Mitchell Prothero is a journalist who has reported from all over the Middle East for several years and is currently based in Lebanon. While there, he has been trying to learn more about Hezbollah, the Shiite military/quasi-governmental/terrorist group based in that country. To that end, he recently challenged some Hezbollah fighters to a paintball match against him and three other Western writers (plus one ringer, former Army Ranger/counterinsurgency expert Andrew Exum). It took quite awhile to negotiate and coordinate, but one night several members of Hezbollah did show up at the paintball arena beneath a Beirut strip mall, and the competition was on.
After reading Prothero's story about this odd event online, I invited him to join me on KTRS/St. Louis to explain why he did it, what he got out of it, how his opponents acted, and how difficult it was to get trained terrorist fighters to agree to basic ground rules. He explained what he learned about the Hezbollah members, whether they hate Israel and the USA, and much more. It's a fascinating story, which is why I extended our conversation a little longer than usual.
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