22 January, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
22 Jan 1970: 64216666 Private Hengene Anton Coertzen from 61 Base Workshop was killed in a private motor vehicle accident. He was 22.
22 Jan 1981: 75328088BG Rifleman Marthinus Christoffel Barnard from Infantry School suffered a fatal heart attack and died at the Unit while lifting weights in the gymnasium. He was 21.
22 Jan 1983: 78439114BG Leading Seaman Marine Hendrik Jacobus Kemp from 111 Harbour Protection Unit, South African Marine Corps was Killed in Action in Southern Angola near the Cut-line. The Buffel Troop Carrier, Registration R9292 in which he was travelling had a captured SWAPO/PLAN insurgent on board who was supposed to point out the location of hidden arms caches. When the Buffel detonated a double boosted Yugoslavian TMA-3 Cheese mine, the insurgent jumped out of the vehicle to make his escape. Leading Marine Kemp, with full kit, jumped out of the vehicle to give chase but unfortunately stepped on another Mine and was killed instantly in the resulting explosion. He was 20.
22 Jan 1983: 65590192PE Staff Sergeant Hermanus Jacobus Petrus Barkhuizen from the Technical Service Corps died in 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria after suffering a heart attack at the Unit. He was 33.
22 Jan 1984: 81026494BG Corporal Terence van den Dool from 3 SAI was Reported Missing while swimming with his friends at Hippo Pools, Ruacana. He vanished under the water and despite an intensive search, his body was never recovered. It was thought that he may have been taken by a crocodile. He has no known grave and remains unaccounted for. For administrative purposes, he was officially declared dead in 1986. He was 19.
22 Feb 1987: Three members from 1 SWA Engineer Regiment SWATF attached to 102 Battalion SWATF and one member of 102 Battalion SWATF were Killed in Action when their Buffel Troop Carrier detonated a double-boosted Yugoslavian TMA-3 Cheese Mine on the Epupa Road near the Epupa Falls while they were providing an escort for a convoy of Kwevoel 100 Trucks. Their Buffel Troop Carrier had stopped by the side of the road to wait for the convoy and those aboard unfastened their seat belts and stood up inside the vehicle. As the Buffel moved slowly forward, the vehicle unfortunately triggered the undetected mine that exploded directly in front of the vehicle causing it to tip over. The force of the explosion threw them out of the Buffel and they were crushed when the vehicle landed on top of them. The casualties in this incident were:
82650490SCE Corporal José Miguel Rodrigues Carreira. He was 20.
82654317SCE Lance Corporal Nato Willem Barnard. He was 20.
858240SCD Sapper T. Seibib. He was 24. (102 Battalion SWATF)
22 Jan 1994: 91709238PE Rifleman Laoa Alfons Khokho from Group 36 Headquarters was killed after being shot in the chest by another SADF member during an argument in a taxi at Manyatseng in Ladybrand. He was 25.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.