This is an account of Squadron Leader Pablo Mason's experiences during the Gulf War and his feelings about the role of an individual in modern warfare. Mason recalls the ground attacks he led against Iraqi targets and the terror of encountering Iraqi anti-aircraft fire. He also explains what war meant to him, his men and whose interests they were serving. Having come to terms with the fear of death in action, he grappled with other truths: that he and his fellow airmen were no better than mercenaries in a war that had more to do with oil than with the defence of democracy; that their loyalty was not recognised and that ex-POWs and the wounded are the stuff of propaganda, but an embarrassment when no longer needed.