Day 58 - Unity

I think that it's hard for us back in "The States" to understand the depth of bonding that occurs among soldiers. I know that Al got separated from his group of "guys" that he trained with at Camp Shelby - and that that alone has been really hard on him. Troy, Dave, Paul and Jason used to a be a part of his daily vocabulary - which has now been replaced with a host of new people -- Major Weaver, Captain Winton, and the guy that he works out with - whose name I can't remember. Female friendships which are sometimes dependent on the weather and hormones really can't relate to an understood bond among men - and especially the strong glue that holds a group of American Soldiers together. United in trust for one another, for their country --- keeping one another sane on the bad days - laughing together on the good days - eating bad food, watching the other person's back - and understanding fully what that phrase REALLY means.

On that note, I read this article today --- I pray that Al would do the same for the guys that he's with right now. Sometimes the smallest things show the depth of a person's commitment:

Army reservists reject plane ride in show of unity
Date: Monday, February 28 @ 00:00:55 Topic Our Towns

SALT LAKE CITY -- When the chartered plane carrying them to Utah from Fort Carson, Colo., had no room for a few of their comrades, the 30 Army Reserve soldiers of a Utah National Guard unit opted for an all-night bus ride rather than leaving two or three members behind to find their own transportation home.

It was a testament to the 395th Finance Battalion's sense of camaraderie, forged after a yearlong deployment in the Persian Gulf.

"They deployed together and they wanted to come home the same way," said Master Sgt. Gary Younger. "If they couldn't get the whole unit on board, then it wasn't worth it to them."
The Army Reservists, mobilized in December 2003, returned to Fort Douglas early Saturday morning after an all-night bus ride from their final staging area at Fort Carson.

A Salt Lake City policewoman welcomed them at Fort Douglas, with her cruiser's lights and sirens blazing.

The soldiers served in Kuwait, Iraq and Djibouti, paying out checks and cash to private vendors providing support services to U.S. troops.

Staff Sgt. Robert Skraznas, of Layton, said the battalion paid for food, tents, generators, portable rest rooms and chemicals to clean them -- "anything having to do with sustaining and maintaining U.S. troops in the field."

Meanwhile, nearly 400 Army Reserve soldiers from two Ogden-based units are scheduled to travel to Fort Bliss, Texas, for final training before deployment to the Persian Gulf. The 146th Transportation Company is scheduled to report for duty in March and the 872nd Ordnance Company in June.This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D2.

This article comes from The Daily Herald http://www.harktheherald.com/