A Tribute to the Armed Forces

[The sixth poem on a war poetry series penned with a stanza for each alphabet]

Armed to the teeth and always close at hand,
Army, Navy and the Air Force are the pride of our land

Beasts of war are they as some used to call them,
Brave are the soldiers and best not to provoke them

Challenges are overcome as easy as a breeze,
Chosen are the few when challenged do not freeze

Drawn to the front for battle, killing is no fun,
Death comes to all, Greek, Mongol or Hun

Elite forces are those, prepared and always bolster,
Enfield is a rifle that cannot fit to a hip holster

Fighting is their duty, firing their weapons in use,
Fearless they are when a grenade rolls with a short fuse

Gender has no bias when the fighting is fierce,
Guns are handled well, no misfires if you rehearse

Horses were a boon when charging as cavalry,
Helicopters are here, no need for comparison or rivalry

Indians have shown their best, doing what is right,
Ink and blood in their heroic deeds, enemies tremble in fright

Jackboots were in vogue, now not worn by every trooper,
Jumping off aircraft, a task now for every paratrooper

Kings and Generals held command over the battlefields,
Knights of yore, did hold sway over the enemy in the killing fields

Leading the attack on the ground, the armour carves a path,
Loaded with a heavy shell, the gun unleashes in extreme wrath

Mines have proven deadly, even tanks are always cautious,
Mobility in a single file, their tracks ever so precious

Nuclear weapons are here to fear and a sin to use,
New world leaders must not delay and agree to diffuse

Overhauling of equipment is needed to prevent any stalling,
Overburdening infantry is not good, else they suffer and begin falling

Pincer moves are effective, trapping the enemy all around,
Pinning them down is the key, moving in stealth with less sound

Queen and country was a phrase when England ruled in the past,
Quick was the revolt of Pandey alas it did not prolong and last

Rockets play havoc if your vehicles are out in the open,
Rivets will fly like bullets killing or cutting you wide open

Submarines are fearsome and the sonar helps the captain notice,
Ships can become targets unless they put in lots of practice

Tanks in armoured units form the key to a winning strategy,
Turret and gun are taken care to avoid a battle tragedy

Uncertainty is seen in war when two sides are strong and even,
Untold stories remain for those heroes who are now in heaven

Victory is hard to achieve, success is sweet to taste,
Valour is not a commodity that can be bought in a haste

Wingman is with all lead pilots and aces are rare to find,
Wing and aileron in perfect unison so the aircraft is not left behind

Xenophobia is not needed, even the enemy respects the dead,
Xylophones can be played when news of victory is being read

Yeoman service is not a mandate but soldiers volunteer to serve,
Year after year their experience gains, praise is what they deserve

Zeal in their attitude and sharpness is in their mind,
Zooming past the enemy killed soldiers are also just and kind