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Camaraderie among sister services common practice

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Stacia Zachary
  • AFCENT Combat Camera Correspondent
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WAZA K'WAH, Afghanistan --  A bonfire roars to life as another piece of scrap wood from a recent airdrop is thrown onto the flames. The smoky air is laced with laughter and lighthearted banter as men crowd around the fire for warmth. There is a mixture of Air Force tiger stripes, Army digitized camouflage and civilian clothing, yet there is no segregation among them.

Many people who have deployed before agree it's the small bases that offer the most camaraderie and lasting memories - stuff you see in war movies about the lasting ties that are forged in battle.

"This has been more of a 'deployment experience' for me," said Sergeant Hale, who has deployed before to a much larger, fully-built up base. "You never know what can happen out here and you need to know that the people you are out here with give a damn about you."

Low-key events such as this have become a weekly ritual.

"Stuff like this makes it easier to gut out being away from home," Sergeant Hale said. "Everyone in this (place) is in it together - we're all experiencing the same things."

The camaraderie that the men now share didn't come without some work.

"There's always a balancing out period when you bring new guys together," said Army Spc. Matthew Hicks, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, Delta Company.

Over a short period of time, the Airmen and Soldiers can now easily joke with one another over a card game, in passing or while kicking back at a bonfire.

"We've gotten to the point where you've built a rapport with people and no one takes offense when we rag on each other," Sergeant Hale said. "It's gotten to the point where it's not about Army or Air Force, it's about the people you're out here with."

"They take us picking on them really well," said Army Sgt. Robert Odell, 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, Alpha Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team. "We wouldn't bother with you at all if we didn't like you."

On small bases, it would be easy to assume that daily routines can quickly become a tedious practice. However, getting to really know those people, both at work and at play, only fosters a stronger relationship with virtual strangers.

"Because you don't have people to go home and talk to at the end of the day, you end up discussing your day with the same people you just spent your day with," said Senior Airman Michael Kushma, FOB Waza K'wah Communications Support. "You're forced to get to know everyone and accept them for who they are. It makes people closer."

For the four Airmen that are embedded among the contingent of Soldiers here, this camaraderie is what takes a potentially lonely and segregated deployment and makes it into something far more enriching.

"We're all family out here - it's almost automatic that we're so close-knit," said Senior Airman Mychael White, FOB Waza K'wah Communication Support. "It only takes a few weeks to get to know everyone's personalities and before long you become more than 'that Air Force guy.'"

At the end of the day, it's not about who has a longer deployment or who is missing the most by being here. Everyone is in the same boat - everyone is missing loved ones and special moments at home.

"We're all over here for roughly the same reasons, so it all cancels it out," Sergeant Hale said. "We're stuck out here together so why not make the most out of it?"