(Editor's note: This is the second part of a two-part series on battle buddies.)
FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- Warrant officer candidates don't have a battle buddy to rely on at all times, they have several.
Soldiers going through warrant officer training are working toward becoming tomorrow's leaders. Even though they will soon be giving orders, some still look back to the lessons learned during their time with a battle buddy and realize how it helps them today.
"(The battle buddy system) taught me to open up and learn to work as a team member," said Warrant Officer Candidate Charles Thompson, Class 10-23, 1st Warrant Officer Company. "It taught me to work with different people and that it's not just having someone with you at all times. It's two people working together at all times."
Thompson said the battle buddy system helped him get to where he is today.
"In (basic combat training) you're stuck with the battle buddy," he said. "I realized later that having the system helped put me where I am now."
Discussing ideas is another added benefit of the battle buddy system Thompson said benefited him as a WOC. It taught him that everyone has their own way of looking at the world.
"There are basic things that need to be in check, like a person being on time," he said. "(However), the system showed me how people go through life differently and have a different set of issues from what I might have. Everyone learns in different ways."
WOC Joseph Keele, Class 10-23, 1st Warrant Officer Co., said his experience with the system is similar to his WOC training.
"There's surprisingly little difference between how things were (before becoming a WOC) and how things are now," Keele said. "Now, I don't have just one battle buddy, I have several. We are individuals, but you can't lead from within a bubble. We're still a group and decisions we make affect the team."
Learning to be reliant on each other was a major part of the battle buddy experience for WOC Jennifer Gaulton, Class 10-23, 1st Warrant Officer Co. She said having a battle buddy can be different for female Soldiers because they open up to each other quickly.
"I got along with my battle buddy almost immediately. We talked a lot and it made getting to know her a lot easier," she said. "It is easy to become too reliant on a battle buddy if you get to the point where you can't make a simple decision without talking to them first."
However, relying on a battle buddy can make a big difference in a Soldier's morale, she added. There was a time when she was in an advanced individual training course that her battle buddy helped her through a tough situation.
"I was really homesick and having a hard time dealing with everything at that point," she said. "My battle buddy really helped me get through that. The experiences I had with the (battle buddy system) are some I'll carry with me for the rest of my military career. It's helping me to become a better leader."
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