84 dropped me and a fairer member of the military off just off Aki in a quite sizeable survival dinghy and left us to it (mid 80s) for an hour or so until they came to look for us. She had no sense of humour but it didn't matter (if you know what I mean); if I was to ever have play my small part (not in the biblical sense) in fostering closer working relationships between 34 Sqn and the station, that would have been it. I bottled it though, completely. F for big fat freddy fail. Some time later, I met her at Benson and after a few drinks, she asked me why I didn't - she said she would have been willing to explore some form of rapprochement.
Gutted.
I suspect the general and largely uninformed public holds mil SAR in far higher esteem than politicians even imagine.
Yup.