In a far distant land
Brave soldiers awake
And rise from their beds
Before the dawn break

Bed spaces are tidied
Ablutions are done
All before breakfast
Their day’s just begun

With body armour on
And helmets at hand
They go off for breakfast
In a tent in the sand

Reveille is next
The day’s orders are heard
All listening in silence
To the officer’s words

In blistering heat some guard the base
Standing there so proud
While others take supplies
To the needy civilian crowds

Others set out on operations
Piled into bulldogs they’re off
Maybe days of battle and almost no sleep
And nothing but rations for scoff

Snipers, bombers, IEDs
Small arms fire no doubt
These are just a few things they’ll face
When patrolling there out and about

They may go man down from illness
Or they maybe injured or killed
But they still soldier on, for better or worse
Because of the discipline instilled

These are just typical days that they face
Unlike you, or I
Whilst most of us work in comfort and peace
They duck as the missiles pass by

They carry out their jobs but cannot complain
Because that’s what they signed up to do
And yet they receive so little respect
For serving their country so true