I was one of a team that had just helped disembark an Air Group from a Naval Vessel, we were preparing for Swift Sword 2, were in the Eastern Med and getting ready for a run ashore alongside in an allied country. Like most I watched it on the nearest TV, was then called up to do a weapons handling test (L85A1, British rubbish-quality weapon at the time I thought then and still do now) to keep in date for the SPO, went back to the mess and drank quite a lot of beer (with no aircraft embarked I felt relatively safe in doing that). I argued with my friends long into the night about how we had got here, where the world was going wrong. I knew even then that night it (the future) was going to be disastrous for many people in the world, and so it proved. I had a sad, very cold feeling about it all, despite the alcohol taking effect.