21 December, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
21 Dec 1964: 4092 Flying Officer Henry Elliot, a South African National flying for 2 Squadron Royal Rhodesian Air Force, was killed when his Royal Rhodesian Air Force Vampire FB9, Serial RRAF 101, crashed at Moffat Airfield, near Gwelo. He was 25.
21 Dec 1964: Staff Sergeant Nicholaas Johannes de Lange from the Army Service Corps died of stomach cancer in Pretoria. He was 65.
21 Dec 1977: 76690213BG Rifleman Stephen Victor Paul Devereaux from SWA SPES (Equestrian) SWATF was critically injured while driving a Buffel Troop Carrier on Oom Willie se Pad when the vehicle detonated a Soviet Anti-Tank Mine. He was pinned inside the driver cabin but asked some soldiers to first attend to the passengers and check that were all safe before attending to him. After receiving the news that all the passengers were safe, he thanked the Lord and quietly succumbed to his injuries. He was 18.
21 Dec 1980: 80676695KB Rifleman C. Kavatjana from the Hereroland Area Force Unit SWATF was accidentally shot and killed by own forces after being caught in cross-fire during a heavy contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents in Northern Owamboland. He was 25.
21 Dec 1980: 77313997BG Private Shawn Diehl from the South African Intelligence School was killed in a private motor vehicle accident in Benoni while on leave. He was 19.
21 Dec 1983: 77414357BT Rifleman Gustav Carl Schönborn from the Orange Free State University Military Unit was killed when he was accidentally driven over by a military vehicle in very dusty conditions with poor visibility during anti-insurgent follow-up operations in Southern Angola. He was 22.
21 Dec 1988: 84254853BG Rifleman John William Strydom from 7 SAI was killed in a private motor vehicle accident at Upington. He was 20.
21 Dec 1994: 94671864AY Rifleman Stanley Kalunga from the Wallmansthal Assembly Area was killed in a private motor vehicle accident at Rustenburg while on leave. He was 21.
21 Dec 1997: 92655992BV Rifleman Modiakhotla Johannes Moses from Regiment Bloemspruit was killed in a military motor vehicle accident in Ladybrand. He was 30.
21 Dec 1998: 93768737 Rifleman B.M. Ndlovu from 15 SAI died of disease in Pietersburg. He was 34.
Their names and sacrifices have not been forgotten.