20 November, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
20 Nov 1983: 80466568PG Corporal Raymond Kenneth Eaton from Technical Service Corps attached to the Army Battle School, was killed in a private motor vehicle accident at Boshoff. He was 17. (His rank is incorrectly reflected as Private on the Grave Headstone.)
20 Nov 1983: 70342662PE Chaplain Gerhardus Jacobus Rossouw from SWATF Headquarters was killed in a private motor vehicle accident in Windhoek. He was 29.
20 Nov 1983: 77349710BG Ordinary Seaman Stanley Victor Swanepoel from SAS Scorpion was killed in a private vehicle accident 27 km north of Ladysmith when his vehicle crashed into a stationary truck standing on the side of the road. He was 22.
20 Nov 1985: 83398040BG Marine Ferdinand Ben Els from the 111 Harbour Protection Unit, South African Marine Corps was killed in a military vehicle accident at Katima Mulilo. He was 18.
20 Nov 1985: 82234097PE Lance Corporal Johannes Dawid Steenkamp from 1 Construction regiment was critically injured in a private motor vehicle accident in Dunnottar while he was off duty. He succumbed to his injuries in the Far East Rand Hospital the same day. He was 19.
20 Nov 1987: 83610741BG Bombardier Lukas Marthinus Charl Havenga from 4 Artillery Regiment was attached to the 120mm Mortar section at the Lomba River during Ops Modular when he suffered a fatal heart attack during operations and died before he could be evacuated to Rundu. He was 22.
20 Nov 1988: Three members from 6 Maintenance Unit were accidentally killed when their military vehicle overturned on the Bagani to Rundu road. They were:
87074357CK Private John Marloh. He was 20.
87074654CK Private Rodney Izaak Nelson. He was 20.
87074423CK Private Neville Swartz. He was 18.
20 Nov 1999: 85714657PE Corporal Paulus Jabulani Lukhele from Group 33 was killed when his SAMIL 20 overturned at Komatipoort. The board of enquiry found that he had been driving recklessly at the time of the accident and that the vehicle was overloaded. He was 27.
Their names and sacrifice have not been forgotten.