Aug 20, 2008 - 09:44 AM

By Moya Dillion

OSHAWA -- It’s been a long road for three Oshawa friends who grew up together in the local 1913 Cadet Corp.

Now Gabriel Keane Zedic-Best, Chris Russell and Alan Flynn, all 22, are preparing to ship out to Afghanistan this fall and they couldn’t be more excited.

“People don’t understand, soldiers in Petawawa want to go to Afghanistan,” Mr. Flynn said. “Everyone volunteers and they’re really gung-ho.”

Looking sharp in their dress uniforms, despite the thermometer hovering near 30 degrees, all three men were calm and relaxed as they awaited an afternoon going-away party Saturday.

“It’s like any other job,” Mr. Russell said of their deployment. “The same as if you were a carpenter, if you’re not doing your job you’re not happy.”

The three agreed one of the biggest misconceptions of this war is that soldiers don’t want to be there. 

Mr. Flynn, who like his friends has been in the military just over two years, says heading to Afghanistan is one of the reasons he signed up.

“This is a new army,” he said. “All the people signing up are joining so they can go overseas.”

The three first became friends when they were 12 and attended the Black Down cadet training camp at CFB Borden. It was there they developed an interest in the military.

“You have your friends at school when you’re growing up,” Mr. Zedic-Best said. “But your friends at cadets are more your family.”

Despite their closeness, the three split off into different trades when they joined the military. Mr. Zedic-Best joined the infantry because he “wanted to do the hardest thing possible,” he said.

Mr. Flynn joined the armoured division after honing an interest in armoured vehicles at Oshawa’s Ferret Club, a part of the Military and Industrial Museum.

“I kind of fell in love with the job,” he said of working with the vehicles.

Mr. Russell is a member of the Military Police platoon.

All three friends happily tease each other about their different trades, with Mr. Flynn deemed “too picky” for refusing to drink his coffee after a fly landed in it.

“If you were in the infantry you’d drink it,” Mr. Zedic-Best said, laughing. “Fly and all.”

Although all three soldiers are visibly excited for the upcoming tour, Mr. Zedic-Best is the most vocal.

“If I could be there tomorrow, I’d do it in a heartbeat,” he said, explaining that he would be responsible for conducting patrols, making contact with Afghan villages and tracking Taliban.

A string of recent deaths, including two deaths in three days that upped the Canadian death toll to 90, does little to put a damper on their spirits.

“There’s sort of a dark humour in the military that we use to deal with that,” Mr. Flynn said, before quickly deeming it unsuitable for civilian ears.

“Basically, we’re more worried about each other than ourselves,” Mr. Russell said.

For Mr. Zedic-Best, it’s all about perspective.

“I’m more concerned about being able to do my job properly,” he said. “Because that will save the lives of my buddies.”

It’s a different story for the families waiting at home, who admit to being scared, although they’re putting on brave faces.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Elizabeth Zedic said of her son’s deployment. “It’s a natural step for him to go. And even though it’s hard, it’s a little easier knowing they have each other over there.”