09 April, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
09 April 1965: P/52899 Lance Corporal Johannes Burger from the South African Corps of Military Police was killed at Fochville when his military motorcycle was involved in a collision with a civilian motor vehicle while he was doing military convoy duty. He was 33.
09 April 1969: 63310791E Candidate Officer Marthinus Jacobus Hendrik Krugel from 4 Squadron was killed when his AT-6 Harvard, Serial No. 7211 crashed 12 miles outside Leslie during a routine general flying training flight when the aircraft went into a spin from which the Pilot was unable to recover before the aircraft struck the ground. He was 22.
09 April 1976: 70442538BT Corporal Michael Barnett from the 2nd Battalion Regiment Bloemspruit, was killed when the bus he was driving was involved in a head-on collision with a civilian vehicle approximately 100 km from Grootfontein. He was transporting school children from Grootfontein back to Rundu at the time of the accident. He was 22.
09 April 1977: 72452550BA Rifleman Graham Werner Hempstead from 8 SAI was killed in a military motor vehicle accident in Northern Owamboland. He was 20.
09 April 1978: 73442204PE Candidate Officer Fred Johan Forster from 1 Reconnaissance Regiment was accidentally shot and killed at Katima Mulilo while participating in a "live fire" shooting exercise. He was 20.
09 April 1981: 77422806BG Private Jacob Johannes Kotze from 61 Mechanised Battalion Group was killed when his Buffel Troop Carrier overturned at Tsumeb. He was 19.
09 April 1984: 82831108SCC Trooper Jacobus Francois Engels from 202 Battalion SWATF was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents. He was 19.
09 April 1984: 05153481 Warrant Officer Class I Carlos Fernandes Roza from the Personnel Service Corps attached to 32 Battalion, died at Rundu after contracting pneumonia. He was 53.
09 April 1987: 75362004BT Corporal Charles Pierre Du Plessis from Walvis Bay Command was accidentally killed after being crushed between two vehicles at Walvis Bay while doing his 30-day compulsory camp. He was 27.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.