Dainville, Alain Oudot de Le Rafale Marine

A bord des Avions de Combat de la Marine Nationale

Being born in the middle of the 20th century, between two world wars, provided opportunities for extraordinary encounters, such as with the ghosts of the First World War and the legends of the Second World War in the shadow of General de Gaulle. He became a sailor without ever really understanding why, and so followed this anecdotal account of the great crises of the late 20th century in the service of France, protecting Djibouti, civil war-torn Lebanon, the oil flows in the mysterious Gulf and the independence of the Balkan countries. While luck remained on his side and he rose through the ranks, equally intense battles continued on land within the command structures, where the loyalty of personnel, the renewal of equipment and the procurement of resources were at stake in manoeuvres where only the pencil lead could explode. This series of opportunities opened up the world of allies and made it possible to get to know others better in the wake of global geopolitical upheaval. Continuing to serve in the Middle East in an equally dangerous job that did not burden the national budget but actually improved it was another adventure. Conveying this relationship with humour to make people's eyes light up is what gives this work its meaning.