Southwest Asia --
The U.S. Air Force along with four other coalition
organizations, which included the host nation, came together to compete in the
Friendship Games, a one-day tri-sport event, at an undisclosed location in
Southwest Asia May 27, 2015.
The competition started at 7:20 a.m. with a 5K run and
was followed by volleyball and tug-o-war matches throughout the day.
The recreational platform offered an opportunity to build
a deeper-rooted comradery between the countries and develop a broader understanding
of each other’s cultures.
Maj. Kenneth, Expeditionary Communications Squadron
commander, and creator of the games, has overseen the competition since its
creation in July 2014 and underscored what the event contributes to the
coalition.
“We want to build partnerships, friendships and comradery
through sport,” said Kenneth. “The commonality on this base is we’re all in the
military, we all love to represent our nation and we love different sports. To
[participate] in a manner where you can represent your country incites passion
and unity. ”
According to Kenneth, the games have grown in popularity
over the last 11 months and several agencies such as the Force Support
Squadron, Logistics Readiness Squadron, Host Nation Office and Honor Guard were
among the organizations responsible for its success.
The rapid growth of the games was also lauded by Brigadier
General John Quintas, Air Expeditionary Wing commander. Since its conception
he’s shown an unwavering support for the competitions ability to strengthen the
coalition off the battlefield.
“He’s a huge advocate for these games,” said Kenneth. “General
Quintas wanted Airmen to reach out to the host nation and make sure we had a
great relationship. This [event] was the impetus of his leadership. Without his
passion behind it, this wouldn’t be possible.”
The early morning anticipation
seemed to escalate in and around the gym as the start of the games neared. The
air was filled with loud music and the intensity grew as teams huddled together
psyching each other up.
For Chief Master Sgt. Samer
Alkhoury, Air Expeditionary Wing command chief, participating in this event
symbolized a closing moment in his career.
“This is kind of my last hoorah, so to represent this
base, our country and our Airmen in these games is a proud moment for me,” said
Alkhoury.
According to Kenneth, these games are the first U.S.
hosted international sporting event to be held in Air Force Central Command.
Kenneth said he’s handed the reins over to FSS so they
can carry on the Friendship Games legacy after his departure and he hopes the
event will become a blueprint for other coalition bases to follow.
(Editor’s note: Due to safety and security reasons,
some last names and unit designators were removed.)