BEMOWO PISKIE, Poland - Despite being divided by the Atlantic Ocean and a distance of more than 5,600 miles, a U.S. Army Soldier and his Romanian counterpart found their military careers repeatedly intertwined in different parts of the world. Their parallel military service and intersecting career paths transcended geographical and cultural barriers, fostering an enduring professional relationship and cultivating an extraordinary personal friendship.
Command Sgt. Maj. Sheldon Watson with the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, supporting the 4th Infantry Division as the lead element for NATO’s enhanced Forward Battle Group Presence Poland, and Romanian Command Sgt. Maj. Florea Sas, the senior enlisted advisor to Romania’s Chief of Defense, recently reunited in Watson’s office at Bemowo Piskie Training Area (BPTA).
The two first met at a time when they were both platoon sergeants 13 years ago when their units completed a number of joint operations while serving in Afghanistan. Both men were on many of the same missions.
“He and I were stationed in the same camp and went on many of the same missions during our time in Afghanistan. This was in 2010-2011,” said Watson.
The two noncommissioned officers lost touch after their time in Afghanistan, they said. That was until they ran into each other almost ten years later. This time it was in the academic setting of the U.S. Army’s Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas in 2020.
The two of them were sitting in their homeroom with 13 other Soldiers. They both realized that they had met before but, neither one was quite sure when or where that was.
“We started talking about the different places they have been,” said Watson. “That’s when it clicked. We had realized that we both served with each other in Afghanistan.”
It was at the academy that their connection grew to be strong as they spent 12 months working on projects together in order to graduate from the demanding program.
Sas explained that out of all the experiences they shared and memories made, the most important was when Watson chose Sas to do his pinning when he got promoted.
“Why did he pick me? What an honor. What a privilege.” Sas said. “I tell that story to everyone back in my country.”
After that, the two stayed in contact through social media. They would send messages and let the other know what they were up to and where they were headed. Eventually, Watson received orders to eastern Europe and saw there was an opportunity for a reunion.
“I found out I was coming to Poland, and I said at some point we have to meet.” Watson said.
At first it looked like it was not going to happen. Both of them had demanding schedules, and even though they both did some traveling for their missions, it did not appear they were going to cross paths.
That is until Sas shared the news that he would be visiting BPTA.
“Because of the way the battle rhythm was, the restrictions we had, it wasn’t in the stars,” said Watson. “Then, three weeks ago I found out he was going to do a battlefield circulation, an assessment to go back and brief their administrator of defense, and he said he will be at BPTA. I was like, ‘you’ve got to be kidding me.’”
Their opportunity had come. They took time to meet in Watson’s office at BPTA. They sat down together to reconnect, share some memories, and reflect on how exceptional their connection has been.
“You can’t put it into words, can’t script it.” Watson said. “It sounds like a fairy tale or wishful thinking, but here we are, the both of us, different paths conversing several times through our time in the military. Getting after the same thing, strengthening NATO, working on alliances. Building a better tomorrow,” said Watson.
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