12 Strong ODA 595

These 12 strong men

Had no idea of the intensity of

Their mission,

Braved themselves and their family

And gave their full submission.

In the wake of September 11

Sent to Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban,

Not knowing if they would return,

They focused on the mission

There was a lot they had to learn.

Between the 12 men,

Was 8 years’ experience and had

Worked together for 2 years.

Bonded they did like brothers

Off they went to kill

These vultures.

Reading anything they could on Afghanistan

To learn about the country, with little information

They didn’t have much dictation.

Using tourist maps to work tracks out,

This is how they had to scout.

They had little assurance they would be safe,

Found ground cover in a cave.

For all the teams involved

The risk was extraordinary

What they did was

Revolutionary.

The threat of capture and torture

Was very real,

To be caught in that country

Would not have been ideal.

Not expected to survive

To everyone’s relief

They all came home alive.