04 November, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
04 Nov 1975: 73436537BA Private Kevin Edward Laidlaw from 15 Squadron SAAF was asleep on his bed in his tent at Rundu when a fellow Private came into the tent on returning from guard duty and threw his UZI sub-machine gun down onto the adjacent bed. As the weapon hit the bed, a shot went off and the bullet struck Kevin in the head, killing him instantly. He was 18.
04 Nov 1977: 64020357BT Lieutenant Leslie Charles Greyling from 5 Reconnaissance Regiment was critically wounded in the head on 29 October 1977 during the Battle of Eheke in Southern Angola. He was evacuated to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria where he Died of Wounds on 04 November 1977. He was 30.
04 Nov 1980: 68394394BG Lieutenant (Doctor) Peter William Geddes from the Medical Services Training Centre Died of Wounds while on attachment to 53 Battalion at Okotopi Base. A group of Medical Doctors arrived at Grootfontein in the late afternoon to commence with their 3-month Operational Duty Tours. They were posted out to their relevant Units and had to reach their destinations before dusk as they were travelling in the back of a non-armoured Magirus truck with only one Buffel Troop Carrier acting as an escort. The vehicle in which Lieutenant Geddes was travelling drove into a SWAPO/PLAN ambush just after dusk at the Onankali Bus Stop, just north of Miershoop. The vehicle and occupants were subjected to Assault rifle, RPD machine gun and RPG-7 Anti-Tank Rocket fire and although the driver was slightly wounded, he kept his cool and carried on driving thus saving many lives. During the fire-fight, one Doctor was wounded in the calf and Lieutenant Geddes was unfortunately shot through the inferior vena cava (the large vein that carries the de-oxygenated blood from the lower and middle body into the right atrium of the heart). He was taken to the Sickbay at Okatopi Base where he died shortly after arrival. He was 28.
04 Nov 1981: Two members from 61 Mechanised Battalion were Killed in Action during Ops Daisy while carrying out an act of heroism about 2km's south of Bravo Battalion's HQ in the Chitequeta district of South-Eastern Angola. A small group of FAPLA/SWAPO snipers had pinned down a Ratel platoon for at least 10 to 15 minutes also killing two UNITA soldiers traveling with them and wounding three more. The casualties were:
74556416PE Lieutenant Gerrit van Zyl from 61 Mech. He was 23.
74503004BG Corporal Johan Louis Potgieter from 1 SAI, attached to 61 Mech. Corporal Potgieter selflessly saved the wounded Rifleman Boorsma who was lying 15 m from the enemy position by diving onto him in the face of heavy enemy automatic rifle and mortar fire and while protecting the wounded man with his own body, he was able to indicate to his Lieutenant, the position from where the FAPLA/SWAPO snipers were firing, thereby enabling own forces to return fire and successfully neutralise the enemy position thus saving many more lives. He was unfortunately killed instantly by a single shot through the mouth by an enemy sniper during this process. He was 23. He was recommended for the award of the Honoris Crux for his bravery but the recommendation was not approved by higher authority.
04 Nov 1981: Rifleman Antonio Dala from the 201 Battalion Reconnaissance Wing SWATFwas killed when his Buffel Troop Carrier overturned during anti-insurgent operations in Southern Angola. He was thrown out of the vehicle and crushed when the vehicle rolled over him. He was 22.
04 Nov 1982: 78247814BG Rifleman Lionel Gerald Brown from 3 SAI was killed in a private motorcycle accident in Port Elizabeth while on weekend pass after he collided with the railings on a bridge while at high speed. He was 20.
04 Nov 1985: 84908706SW Rifleman Emanuel Shitekela from 101 Battalion SWATF was killed in a shooting incident at Ondangwa. He was 25.
04 Nov 1991: 89251813BG Gunner Grant Mann from 14 Artillery Regiment was accidentally killed while at 10 Artillery Brigade when the split rim of a Samil 100 Gun Tractor wheel became dislodged and exploded into his face while he was busy preparing vehicles for training, killing him instantly. He was 21. Gunner Cameron Guy Milton who was assisting him, was critically injured in the incident but survived.
04 Nov 1993: 76493709PE Major Christoffel Johannes Prinsloo from 121 Battalion was killed in a private motor vehicle accident near Kestell when he lost control of his vehicle which left the road and collided with a concrete pipe. He was 33.
04 Nov 2013: Major Roger Bernard Coetzee from Air Force Headquarters was killed in a private motorcycle accident in Pretoria. He was 47.
Their names and sacrifices have not been forgotten.