To A South African Pilot Of A Buccaneer Bomber Poem by Gert Strydom

Having jumped at Cassinga by parachute on a huge enemy stronghold
with B-10 recoilless guns, AA-canons and RPG's they acted bold
the LMG saved me numerous times from a ferocious enemy
while this killing thing made a boy of eighteen feel very old.

After the battle other parabats were flown out
and we waited to be picked up, did talk and walk about
when suddenly Cuban armour did appear.
"Enemy battle-tanks, " a lookout did the warning shout.

To our aid came two mirage fighter-jets with guns blazing
and at some of the armoured cars they were firing
as they had already used their missiles and bombs somewhere else,
but there accuracy was amazing,

yet still the battle-tanks unaffected crunched on
with their canons firing while out of ammo the Mirages were gone.
Firing with the LMG from the hip I was scared as hell
where my bullets did not have any affect and I was not the only one,
while the anti-tank unit went into action I stood with a light machinegun,
when a Buccaneer bomber suddenly did appear out of the sun.

At Cassinga on that fateful day unaware of what his presence meant,
the pilot of that Buccaneer bomber did death time and again defy,
while the Cuban tanks did roll in I fired at them diffident,
the Cuban anti-aircraft guns fired with vicious intent,
but the pilot kept that enemy, the ones that he could hit, under an eagle eye
did shoot out battle-tanks with rockets dropping from the sky
still did drop down upon them into canon fire when his last ammunition was spent
giving us, paratroopers, time to with helicopters be lifted off and away to fly
while we did live moment by moment

and to this day that fateful fight, that pilot's bravery
has in my mind not being matched by anyone
when to rescue us to him became a necessity
where valiant deeds time and again by him was done
to help us escape certain death and captivity
and without orders, on his own, to this battle he had gone
had diverted from his original target with a unknown kind of sincerity.

© Gert Strydom