14 November, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
14 Nov 1975: 72211717BA Gunner Christo Retief from 4 Field Regiment was Killed in Action when their Temporary Base in Southern Angola was attacked by enemy forces. He was 18.
14 Nov 1975: 71205629BA Rifleman Adam Johannes Hendrikus Schonveldt from the Tactical Platoon of the SADF Horse and Dog Centre at M'pacha in the Eastern Caprivi Strip, was Killed in Action together with his Tracker Dog Rinty, while on patrol with members from 6 SAI. They were both killed by enemy machine gun fire after their Patrol walked into a SWAPO/PLAN ambush while tracking fresh insurgent spoor in the Eastern Caprivi during a night follow-up operation . He was 20.
14 Nov 1975: W991 Rinty, K-9 Tracker Dog from the SADF Horse and Dog Centre Tactical Platoon was Killed in Action together with his Handler 71205629BA Rifleman Adam Johannes Hendrikus Schonveldt during a night follow-up operation in the Eastern Caprivi Strip when their Patrol was ambushed by SWAPO/PLAN insurgents.
14 Nov 1976: 68448117BT Warrant Officer Class II Michael Grahame Craul from Regiment Algoa Bay was shot dead at Oshandi near Eenhana by a guard on duty. During the night, communications were lost with an Observation Post and it was suspected that the guards may have been asleep. Warrant Officer Craul and 2 others went to investigate but took the wrong route ending up at the trip wire. They then turned back and approached the OP from the Angolan side. When challenged twice by the guard below the OP he fired a single shot killing WO II Craul instantly. The guard that was in the tree, immediately opened fire on automatic. The calls from the Ops Room were coming through but apparently the Guard in the OP did not push the PTT button on the handset to return the calls. He was 24.
14 Nov 1977: 65313777PE Sergeant Jasper Martin Coetzee from the Technical Service Corps Training Centre was found grievously wounded with a gunshot wound to the head, apparently self-inflicted. He succumbed to his injuries in the Grootfontein Sickbay. He was 29.
14 Nov 1978: 71387971BA 2/Lieutenant Roelof Nicolas Britz from 32 Battalion was Reported Missing after being attacked by a crocodile while he was swimming in the Kavango River near Buffalo. He has no known grave and remains unaccounted for. He was 23.
14 Nov 1978: 76927276SP Rifleman P.P. De Amorim from 32 Battalion was Killed in Action during a contact with enemy forces near Omutwewondjaba in Southern Angola. He was 27.
14 Nov 1978: 75270926BG Rifleman Patrick Charles Wolmarans from 4 SAI was killed when his Buffel Troop Carrier overturned in Northern Owamboland. He was 19.
14 Nov 1980: Rifleman Anthony Keith Palvi from 1 Parachute Battalion was killed in a private motor vehicle accident while on weekend pass. He was 18.
14 Nov 1984: 81561078PC Corporal Paulus Gouws from the South African Cape Corps was Killed in Action when his Buffel Troop Carrier detonated a Yugoslavian TMA-3 “Cheese” Anti-Tank Mine. When he was thrown out of the vehicle by the force of the explosion, his head struck the vehicle roll bar killing him instantly. He was 21.
14 Nov 1985: 81225880BG 2/Lieutenant Willem Stephanus van der Merwe from 1 Parachute Battalion died of multiple shrapnel wounds in 1 Military Hospital after an accidental mortar bomb explosion during a weapons demonstration on 22 October 1985. He was 20.
14 Nov 1987: 81559502PS Captain Andre Anthony Stapa was the Impala Jet Station Pilot permanently based at Air Force Base Ondangwa. He was Reported Missing when his Atlas MB326KM Impala Mk II, Serial No. 1024 failed to return from a dark moon air-to-ground mission that attacked enemy positions near Cuvelai in Southern Angola. The aircraft impacted the ground while pulling out after firing on the enemy positions and it is thought that the Pilot may have misjudged his altitude and flown into the ground although the possibility that his aircraft may have been hit or damaged by hostile ground fire was also never ruled out. He has no known grave and remains unaccounted for. He was 30.
14 Nov 1987: 83481465BG Rifleman Andre Taylor Veltman from 1 Parachute Battalion was killed in a private motor vehicle accident near Fouriesburg while on a weekend pass. He was 20.
14 Nov 1998: 85707354 Rifleman Francois de Almeida from 8 SAI was killed in a private motor vehicle accident at Postmasburg. He was 19.
Their names and sacrifice have not been forgotten.