It’s been four days, the Rovers engine cooling,
I tried to walk, after crawling out the back,
No help I said, as others tried to comfort,
At last the end, of a journey cloaked in black,

It started out, the four of us together,
Although out here, our lives are merged as one,
All through the days, when training was in earnest,
Never knowing what would then become,

We grew so close, that some would call us brothers,
Sharing the ups and downs, that life would throw,
A friendship formed, on Regimental spirit,
Lifetime mates, until that final blow,

We got called in, at 6 am last Wednesday,
The old CO revealed a deadly plot,
The four of us, would go in under cover,
To foil the plans, of Zarqawi’s rebel lot

We left as night, fell quiet on the campsite,
To live three days, without a replen task,
Our minds alive with orders from the government,
We hope and pray they know just what they ask

Two hours in flight, and feeling rather queasy,
Green light appears, and through the door we spin,
We sail down, cannot make our landing zone,
Until a flicker of, red torch light guides us in

As dawn did break, across the rebel holding,
We lay dug in, so none would see a trace,
Observing life, unfolding there before us,
The plan to hit that night and break our base,

We tried to sleep; my watch starts at 04:30,
A dog pees on, my cover as I lay,
It sniffs around and homes in on my odour,
My knife is drawn, oh please dog go away

It starts to bark, the guards are now awoken,
They start to shout I fear our cover blown,
We dare not move our lives in mortal danger,
It’s at that point, to fight or flee bedlam

Our weapons cock, as if one gun has spoken,
Mags all on firm, and lifted up to sight,
Each man of us will take a rebel soldier,
Then its fire and manoeuvre fast in flight,

They ran our way, twenty guns were blazing,
We opened fire, and switched as targets died,
We held our ground, but could not last forever,
I saw the trace, of rocket to one side,

Like a flash, Jim hurled himself towards it,
It caught him square, and blew him through the zone,
I saw his face; he mouthed to me a warning,
and disappeared in a haze of blood and bone,

Back through the dust, the three of us departed,
A smoke screen up, we split three different ways,
No time to think, our instincts taking over,
Hot lead danced, as we sped far away

Behind some rocks, my shelter soon was founded,
I try to breathe; hot air rips out my throat,
My chest pounds hard, my heart beats like an engine
Just can’t go on, mind is all afloat

As I look round, I see the rebels hoarding,
They look to find, what enemy defiled,
I lay there quiet; I know my time is coming,
I dream of Beth, the mother of my child

I hear a shot; I look to see the victim,
They found poor Joe, and ripped him from his shell
The five of them, no mercy had they shown him,
A well placed grenade, blew them all to hell

I know not when, the carnage had all quietened,
I knew not how, my escape, I seemed to hack,
But what I do know that my faithful buddies,
Were not with me, as I struggled to get back

I walked for miles, in darkness was surrounded,
I headed North; stars guide me on the ground
By the daylight hours, I was resting,
My water gone, and never to be found

They had homed in, my beacon they had followed,
They scooped me up, and in the Rover placed
I looked about, and couldn’t see my comrades
Until unconsciousness was left in place

We headed home, to friendly territory,
I drifted in, and out of darkest dreams
Of my mates. I knew I wouldn’t see again
Of the best and last of close knit teams