Army life-cycle breeds close-knit platoon

Photo By Spc. Cal Turner | Sgt. Jared Bertagnolli, who is from Rock Springs, Wyo., and is a team leader, and Spc. Daniel Adams, who is from Albuquerque, N.M., and is a breach specialist and Spc. Jonathan Rhoades, who is from Marshall County, Texas, and is a saw gunner with 1st Platoon, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, prepare to tactically move in the Al-Doura district Jan. 15. The mission was to clear the neighborhood of possible insurgents by searching building to building.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

01.29.2002

Story by Spc. Leith Edgar 

7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

By Spc. L.B. Edgar,
7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – If the strongest bonds are formed on the battlefield, than one the strongest connections is between Soldiers who have deployed with one another on more than one occasion.

The Soldiers of 1st Platoon, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, have an exceptionally strong relationship thanks to two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, said Staff Sgt. Gary Epley, the platoon sergeant.

As a result of the Army's Life Cycle Program, which keeps Soldiers at the same installation, if not the same unit, for a greater period of time, Epley has spent the last four years serving with approximately the same group of Soldiers, he said.

The native of Louisville, Ky., said spending more time in a unit is rewarding.

"You get a chance to see Soldiers grow," he said. "I do see the progress Soldiers make day in and day out based on their own personal abilities."

Now deployed for the second time in three years, Epley said the time the platoon spends together makes the hardships and sacrifices bearable.

Though more common on the battlefield, the hardships the Soldiers often endure strengthens their tie to one another, said Staff Sgt. Nick Crosby, a team leader in the platoon.

"The brotherhood we have is what keeps us going. It comes down to we're working for each other. We try to keep each other alive and watch each other's backs," said the native of Tucson, Ariz. "You grow up with the same guys and that builds tighter cohesion. It's a second family."

Like a proud father watching his son grow into a man, noncommissioned officers in the platoon see their Soldiers develop into leaders, Epley said.

"Every day they get better. Every day they go out. Do their jobs to the best of their ability. Every day nothing happens, there is no loss of life, they learn from that. They get better each and every time they do it," Epley said. "They want to do (well) and make everyone proud. You see them working hard and doing good things. That's rewarding."

The analogy of NCOs and their Soldiers to fathers and their sons is understandable since many of the incoming Soldiers are 18 or 19 year-olds.

In addition, NCOs in the platoon frequently refer to their subordinates by their first names, contrary to most units in the Army, Epley said.

"If he sees that you care about him – at least enough to know his name, his family and where he is from, then maybe that makes it a little easier for him," Epley said. "All the leaders are very approachable and because of that, we have a very tight-knit platoon."

• Date Taken: 01.29.2002
• Date Posted: 01.29.2007 14:50
• Story ID: 8988
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ