The South Africans

The South Africans
Are the backbone
Of our security force,
An essential ingredient
For any operation
Within this war torn land.
They are a jovial,
And somewhat rowdy
Band of guardian mercenaries,
Most of whom
Seem to know each other
From past exploits.
I could sit for hours
Listening to their banter
Back and forth,
And their playful
One-upmanship,
And joyful camaraderie.
They all left home
Chasing the winds
Of fortune and opportunity
Which at the moment
Seem to be blowing
In the direction of Iraq.
Many served in
The special forces,
Or other elite army units,
Where they honed
Their fighting skills
Deep under cover
Or behind the scenes
Of some of Africa’s
Most intense
And protracted
Guerilla wars.
Some of them were
Formerly police officers
From cities like
Durban, Cape Town
And Pretoria.
A couple were spooks
Who spent
Their military careers
Slyly infiltrating
Groups considered
To be a possible
Security threat
By the government.
Out of necessity,
Those chameleons
Had to cut themselves off
From friends and family,
And immerse themselves
In the causes and ideals
Of whichever organization
They were spying on.
The reality they dealt with
Day in and day out
Was that many of
The group’s grievances
Were probably legitimate,
And it would have been
Easy to fall prey
To the righteousness
Of their complaints.
They walked
A perilous line,
While lurking
In the shadows,
Trying to observe
Without being seen,
And without being
Swallowed whole
By the conflict.
Now they all come together,
Hired to make it so
The other construction people
And myself
Can do what we need to do.
I doubt a better
Or a more qualified
Security team
Could be found anywhere,
And the entertainment
They provide is priceless.