How’s it cringeworthy ? If you cringe at this , you have zero idea what forms that bond .
I have a story of something similar to this camp.
We had been away and it had been never ending walking around , and skirmishes, there was a kill village we had to patrol in and out of, so constant attacks etc. ,and stores carries, the usual exercise bullshit to be honest , and then when we thought we were going to return to base/camp , they pulled us up got in formation , jus tiff this road in real long grass ,and we just stayed there for hrs . Silent ! Then it rains , and just buckets down , and everyone is beyond tired , they haven’t showered or had more than 2 hrs sleep in 3 days , it’s muddy now everywhere , we must have stunk like the worst thing you ever smelt … and just at that moment when we were in our absolute misery at like 10 at night, its pouring raining and one bloke goes “it could be worse … could be raining !. And then everyone got the giggles , and 10 minute later we moved out , and all shuffled back to base/ camp . Never had I felt more apart of something, then lying in that filth with those other 9 guys, giggling like a child over that lame joke .
Just a small anecdote , about bond and leadership.