Page 16 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022 CREST

Night 4 Blues
OCdt Purvis
Waking up at 2am,
Rifle on my knee,
Feel a primal urge to shift, Feel the need to wee.
Up gets I and wanders by,
To find a lonely tree,
Turning round I look and frown, “Where could my shell scrape be?”
Gone is track plan, Gone is wire,
Gone is model pit, Gone is guide, Gone is hope, Now I’m in the s**t.
Frantic now, I think aloud,
“What led me to this place?”
To stand out here without a light, In this empty space?
14 weeks of basics, 14 weeks of prep, 14 weeks of building, To this final step.
One more week till freedom, One more week till home, One more week till family, One more till shalom.
It started on day one when we,
So full of innocence,
Stepped off towards the next 5 days, To face old Monty’s hence.
We set up harbour in the woods, We did the clear patrols,
We dug and set up sentries,
We lay down on our rolls.
Day two was more kinetic, Back-to-back attacks, Section level – standard stuff, Back to ranch for snacks.
2IC my only role,
On that day of days,
Things were not to stay this way, As I heard hearsay.
Day 3 brought in platoon attacks, Recce’d with much plan,
To find and fix the Zabzimek,
To block them from advance.
Section IC was my role,
At least for one small part, A bullet fragment to my leg, Caused me to bleed out.
Day 4 saw our recce out, Hunting men in blue,
Got lost in a nettle bog, Knee deep in the gloom.
Zero two on radio-stag, Sleep dep setting in, Bladder’s getting full, Got to go give in.
And so, I roam the camp for hours, Until one kindly soul,
Points me to my roll mat,
Finally, my goal.
I put my head down slowly, Lay down on my back,
Look upon my watch and see, It’s time to get back up.
Though I moan, this exercise,
Has highlighted to me,
The progress our platoon has made, And what we need to change,
To grow as leaders of our troops,
To grow to serve to lead.
14 SANDHURST