Their young faces etched with genuine concern, school pupils have pleaded for RAF Leuchars to be spared the axe.
They may be tender in years but children at Leuchars Primary School know the very future of their beloved school, like so many other aspects of local life, is inextricably tied to the viability of the base.
Proudly sporting jumpers emblazoned with the school crest, which features an RAF plane, pupils outlined their arguments in favour of retention.
Politicians have spent months providing almost endless soundbites and media-friendly quotes stressing the worth of the base. But few have summed up the feelings of thousands of concerned Fifers quite as succinctly as little Luke O’Brien.
“Without it there would be hardly anybody here,” the 11-year-old said when The Courier visited his classroom to discuss the threat. “What will we do when we grow up if there is no RAF base? It would take away our opportunities.”
Rebekah Russell (11) is similarly passionate.
“I think RAF Leuchars is a great place,” she said. “There are lots of clubs and camps on the base, such as Brownies and the youth club. We would all lose friends if it closed.
“It would be a shame…and very strange because they have just got Typhoons. They cost a lot of money so why would they take them away again?”
Aaron Reid fears the removal of facilities such as the on-base restaurant and bowling alley so loved by generations of children.
“I want to be a footballer but if I can’t do that I would like to be an engineer and could work at RAF Leuchars,” the 12-year-old added.
Rebecca Kyle is now 10 and has been in Leuchars for several years.
“My stepdad is in the RAF and I feel very settled here now,” she told The Courier. “I would feel very sad if it closed because my family and I would have to move away and I would miss all my friends.”
Also hoping to settle in Fife following spells in England and Cyprus is 12-year-old Calum Cahill. He fears for the future of the RAF Leuchars airshow.
“One year I met a guy who had come from America for the airshow,” Calum recalled. “He did not have family here or anything he just came for the display and I think that shows just how important it is.”
Bradley Watson knows any closure could have a dire impact on the youth of the village.
“The school might have to close,” the 10-year-old reflected. “It would just get smaller and smaller without the families who belong to the RAF base.”
Headteacher Patricia Johnston was delighted to see the youngsters having their say.
“Since January I have been very heavily involved in relaying comments on behalf of the school but it is very important that the pupils’ voices are heard,” she said.