagon have recently been turning to video games.

As for the whole Taliban controversey, I have no problem with EA putting them in MOH, however what really bother me about MOH is how it doesn't address the fact that Taliban was basically a CIA creation next to the Al Qaeda.

Last edited by A2K78 on 10/8/2010 11:41:12 AM

2 up, 12 down

LimitedVertigo
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 11:57:24 AM

"Taliban was basically a CIA creation next to Al Qaeda"

We didn't land on the moon, there's an alien somewhere in Nevada, and 9/11 was orchestrated by the U.S. Government. /SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I'm all for you being foolish on this site but you're way off base with your above comment. Gawd, you're stupid.

10 up, 4 down

Underdog15
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:03:28 PM

....

In the words of the great Bugs Bunny,

"What a maroooon! What an ignoramous! What a nincumpoop!"

11 up, 3 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:27:05 PM

God. Kid needs to get out of college SOON.

6 up, 4 down

Shams
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:29:29 PM

A2k78 is referring to the Russo-Afghani war where US armed and trained the group that is known today as Taliban (tribal warlords and their recruits) to fight the spread of Communism. There's even a movie about it: Charlie Wilson's War, iirc.

And i don't know about Al-Qaeda, but it's old news that Saddam Hussein was put in the power with the assistance of the US, as is was the Shah of Iran (pre-Khomeini).

Not exactly conspiracy theories anymore.

8 up, 5 down

Shams
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:33:20 PM

There's an ironic photo i remember from a Newsweek edition, taken in the early 80's where, where Chainey his shaking Saddam Hussein's hand, quoting as to saying, "This is America's best friend (against Iran and the Soviets)".

Who would thought, decades later, US would've been in a war not with Iran, nor with Russia, but against their "best friend".

5 up, 5 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:41:35 PM

Shams, that doesn't mean Al-Queda is a "CIA creation." That's a nice long stretch liberals like to take. WE didn't instill them with their beliefs.

I'm not saying we didn't play a role; I'm saying what's implied with the "CIA created Al-Queda" statement is just plain absurd.

4 up, 3 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:41:57 PM

And it doesn't matter. This can't continue in the Comments section.

4 up, 1 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 1:01:03 PM

Why would a game about combat (not old intrigue) address the roots of the Taliban?

3 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 1:04:11 PM

"OK gang, you know the rules, no humping, no licking, no sniffing hineys. "

Oh ya, we're done with D&D

4 up, 1 down

Jawknee
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 1:46:40 PM

Can't fix stupid.

3 up, 1 down

Shams
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 2:56:57 PM

"WE didn't instill them with their beliefs".

LOL! This is true. Psxextreme did not create Al-Qaeda, nor did Ben Dutka have any part in it.

1 up, 3 down

Jawknee
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 2:58:28 PM

Sham you know what he meant, don't be tard.

Also and FYI. that picture of speak of wasn't Dick Chaney. It was Donald Rumsfeld.

3 up, 1 down

Underdog15
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 3:13:25 PM

*sings quietly*
With glooowwwwwing hearts, we see thee rise,
The true north strong and free!
From Faaaar and wide, Ooooo Caaaaanada,
We stand on guaaaard forrr theeeeee!

Glad to not be apart of the discussion. ^.^

2 up, 0 down

Shams
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 3:15:27 PM

Thank you, you're right about "Rhumsfield". I was thinking of typing his name, and even then I typed "Chaney's" by accident. Glad to see i'm not the only one who remembers that photo, though.

But my previous comment wasn't aimed at you...so I don't know what you mean when you say "you know what i mean".

0 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 3:18:15 PM

LOL Seems we are both having typing issues this afternoon.

I said, you know what Ben meant when he said "WE didn't instill them with their beliefs."

0 up, 0 down

Simcoe
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 6:04:40 PM

Charlie Wilson's War, very good movie, I highly recommend it.

1 up, 0 down

Cabalavatar1
Sunday, October 10, 2010 @ 6:40:18 PM

I love how you're all accusing this person of stupidity. It evidences to me all over again just how ignorant Americans are about not only their own government but its recent and current international practices.
Of course 9/11, 2001 was orchestrated by the US government, along with the Taliban and this supposed Al Qaeda (which btw is actually the name of a computer programme in a CIA database, not a terrorist org.). Both Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Husein belonged to the CIA.
Not to give us all too much of a guilt trip, but we can do things such as play video games because the wealth of the West owes to the imperialist exploitations the Global South, headed by the US Military.
That military deserves not only ZERO respect but some radical criticism as well. The easiest action one can ever take to counteract global exploitation is to never join and to discourage others from joining any Western military.

Hell, the only reason I wanted to play this game, Medal of Honor, was to shoot US, CDN, etc soldiers AS the Taliban. But now they ruined that with their concessionary wording, "opposing force."

1 up, 1 down

Underdog15
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 @ 11:37:07 AM

@Cavalavatar1
He's a nincumpoop for behaving similarly to you. You can't possibly think it's as cut and dry as that, do you? Every country, whether they're Western or not, does things that could be considered "unethical" in the best interests of their country, and sometimes even for personal gain. No one is exempt from that. No one has a true "Holy" army.

He's an ignoramus because he believes in absolutism. You behave similarly throwing out absolutes without sufficient knowledge. In other words, you guys are spouting out propaganda. There is no possible way any of us know exactly what is going on. Hence the comments to him (and to you if you aren't careful). It's a very undergraduate way of thinking (Hence Ben's college comment). Anyone who actually thinks they have all the answers or that some documentary film producer or college professor has all the answers is only thirsting for uncommon knowledge and comes off as lacking the ability to truly assess and come to a conclusion for themselves.

Basically, you two are just regurgitating whatever propaganda has sounded truthful. But the fact is, anything that has a fraction of truth is believable. Chances are, most things involving politics, if not all things, contain part truths... but I bet most controversial topics are not fully understood by anyone, while everyone THINKS they get it.

This is a simple concept understood by the rest of us calling out A2K78.

Also, I'm not American. Canadian troops differ from UK and American troops in that at the current moment, all missions are peacekeeping missions. For example, Canada has lost nearly 200 soldiers in Afghanistan compared to the thousands the US has lost in Iraq. They aren't on the same mission. We've also been helping out in Colombia recently, as well.

Last edited by Underdog15 on 10/12/2010 11:39:20 AM

2 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 11:58:15 AM
Reply

This game has been getting a ton of free press. I really just see it as Call of Duty 2.5

0 up, 4 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 1:02:14 PM

They got their free press by letting you slaughter innocents.

1 up, 1 down

LimitedVertigo
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 1:06:57 PM

That was a small town in Iowa and it was 1992, big deal.

1 up, 1 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 3:51:46 PM

I didn't know there were people in Iowa.

1 up, 0 down

coverton341
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 4:03:48 PM

Quiet down about that. You don't want to have to "silence" anyone else at this point in the game do you?

1 up, 0 down

bigrailer19
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 6:48:43 PM

If this was anything close to COD I'd agree but its so far from it. I dont know if you got a chance at the beta but this is something new. It's quite different than even BF:2 which was also developed by DICE.

I guess we should all be killing aliens!

1 up, 0 down

Shams
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:10:06 PM
Reply

Armchair quarterbacks have about as much say as showboating undeployed spec-ops alphas helping making games...as far as the injured, KIA's, and their families are concerned.

2 up, 3 down

LimitedVertigo
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:16:10 PM

Unless of course those "armchair Qbs" are white and upper-middle class.

0 up, 1 down

Shams
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:33:51 PM

Lol. Point taken.

0 up, 1 down

coverton341
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 4:05:13 PM

What's wrong with being white and upper middle class? I can buy all the young filipino boys I want...Did I say that out loud again?

5 up, 1 down

Cabalavatar1
Sunday, October 10, 2010 @ 6:58:01 PM

Tell me, Shams, why these US soldiers deserve any more grieving or any more respect or should intrinsically stymie commentary from anyone other than mere "family members" than those Afghani or Iraqi people who defend their self-determination and culture against an illegal invasion force?
And why should anyone be not allowed to speak about any given issue?

1 up, 1 down

animalmother
Monday, October 11, 2010 @ 9:03:03 AM

Cabalavatar1, when it comes to the Canadian Army, Taliban fighters get fairly equal treatment. Our forces shoot to kill but if some Taliban" fighters are wounded in their path, our forces will pick them up and give them good treatment, fixing their wounds.
A high ranking military official even has said that the they've intercepted communications from the Taliban saying to their wounded/stranded; "We can't get you, we're leaving you there but don't worry, the Canadian forces will take good care of you."
Of course these detainee's will be questioned and interrogated but not tortured...not by our hands.
You can find this Canadian military officials commentary on CBCnews world.
The point being that its only certain western nations that treat their enemy like a devil, other western nations treat them better as we would want our wounded treated better, not killed, tortured etc.

2 up, 0 down

Underdog15
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 @ 11:40:22 AM

CANADA! Represent! lol

1 up, 0 down

Alienange
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:26:31 PM
Reply

Did he just compare MoH with Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan???

Oh man that's a good one.

0 up, 5 down

Underdog15
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 12:27:52 PM

Band of Brothers could be used to help describe what the word "Epic" means.

SO good.

3 up, 0 down

Fane1024
Monday, October 11, 2010 @ 5:25:50 PM

Medal of Honor was created with input by Spielberg to try to replicate the experience of Saving Private Ryan in videogame form.

So, yes, they did make that comparison.

1 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 1:02:37 PM
Reply

Respect to EA. So why is the Military removing this game from shelves?

0 up, 1 down

LimitedVertigo
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 1:06:10 PM

They're not selling it on/near military bases due to the addition of the Taliban. A while ago EA said they were removing the Taliban name but it's still not being sold in those areas.

0 up, 1 down

Maiq The Liar
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 6:03:16 PM

This war will never truly end, the tailban are impossible to find for our british & your american troops. even whem bin laden dies, his men will still be recruiting & fighting to the death. terrible...

1 up, 0 down

dillonthebunny
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 1:29:49 PM
Reply

you know its the Taliban, I know its the Taliban... so who cares if they are called something else to please the small group of people who are complaining about it.

on some forums there are guys who are now saying that they will not buy MoH because the Taliban are not named.. quite incredible.

I say, wait for the reviews and lets just see.. one of the main reasons im buying this is for th Battlefield 3 beta, I will not lie. the MoH Beta on the PS3 wasn't great, in fact it was poor.. but I played it a lot. So when they announced that they had fixed loads of faults, I was glad, because MoH deserves better than what we were given in the Beta.

now its the PC boys who are bitchin about the beta, basically how terrible it is and how it hasn't been fixed, and how they will not be buying it and how BC2 is WAY better...

at the end of the day, the key word here is Beta.

I for one am looking forward to this, I ruined BC2 for myself with DLC, Im getting back in to MW2 because barebones DM is great.. but I want a fresh start, something I can get my teeth in to again. Black Ops? hmmmm... I think I will stick with MoH, because I am happy to give them a chance.
MoH served me well on the Playstation over the years, I still remember the first time I played that D-day landing... beyond awesome.

MoH 'can' deliver, lets just hope they do.

..if not, hey at least we get BF3 beta XD

0 up, 0 down

coverton341
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 4:07:17 PM

You would be surprised at the difference a simple name change makes. I mean look at what happens when you change "local paedophile" to "catholic priest"

4 up, 1 down

Zorigo
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 4:53:42 PM
Reply

this game sells itself quite well, but i have kz3 for story, and the online is good on kz3. so im kinda set for fpss really. too much else.
BRINK!

0 up, 0 down

Lawless SXE
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 6:51:26 PM
Reply

I like that the Tier 1 operators are saying that the game is respecting the soldier. It really makes me expect a far more personal story than anything we've seen in a shooter before. I hope there's exposition between them at war and their families at home. Either way, this releases on Thursday, and I'll be in the city on Friday, so I'm picking it up. Now I've just got to get an internet connection so I can play as the Opposing Forces :P
Peace.

1 up, 0 down

Lawless SXE
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 6:53:08 PM

Oh, and EALA are the ones doing the campaign, being aided by the Tier 1 Ops, not DICE. They're doing the multiplayer, but you knew that already...

1 up, 0 down

DemonNeno
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 9:39:45 PM
Reply

Now that's one opinion that I can truly say is worth my time to read about and agree with! I personally haven't served but have roughly a handful of friends and acquaintances that have.none are off the hook about political issues because at the end of the day they know what to believe and saw what was happening. anyone who claims propaganda is delusional...but we expect that. On the other hand, considering the portrayal of taliban in a game dealing with modern day war, giving gamers an modern day story and mostly capturing what modern threats as a threat or as an no-no is insane.

We aren't the land of the censored. What a game describes isn't any more offensive than what the news tells us, if the developer chooses to get that serious. Its not like the usa and taliban are in an relationship that this game describes incorrectly. People, good and bad, are dying out there. Families are mourning out here. And guess what? America is reluctant to place our own willpower in our hands. These biggits are telling us what to appreciate, what to believe and what we can have. That's one thing no American should tolerate!

I want to pool taliban bodies full of lead and want to make their sandy turf a huge glass bowl in this game... And guess what I am? Yep, middle eastern. I'm actually assyrian and born in the US. I couldn't give a rats droppings about how offensive a south park episode is regarding muslims. Has anyone even heard of all the morbid crap the muslims do to christians in the middle east? Have you even heard the word assyrians muttered in the while iraqi crusade? No.

they're (muslims) not horrible people, but I'll be damned if I let some idiot without a backbone censor my life for some extremist junkies sake. When they pay my bills and control my brain, I'll think otherwise. Until then, give me my controller and let me blast some taliban enemies before they go out trying to make an martyr out of their crazy selves!

.P.S don't believe me about christian holocaust? Read about the "young turks" slaughtering assyrian and armenian people because of our devotion to christianity. Better yet read about how americas decision to recognize this as a true occurence pissed of muslim countries in the middle east.

1 up, 0 down

Underdog15
Saturday, October 09, 2010 @ 12:25:42 AM

I don't usually agree with you in the comments section, but on this one....

Respect. Well said.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 10:07:26 PM
Reply

Nice piece Ben. thank you.

1 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 10:21:03 PM
Reply

"EVERY" single article I've read so far, where either, the media, or gaming sites went to the Special forces & ops soldiers to get their opinion on MOH before EA took out the name "taliban", had basically just about the same thing to say(although in different words) as the Teir 1 member above.

And you know what else they all said, it because of our military that all these whiners still have the freedom to bi*** & moan about whatever doesn't suit their ideas!!!!

If you love your freedom, thank your armed forces members!!!

0 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 11:12:23 PM
Reply

I may stand alone here, but I'm still calling BS on EA for caving in!!!!

FYI, here is just a few of the many articles on what our forces had to say about MOH(while the name taliban was still being used)

Special Operations Forces Members Discuss Medal of Honor

http://www.industrygamers.com/news/feature-special-operations-forces-members-discuss-medal-of-honor/

What Medal Of Honor Controversy? Special Ops Soldiers Want This Game

http://www.gamesthirst.com/2010/09/22/what-medal-of-honor-controversy-special-ops-soldiers-want-this-game/comment-page-1/

BTW, for those who haven't seen these Tier-1 MOH interview videos.....

Medal of Honor Tier 1 interviews

http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2010/06/28/medal-of-honor-tier-1-interviews/

Tier 1 interviews continue, with a hammer and scalpel

http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2010/07/21/tier-1-interviews-continue-with-a-hammer-and-scalpel/

2 up, 0 down

___________
Saturday, October 09, 2010 @ 1:49:47 AM
Reply

tis what i cant understand, the conservatives and media are calling it disrespectful to the troops, BUT ITS THE TROOPS WHO MADE THE FUDGING THING!!!!!!!!!
ah, whatever, i always said the media will turn anything into a big deal, turn the smallest thing till the sh*t hits the fan, but they did not have to prove it to me!!!!!

5 up, 0 down

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