Lt. Duval Tyson: You know, it was difficult being away from home and, you know, you miss all your family, your friends, and stuff like that. [00:00:05] But at the same time, you're still there with your family-the military, your family. And you just have to now, [00:00:10] you know, you become closer, you're going to bond, you're going to get closer to these people because you're with them now [00:00:15] everyday in close quarters. You know, you learn their different traits, you learn their different [00:00:20] personalities, it's fun.
Airman Daniel Payne: Like you would call mom on a Sunday, you [00:00:25] call everybody you work with, see what they're doin, how they are.
Sgt. April Cashdollar: It becomes a [00:00:30] new family for you and I would say since the OWT Program [00:00:35] just came about, it's great to know that I've trained these soldiers and now [00:00:40] they're my peers and I'm working with them and they're now helping to do the same thing I was for them.
Senior Airman Joshua Mills: The good [00:00:45] part about it is you always have your friends around, most of the time. So it's not like, you know, if you have your own [00:00:50] home that you're not-but in the dorm you can get a football game, or a basketball game, or [00:00:55] racquetball game together in no time. And that's probably the best part about [00:01:00] living on base next to everyone.
Sgt. Wayne Erickson: We had a shop owner; he was an Iraqi national [00:01:05] that lived in our building with us. He became really good friends with us. If we needed anything from the market, he would actually [00:01:10] go down to the market and get it for us. I mean, he was a really good friend and he actually cried when we left. [00:01:15] So, I mean, that was a really positive thing for me because just that ability to make friends with somebody like that [00:01:20] and he doesn't even know where we're from or know anything about us.
Senior Airman Jennifer Gayheart: [00:01:25] You work off each other. You're very close and all your training and all your camaraderie [00:01:30] is like, you keep together.
Lt. Dennis Wischmeier: Especially when you put 24 guys on an aircraft [00:01:35] through multiple long missions, I mean there's lots [00:01:40] of practical jokes, and lots of things that go on that make the time fly.
Senior Airman Joshua Mills: The bad part about it is probably, [00:01:45] you know, like you see them at work, and then you see them back at home, and you're like, can't I ever get away from them?
[00:01:50]
[End of Recording]
