The daughter of a soldier

Life without a dad

0600- Amelia yells down the corridor,
"Reveille, Reveille, Reveille! Let's go ladies, get up and dressed, let's move!"
Amelia turns on her heel and stalks out of the building, taking up refuge under a nearby tree. She turns, and like she does every morning, looks at the pink sky on the horizon, just before the sun rises. Turning away, she pulls out her notebook and pen, and waits.

Amelia joined the Royal Australian Air Force at the age of 18. Her dad was a Group Captain who served in two wars, only getting killed in the last days of the second war. Her mum also served in the RAAF, and was in the same wars, however she survived. Amelia is now, after just six years service, a Flight Sergeant and recruit instructor. Her recruits, who have been in training for 12 weeks now, are progressing well. At the end of this recruit course, Amelia has been accepted for and will be awarded a commission in the field, much the same as her father once was awarded. Amelia will be promoted to Pilot Officer.

Looking across at the parade ground, Amelia sees two males from her recruit course are beginning to form up. For a solid five minutes, they are the only two recruits formed up. Amelia looks back at the doorway of the female block, and three minutes before they are due to March off for breakfast, all the females leave their block as one, turning off the lights and moving across to the parade ground to form up. Amelia notices the males are now all formed up as well. As the last female falls in, Amelia storms over to the flight, looking pissed.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, what the hell do you think you did wrong this morning!" She says in a raised voice. She gets no response.
"No guesses?" She looks darkly at everyone in the flight.
"Alrighty then, I'll spell it out. Males, your not working as a team! Two of you were outside whilst everyone else was still inside. Your rooms better be perfect! I know exactly who you are. Ladies, you did well, you were outside on time and as a team. Get to breakfast!" Amelia yells. One of the recruits steps out of the flight and takes charge, marching the flight down to the mess whilst Amelia walks along behind the flight, taking notes all the time.

Once they arrive, Amelia walks straight into the mess, and walks past a picture of her dad on the board of remembrance. After his death the Australian Defence Force created a memorial in his honour at the war memorial in Canberra, and he is also shown at nearly every base.
"Morning dad" Amelia says under her breath as she walks past, removing her broad brim hat and placing it on a hook. She goes inside, collects a plate and puts some food on it and sits down for breakfast and coffee.

Jade also got up at 0600. She got dressed, ate breakfast and went to work. Jade drives across the base to her office, down near the flight line. She sees the row of F-18s parked up on the apron, looking menacing in the early dawn light. Jade parks and enters her office, finding the door that has Group Captain Barrington written across it and unlocking it, throwing her bag onto the couch in the corner of her office. She sits at her computer and begins the day's paperwork. Looking out her window, she can see the parade ground Amelia was on not too long ago.

After breakfast, Amelia took her flight of recruits down to the firing range. She taught them the different parts of the F-88 austyer, how to load and fire it, and how to aim. After all the theory and the safety briefings, the recruits were allowed to fire at targets, honing their skills with the weapons. They spent the day at the range, only stopping to head back to the mess for lunch and dinner. After dinner, out the front of the lines on the parade ground, Amelia addressed the flight.
"Just quickly recruits, a reminder to you all that I won't be here from tomorrow until Thursday. Your temporary instructor will be Warrant Officer Ben Rooke and if I hear one bad report about any member of this course, the whole course will conduct a day's PT with full webbing and packs. Do I make myself clear!?" She says forcefully.
"Yes Flight Sergeant!" The flight responds as one.
"Good. Once your dismissed you have tonight as stand down. Flight atten-tion! Flight dis-missed!" Amelia commands. Without a backward glance at the recruits, Amelia walks away, almost seemingly into the brilliant orange sunset, disappearing into the light of dusk as she heads for the car park.

Jades day was long and boring, filled with lots of paperwork and coffee. Jade shuts her computer off and heads out to the car, where she finds a Flight Sergeant leaning on her car, bag at her feet. As jade approaches, the Flight Sergeant stands to attention and salutes jade. Jade returns the salute promptly, smiling as she does so.
"I'll never get used to you doing that baby girl. How are you dear?" Jade says, embracing her daughter.
"I'm good, how are you?" Amelia responds as they get into the car.
Jade starts the car and heads for the gate, driving off the base and turning onto the freeway. The girls head towards Canberra, where they both will be in attendance for a meeting being held by the chief of staff, training squadrons. As Amelia travels with her mum up towards Canberra, a letter travels back down towards the base in Wagga, marked with Amelia's name.