Brothers

Some of my friends recently went to a party hosted by another unit. When they came back they told me that several soldiers had commented on how much they enjoy working with us; that they often wish they were a part of our team. They said that what they admire most about us is the camaraderie we have developed together. I’ve been thinking about that lately, wondering what would make us different from other units here. I think there are several answers. Our closeness can be attributed as a direct result of our job. Because of the nature of our mission we must spend quite a lot of time together. For example, when we’re on-call we go everywhere as an entire platoon. Many other soldiers live in two person trailers. They only see members of their platoon during missions or in passing as they begin or end their work shifts. We, in contrast, live in a large building where you can’t so much as wake up at night to take a pee without running into five or six fellow soldiers.

Another contributing factor to our closeness may be the fact that, as a combat unit, we are comprised only of men (though I would greatly prefer it otherwise.). We single guys don’t compete or bicker over ladies, and are allowed to be our nasty and obnoxious selves. (This is not a judgment about women in the military or in combat.) For me, it’s just the natural state of things. Call it Joey’s Law: Joey + Women = Drama. An equation beyond dispute for all who know me.
Myself, I prefer the simple answer regarding the source of our closeness. We are fortunate to have an amazing group of guys. We have spent more than a year sharing in each other’s dreams and fears. We take care of one another and trust that someone is always watching our back. This deployment has been a very strange and complex experience but we have all managed to get through it together. I’m sure the units that don’t leave the wire have also made close friends, but I can’t imagine that it is the same as what we have. Through necessity and shared experience, both great and terrifying, we have created a family.