The Standing Up of Three Troop

Tpr Matt Sebo
18 September 2009

Well we finally got our Third Troop. It’s not exactly how we thought it was going to happen, but it’s working out quite well. Three tanks and their crews from Two Troop were sent to a different part of Afghanistan in order to help with security for the rest of the tour. This left a 12-man void, which needed to be filled in order to keep the Squadron running. So we took a few people from each Troop and bang, Three Troop was formed. Although the experiences of the soldiers in our new Troop are varied, it seems that everybody has meshed together well. It seemed that from our very first O group we all knew what we were there to do. While most of us have spent a large portion of the tour stuck in the FOB while watching everybody else head out in order to do all the fighting, it’s now our turn. Whether doing maintenance on the Tanks, out on QRF calls, or deployed on Operations, we are working hard and working well as a team.

Just like the rest of C Sqn we are tired and we can’t wait to get home to our families. But it seems that we all still have our sense of humour. From our Troop Leader Captain “Barf” Kallos constantly having the right thing to say at the right time, to Cpl “D” D’Angelo demonstrating his unique ability to stink up an entire Tank, to Tpr Cory Rogers just sitting there and being a ginger, there is always something to joke about in Three Troop. You really have to have a sense of humour out here. I remember when we first got out here we were all excited about the tour. Now that we are coming to the end you can see that everybody really wants to get home and see their families. A person really learns how much they appreciate their home when they spend so much time in a place that is so unbelievably different from what you know. The things that a guy takes for granted at home take on a different meaning while living in a place like Afghanistan. The things that all of us have seen and done out here are so strange and hard for any other person to understand. It is nice to have a Troop that is so new but so close already; that we can share with each other what we have seen or done is very special.

I think that when I get home and reflect on the last 6 months out here and all that we have accomplished, I will remember that even though C Squadron had less people on this tour than other Rotations, we were able to accomplish a lot for the Afghan people. I will remember the comradeship of the soldiers and how people that are so different in so many ways can trust in each other and accomplish what no one thought that we could.