27 December, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
27 Dec 1960: Staff Sergeant Izak van der Merwe from the South African Corps of Military Police died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning after gassing himself in his private vehicle in Pretoria. He was 33.
27 Dec 1977: Two members from the 1st Battalion Regiment Bloemspruit and one member from the Bronkhorstspruit Commando were killed when their Unimog vehicle skidded off the road and overturned in wet weather 161km East of Rundu while traveling on the Rundu to Bagani Road. They were:
70446117KT Sergeant Andries Johannes Kruger (Bronkhorstspruit Commando). He was 23.
67314088BT Lance Corporal Barend Frederick Wiese. He was 26.
67252411BT Rifleman Leon Myburgh. He was 26.
27 Dec 1980: Two members from 101 Battalion SWATF were accidentally shot dead in Northern Owamboland by members of a 53 Battalion Patrol who mistook them for SWAPO/PLAN insurgents. They were:
79860433HV Rifleman Phillipus Elifas. He was 20.
Rifleman Elias Fhilipus. He was 21.
27 Dec 1980: 76582279BG Rifleman Robin Michael Carrol from 6 SAI was killed in a private motor vehicle accident in Port Elizabeth. He was 20.
27 Dec 1980: 67483008PE Chief Petty Officer Andries Stefanus Du Toit from Naval Base Simonstown was killed in a private motorcycle accident in Rhodes Drive, Constantia, Cape Town. His wife Mrs Martha Jacomina Du Toit was seriously injured in the accident but survived. He was 29.
27 Dec 1983: 76927409SP Rifleman Teixeira Manganhes from 32 Battalion burnt to death after being trapped in the wreckage of Aerospatiale SA330C/H Puma, Serial No.155 when the Helicopter struck trees and crashed during a take-off near Cassinga in a trooping operation during Ops Askari. He was the only fatality in this incident. He was 31.
27 Dec 1983: 81065039BG Rifleman Shawn Pretorius from 4 SAI was killed after suffering multiple shrapnel wounds received in an accidental hand grenade explosion inside a Ratel while in Southern Angola during Ops Askari. While debussing from the Ratel, one of the hand grenades he was carrying on his webbing got caught in the door and the pin was accidentally extracted. The hand grenade landed on the floor of the Ratel and to save the lives of the soldiers still inside the Ratel, Shawn “sat” on the grenade, squeezing it between the thigh and calf of his right leg. When the grenade exploded he was killed instantly in the blast as the shrapnel had ripped his right leg to shreds, peppered his whole right side and caused severe chest and head wounds. His brave actions, at the cost of his own life was however instrumental is saving the lives of some of his fellow soldiers. He was 18.
27 Dec 1987: 82395492BG Trooper Gerhardus David Johannes Pretorius from 1 Special Service Battalion died in 1 Military Hospital after he had contracted Malaria during operations in Southern Angola. He was 20.
27 Dec 1995: 72648371PE Lieutenant Colonel Barend Stephanus Fourie from the Air Space Control School collapsed and died after suffering a fatal heart attack. He was 39.
27 Dec 1998: 95737672 Corporal H.M. Mthembu from Air Force Base Durban was found dead in Newcastle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was 23.
27 Dec 1998: 93724141 Sapper Karel Steyn from 2 Field Engineer Regiment died of disease in the Bethlehem Hospital. He was 29.
27 Dec 2003: 97007470MG Trooper Dawid Neethling from 1 Special Service Battalion was killed in a private motor vehicle accident in Bloemfontein. He was 22.
27 Dec 2018: Lieutenant Colonel Graham Michael Chisholm CA from15 Squadron suffered a fatal heart attack and died at his home in Durban North. He had only just recently retired after a long career in the South African Air Force. He was 62.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.