CAMP SABALU-HARRISON, Afghanistan – Getting stuffed on Thanksgiving is normal, but it’s usually on turkey and candied yams.
On Camp Sabalu-Harrison, troops decided to get stuffed another way: on the volleyball court.
Task Force Titan hosted a partnership volleyball tournament, on Nov. 22, 2012, for residents of the camp, both U.S. and Afghan.
The tournament brought the two nations together for a day of friendly competition and mixing of cultures in an environment where the two work side-by-side every day.
“It reminds us we are a team, not a bunch of individuals,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew Lombardo, Task Force Titan command sergeant major and event organizer. “It points to human commonalities and breaks down the divides and misperceptions. We can see that both sides like sports, competition and take pride in our teams.”
The ANA had two teams in the tournament, both of which knocked out every American team they played. Though they were playing to beat the U.S. teams, they kept the spirit of unity in mind.
“We work together, shohna ba shohna, so it made us very happy to be a part of this tournament,” said Sgt. Esmatullah, an ANA military police officer and team captain for ANA Team A.
The zeal for fun and competition was not just on the court, but on the microphone as well.
“I saw an American master of ceremony and an Afghan MC go back and forth, commentating about the game and the crowd, and I thought it was unique,” said Lombardo. “It was totally improvised, not planned and great.”
The American MC, Sgt. 1st Class James Bass, an engineer for the 333d Military Police Brigade and a member of the 333d’s volleyball team, understood that the reason for the tournament was to build camaraderie and solid partnerships, and he was not going to let that opportunity slip by.
“I made it a point to interact with the ANA for the reasons the event was put together,” said Bass. “Interaction is mostly conducted at higher levels, so to see this interaction at our level was a great sight.”
The Afghan MC had a bit more leverage on the microphone, as the two ANA teams cleaned house in the tournament, losing only one match between the two of them. ANA Team A won the tournament. Though it was a tournament in homage to an American holiday, Lombardo felt that the ANA winning was just the ticket to make the day a hit.
“What I liked about the Afghans winning was it was a visible display of success,” explained Lombardo. “We didn’t give it to them, they earned it, and that is a visible growth of their troops as a team.”
While her team didn’t win, 2nd Lt. LaShonda Long, a human resources officer with the 384th Military Police Battalion and a member of the 384th’s volleyball team, felt the day was a positive one with a resounding message to the troops.
“The effect that it had on me was that we are all people and we can all get together to have a friendly competition,” she said. “I saw troops working together and having fun.”
The team of linguists from the camp came in second, and between Lombardo and the linguists, there is much anticipation for the next tournament.
“The linguists are very competitive and looking forward to a rematch in the spring, and the Americans, with some practice, will hopefully be competitive,” Lombardo said with a smile.
Brig. Gen. Phillip Churn, Task Force Titan commanding general, and key ANA leaders watched the tournament together, showing support for their teams and the growing partnership. Lombardo hopes that in the next tournament, the CG and ANA leaders jump on the court as well.
| Date Taken: | 11.22.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 12.07.2012 06:48 |
| Story ID: | 98909 |
| Location: | AF |
| Web Views: | 293 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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