Matthew Monaghan CEO

The recent documentary “Evacuation”, aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s free-to-air channel, must rate as one of the rawest and naked documentaries of the instant, painful and lasting decisions made by military personnel. But for the crews of heavy lift aircraft, it will resonate for decades, even longer, when final calls are made.

For every video game, slick, feelgood recruitment ad or general team high-five, the basic equation of military logistics is that the truckers of the air remain both the first and last line of support when it comes to landing or withdrawing from a combat zone.

These days, the venerable C-130 Hercules remains a staple despite qualifying for the old-age pension at 65 years in the air. Good airframes never die, they just get modernised and upgraded. The Hercs are up to a J series, or 10 iterations. It’s literally the LandCruiser of the skies.

The C-17, which is the aircraft that saw desperate civilians tragically clinging to on take-off from Kabul, is more recent. But its crews still perform the same functions: the delivery truck that brings troops in; gets them out; and anyone else who can get inside.

As Evacuation displayed, some pretty terrible decisions can and must be made and they are a long way from the controlled distance of dropping ordnance.

Nobody can ever unsee the eyes of a mother thrusting their child forward as the back ramp of the plane goes up. Not the loadmaster, not the passengers, not the crowd on the ground. Not the pilot and co-pilot viewing the drama on screen.