I work for the Government of Manitoba. Unfortunately, the office I currently work out of (Brandon) had only myself and one other person, so we racked up OT pretty easily. I'm on the verge of a transfer back to Winnipeg so I won't be able to pick up as much OT next fiscal year.
Twice, EWVII (2014) will be my third. EW ruined all other airsoft for me, no matter how hard I try to avoid it I find myself comparing every other event to EW in terms of length, depth, excitement value, and overall cost. I have vowed that only death will keep me from attending each year (if I'm dismembered I'll take a staff position in the TOC).
The event itself feels more like the real military in terms of no guarantee of "trigger time". Units/squads are sent on missions and *may* come in contact with the enemy. I personally think that being on edge like that heightens the experience. For example, my first EW I used one mag throughout the entire event, and that was during an ambush wherein we were chasing down a Soviet squad (I got dead). At my second EW, we (the Canadians) expended every round of ammunition we had on us when the East German border guards shot the NATO commander (which set off hostilities for the event). EW allows every person attending to have their own amazing experiences, no matter what side of the border you opt for.
Some of the other things I love about EW:
- Line units only (no SF), means specific weapon restrictions and no crazy loadouts
- Period correct equipment such as radios and night vision
- Period correct vehicles and a field sizeable enough to warrant their use
- Hot meals prepared in the "flying kitchen" (MKT) more often than MRE meals
- An incredible camaraderie between participants
- The personal challenge to soldier on and work towards a common goal
- The 'Cultural Exchange' at the end of the event
NATO Wiki:
http://operationeastwind.com/wiki/NATO_Forces
WARPAC Wiki:
http://operationeastwind.com/wiki/WARPAC_Forces