Yes, we all know/knew that we are/were cogs in a large and often unforgiving machine, but it is important to consider the human element. Let's call it morale, espirit des corps, the organic structure. This is one of the reasons that many of us have stayed so long in the Services or have continued to maintain long friendships and actually look forward to attending reunions. Apart from university alumnii, there are few organisations that engender such loyalty amongst its staff. Anyone fancy going to a Tesco reunion?