Iowa infantry Soldiers training at Camp Ripley were running low on smokes, but high on morale and camaraderie. They had been in the field training for almost a week straight; no showers, no laundry, no dining facility and no internet.

They just had each other.

Several times the Soldiers mentioned how close the unit is, like a family, and it showed. Across the Iowa National Guard, stories of camaraderie can be found; stories that illustrate why military service creates such strong bonds between Soldiers and fosters lifelong friendships.

“We’re not just here to do a job, we’re a family,” said Spc. Dante Brunson, an infantry Soldier from Clinton, Iowa. “We care about each other, we ask how life outside the Army is going, we offer support to each other.”

Brunson is assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment. The 1-133rd Infantry falls under the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division “Red Bulls,” which was midway through a three-week eXportable Combat Training Capabilities exercise in July 2024 designed to test units on their platoon-level proficiencies.

Brunson was spending his 23rd birthday in the field and talked about how his company came together to tackle the rigorous training they were tasked with at XCTC. He was the main attraction of the group; a gregarious storyteller and all-around fun chat. He made everyone, including himself, laugh constantly. Brunson excitedly recalled a story about how he had taken a cartoonish tumble while on the M249 light machine gun range, dropping one of his drum magazines in the process. He relayed another story about the hard work and preparation he put into one of the ranges, including sprinting hundreds of yards while weighed down by 5.56 caliber magazine drums, only for the targets at that range to fail to pop up, rendering the entire effort futile.

Brunson took it all in stride. As Brunson put it, being a Soldier is in his blood. He’s part of a long line of service members going at least four generations back. His great-grandfather served in World War II, his grandfather and a couple uncles served in the Vietnam War, and another uncle served in the infantry in Afghanistan.

Brunson truly loves his fellow Soldiers, and they love him.

“This guy’s a beast”, said Sgt. Jesse Nester, Brunson’s first-line leader, while pointing at Brunson and giggling. “Want to know how he got poison ivy? We needed to make a path through the weeds. This guy went out there with a trench tool in each hand and just started whacking away. Took about thirty minutes.”

The Soldiers in his team laughed in unison.

“Someone asked me if I wanted to go to a different company,” said Brunson. “I said no. This is my family right here. There’s no one else I’d rather be with than these guys.”

The experiences that Brunson and Company A shared can be found in ranks across the Red Bull Brigade. Capt. Brandon Lindsey is an executive officer and health services administrator with Company C, 334th Brigade Support Battalion. The 334th BSB augments the 2/34th IBCT by providing logistics and resupply support.

Lindsey described his bond with his friends in the Iowa National Guard, and how those friendships are unique from those made outside of the military.

“On the civilian side, they don’t have to have your back, they don’t have to save you if you need to be saved,” said Lindsey. “You embrace the suck together. You might need them to have your back one day. The experiences that you go through together out in an environment like this, [they make] you grow closer together.”

Lindsey shared Brunson’s perspective on the military being more than just a job; it’s about who you get to meet and spend time with. He often gets lunch with his National Guard friends and everyone makes an effort to keep in touch.

While he was out in the field at Camp Ripley, Lindsey noticed the morale in his unit was higher than usual since the beginning of the XCTC rotation. He attributed some of that cohesion to the Soldiers all going through the same challenging experience while doing their jobs.

“The attitudes have been really high, morale’s been high. I’ve never seen them come together so much than in the last two weeks that we’ve been here,” said Lindsey. “My perception of my team is they’re all excited. They love to do their job.”

Whether Soldiers are decompressing after a long day of training, or conducting a high-tension, complex mission as a team, the Iowa National Guard is at its best when those connections are being built. Brunson and Lindsey’s experiences show that when units are cohesive, it not only forges lasting bonds, but enhances readiness.