11 October, let us pause for a minute to remember the following young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
11 Oct 1982: At the 1 SAI Mechanised Leadership Wing at Oshivelo, soldiers were undergoing familiarisation training on foreign weapons used by insurgents. During one of these lectures, a soldier accidentally detonated a Soviet hand grenade killing five members. They were:
79446639BG Candidate Officer Casper Willem Johannes Geustyn. He was 20.
79547634BG Candidate Officer Paul Stephanus Venter. He was 19.
79360806BG Lance Corporal Alan Rodger Jones. He was 18.
79436630BG Lance Corporal Jacobus Theodorus Meyer. He was 19.
79435277BG Lance Corporal Edgar Sydney Wessels. He was 19.
11 Oct 1983: 79474862BG Private Werner Eugene Kriel from SAMS attached to No.1 Military Hospital was killed in a military vehicle accident at Potgietersrus. He was 20
11 Oct 1989: 85269223BG Lance Corporal Hermanus Swanepoel van der Merwe from 93 Ammunition Depot was critically injured in a military vehicle accident on 25 September 1989 16 km outside Jan Kempdorp while carrying out Military Police duties. He died from his injuries at the Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein on 11 October 1989. He was 20.
11 Oct 1991: 89516082BG Lance Corporal David John Boyd from Group 36 was killed in a military vehicle accident at Ladybrand. He was 19.
Their names and sacrifices have not been forgotten.