FORT KNOX, Ky — Cadets make connections all around the globe, but unknowingly running into an old comrade at Cadet Summer Training (CST) after four years of little-to-no contact is likely something that not all Cadets will get to experience during their service.

However, for Cadets Daniel Haber and David Buitrago-Cebalos, both of whom were assigned to 1st Regiment, Delta Company, that is not the case.

Haber and Buitrago-Cebalos previously served in Vicenza, Italy together and worked alongside each other despite their different Military Occupational Specialities (MOS), with Haber having been an interrogator and Buitrago-Cebalos serving as a signal analyst. 

Though both of them had different reasons for enlisting, with Haber wanting to make a difference after witnessing two wars in his lifetime in his home country of Lebanon, and Buitrago-Cebalos wanting to have a sense of purpose, they both had one thing in common — wanting to serve their country.

“I saw firsthand what our enemies have been doing to a country that I love dearly,” Haber said. “And I wanted to make a difference. So, I joined in 2017.”

But despite their different specialties, Haber and Buitrago-Cebalos not only served their country from within Italy’s borders, but they also had adventures outside of the military. Their shared service led to one thing — friendship.

“We did a lot of adventures together, you know?” Haber said. “We would go on trips together to the beach [and] snowboarding in the Alps. It was pretty nice.”

However, once their service in Italy came to an end, the two fell out of touch.

Even though they were friends on social media and would occasionally like each other’s posts, that was the extent of their communication after they left Italy, with Haber going to Florida and Buitrago-Cebalos going to a different part of the United States. 

“We have not talked to each other since 2022,” Buitrago-Cebalos said. 

Despite their lives moving in different directions, they both somehow found their way to Fort Knox for Cadet Summer Training, an event that is meant to evaluate and train future Army officers by testing their physical, mental and leadership abilities during stressful situations.

But prior to arriving to base, neither Cadet had any idea that the other was also in the program.

“It was like a blast from the past,” Buitrago-Cebalos said. “I felt like I was back in Italy. It was nostalgic, and it kind of showed how far we have come in our careers.”

Haber claimed that he thought Buitrago-Cebalos was active duty and that he had joined the Guard or the Reserves after their time in Italy, but after running into Buitrago-Cebalos again, he considered it a happy coincidence. 

Buitrago-Cebalos felt similarly. 

“I was sitting down one day eating chow, and I looked up and saw Haber,” he said. “I was like ‘what are you doing here?’ The odds are insane. Just shows that whoever you run into, you’re probably going to see them again.”

Now that they are both at Fort Knox for CST, the two Cadets plan to stay in contact, especially since they both want to be Military Intelligence (MI) Officers in the future.