Photo By Staff Sgt. Matt Leary | Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Bermel watch the NCAA College Men's Basketball...... read more read more
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By Army Spc. Matthew Leary
Task Force Fury Public Affairs Office
FORWARD OPERATING BASE BERMEL, Afghanistan - Watching your favourite sporting event isn't always easy if you're deployed to Afghanistan, due to a nine-and-a-half hour time difference. But for major events, Soldiers will make every effort to catch their teams in action.
So while the University of Florida Gators played the Ohio State University Buckeyes in the NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., April 2, the Soldiers of Task Force Fury, at Forward Operating Base Bermel, cheered on their teams, April 3.
The Soldiers crowded around the tables in the dining facility and couches in the Moral and Welfare Center, watching the progress of the game on the community televisions.
For many, it was an opportunity to feel a touch of home, said Army Pvt. Jeffrey O. Embry, a rifleman with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
"It reminds me of old memories with my family when we were all together," Embry, said. "Our grandmother owns a 65 inch TV, so all our family would come over to watch the game together."
Embry, a native of Brandenburg, Ky., woke up early to catch the game before heading out on a mission.
The mission requirements while deployed limit the amount of sporting events Soldiers get to watch, said Army Sgt. Lonell J. Lee, a team leader with Company B, 2-87th Inf. Regt. and native of Williamsport, Pa.
"We only get to watch a little bit of the games out here because we're usually going out on missions," he said.
A big fan of college basketball, Lee made sure to wake up early and watch the game. For him, it provided an opportunity to relax from the stress endured during a combat deployment.
"It relieves a lot of stress to just get to watch a basketball game," Lee added.
The Gators defeated the Buckeyes 84-75.
| Date Taken: | 04.11.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2007 10:36 |
| Story ID: | 9865 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 222 |
| Downloads: | 188 |
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