SERVICE BEFORE SELF
One hundred years of service, our Air Force has achieved
Sometimes the butt of friendly jibes, but do not be deceived
They have been there for our nation, and are now the stuff of lore
From fragile wooden bi-planes, to a supersonic roar
He’d never heard of Kandahar, or even Tarin Kot
But its his fifth deployment here, so he’s seen the bloody lot
A sniper in every crevice, no heed to age or gender
And every stranger that he sees, could be deaths silent vendor
The enemy conducts a hit and run, from a poppy field
Or tries to mount an attack, using a human shield
They always seem to know, when to change their tac
For its hard to fight a swarm of ghosts, with one arm behind your back
A vapour trail the only clue, our army has a friend
It only takes a call sign, to strike or to defend
They’ve been through this together, many times before
Different corps and uniforms, united in the fire of war
Two decades in the sandpit, and a century in the air
Will history remember, that they were ever there
Always on their guard, to the dangers they detect
Service before self, is the duty they protect
Tomas ‘Paddy’ Hamilton
7 February 2021
FILE IMAGE (14 January 2018): F/A-18F Super Hornet aircrew walk out for the final mission on Operation Okra at the main air operating base in the Middle East Region. Photo by Corporal Brenton Kwaterski, stylised by CONTACT.
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