Team Spirit

Pfc. Joseph Labutka
Soldiers from 3rd HBCT and Iraqi army soldiers from Besmaya Range Complex gather for a picture following the Sledgehammer vs. Bey May Eagles soccer game April 24 at BRC.

PFC. JOSEPH LABUTKA
3/3RD INF. DIV. PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE
HAMMER, Iraq

They partner on the battlefi eld, but on the soccer fi eld the two squared off. Soldiers of the 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, and the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade
Combat Team played soccer against Iraqi army soldiers from the Besmaya Range Complex, the Bey May Eagles, to promote camaraderie and partnership Tuesday. Sporting brand new soccer uniforms, the Iraqi army soldiers took to the field like professionals, doing drills and stretching exercises. The Sledgehammer Soldiers conducted a warm up routine similar to the standard exercises done before a regular day of physical training. Both teams were anxious to show
their soccer skills to the opposing players and to deepen their relationships with their partners. The difference between the American and Iraqi players was obvious.

Before the game, Spc. Mikael Lawal warned his teammates that the Iraqi soldiers were good runners, but he still felt the Sledgehammer soccer players had an edge. “You’re talking diversity,” said Lawal, a gunner for Company B, 203rd BSB, “We have all kinds of styles.” Spc. Coty Lowe, an intelligence analyst for Headquarters Company 203rd BSB, responded to Lawal explaining that soccer is the only sport Iraqis play, but the Americans have an advantage in diversity within their own team. “Asia, South America, North America, Africa; we have representatives from all other continents,” Lowe said.

As the teams took to the field to begin the game, Chaplain (Capt.) Mike Swartz, with 203rd BSB, presented Col. Fahil Abbas, commander of the Bey May Eagles, with a 203rd Eagles coin as a sign of friendship. Abbas later joined his fellow Iraqi soldiers scoring four additional goals against their American counterparts.

Both teams complimented each other’s skills after the game with handshakes and pats on the back. The final outcome favored the Iraqi soldiers with a score of 11-0. “Both teams played very good and respected each other.” Wsam Khzer, a soldier with the Iraqi Military Police said through a translator. “It doesn’t matter who won, just that we’re working together.”