Tribute to the fighting generation part3
Meet 'Johan' Infantry 1987
His first words sums up his whole character...
"i dont throw stones because i live in a glass house if you know what i
mean, got my own enimies within"
It took a long time to get him to trust me enough with just a few
memories. But that what he did tell me... Was shocking heartbreaking and I
had this overwhelming feeling of saying I am sorry for what you have been
through. Was glad i didn't need to see the pain in his eyes or to see how
hurt he was. But his words spoke for him. No big shot mumbo jumbo no hate
just extreme sadness of what he lived through and thousands of others who
still hold up the front protecting the civilians from their knowledge of
the pain of war.
Johan's story:
"First of all i start my army in 1987 in upington to do my basic training,
went to riemvasmaak to do advanced training to survived from the land. Went
to fight in angola for 18 straight months. Came back for 2weeks. Went to
ocikati and caprivi for another 13 months. While there had to witness
terrible things, i dont want to mention it because its to inhuman to
explain. I dont want you to get nightmares. That is one of my biggest
issues in life that still haunt me until this day. Two of my friends were
blown up in front of me, they stepped on a landmine. Scrapnel hit me in my
face and body with some of their body parts,hitting me head on. That is
only a drop in the bucket. Toni i make jokes just to forget for a while. I
cant sleep, i fucking freak out when i hear fire works. But now you know a
little about me, i know i held back even you tried to get me to open up but
im still not ready. There are stil bridges i must cross on my own before i
can open up to you, and only you because i think the others dont know me
like you do. I dont know if you can use some of this but the other stuff is
to cruel to mention. Good night Toinette."
"I wasn't a tiffy i was in the infantry and we had to be on the frontline
where the real shit happened. We took the first bullets and every
thing they can throw at us. I saw and witness things that still haunt me
till this day, young boys bodys ripped apart by bullets and landmines. The
injured and dying cries for help; that look in their eyes knowing they are
not going to make it. The fallen ones lying in bits and pieces. I tried to
bury it and forgot about it but i cant. Its burned into my brain. We had to
pick up the fallen bits and put it into bags so that their family can bury
that was left of them, and we had to do that under fire because 'no one was
left behind' that was out moto. And that Toni is a drop in the bucket the
rest is to cruel and inhuman to tell you, i wish i can share it with you
but you would be scarred for life and you are to special to me. That is a
chapter in my life that i wish i can erase but it will be with me until the
end..."
Questions
"1. First of all i feel that i did my part for my country and my family, i
felt proud to be able to defend it, but nowdays i carry the scars and it
haunt me every single day. Some days are better and some days are a
nightmare.
2. Nor my country or fellow citicens were there for me, all that they said
is now that you were in the army you are a man. They did not know what you
had to do to keep alive or what you witnessed. Or how it felt to be in
crossfire with mates around you begging for help after being shot and
bleeding to death. The look in their eyes knowing they will never see their
loved ones again...
3. Looking back now why did we fight and for what, all those who lost their
lives was all in vein. There is no border these days everyone come and go
as they please, no respect for what is right or wrong, the people are doing
just what they want. Kill and rape as they please and they get a slap on
the hand.
4. In that era it was compulsary to serve your country and there was no way
out except if you were medically unfit or you went to study at a
univercity, but you knew it was just another step in your life that you had
to take and it shaped you or brake you. Some made it and some didn't.
5. Your demons will be with you forever you will never be able to get rid
of them. Now and then you relive the things that you had to participate in
to get the job done. that is when reality kicks in and you know you would
be scarred for life. And the sad part is you dont want to talk about it,
because you dont want to let that person know you shot 1 or 10 human beings
to death, or you are to afraid that they may have nightmares if you tell
them in detail what happened on the battlefield.
6. I really dont think todays kids will be able to cope or handle the same
shit that we had to endure. We lived in another era and todays kids are
more housebound and they will not be able to handle conflict like we did.
They are to dependant on their mom and dad. They sit in the house all day
on their phones or computers. When we were kids we were outside, and if you
dare come inside the house you were be asked if you want to count teeth.
7. I will not say i get angry, more dissapointed because we did what was
expected from us. The army life helped shaped me and make me stronger to
see life more in perspective. Think before you attemped something, looked
at other ways to do something. The army shape me and make me stronger yet
it came with a price.
8. We always knew that some of us will be arriving in a coffin and we were
scared not knowing who its going to be. But we were open about about it and
before we went out on patrols we always but always left a goodbye letter on
our beds. Not knowing who will come back and who will not.
Lastly i would say to todays youth: respect you parents, i know if i had to
give my life to safe my parents i will do it with pleasure. I think todays
kids dont apprecaite their parents enough they rather see them as walking
ATM's. But they must remember one day their parents will be gone forever
and then it is when they will know and think why didn't they treat them
other wise. They must know that what we did was for everybody's safety it
was a act of love and we will gladly do it again no matter what."
Author James F.Dunnigan points out that the infantry, by definition, takes
the brunt of the fighting, "it's always been that way... and this won't
change."
In 1 SAI wil ek bly,
dis die eenheid net vir my,
slaggereed en kommer vry,
met ons ratels veg ons ver,
onder die al en suider ster 1 SAI Bataljon,
1 SAI! Servire, servire, servire parati is ons lese as jy vra, 1 SAI
Bataljon, 1 SAI!
From the shores of Cape Agulhas,
to the Northern bushveld trees,
We will fight our countries battles,
in the air, land and sea,
We will fight for right and freedom,
we will keep our honesty,
We are proud to claim the title of the 'Mechanised Infantry'.
^ "Fact file: 1 SA Infantry Battalion". DefenceWeb. 1 March 2010. Retrieved
3 June 2012.
Despite this, and the presence of infantry in South Africa from the
earliest times, the infantry only gained a permanent home in the SAIC as
recently as January 1954. Prior to that responsibility for the branch was
passed from pillar to post.
A SA Army recruitment poster notes that the infantry is the nucleus of any
army and as a result it is the largest fighting corps in the SA Army. “The
infantry is expected to attack the enemy under any conditions; this
requires courage, fitness and initiative. In order to attack the enemy with
confidence, weapon training and field craft is the most important part of
training.”
Mission: To close with, and destroy the enemy; to hold or defend ground.
Corps colours: Green and black
Beret colour: Green (motorised, mechanised and light infantry); maroon
(parachute infantry)
Collar badge: Springbok head
Motto: Gladium Practamus (Wielders of the Sword)
Facts from: DefenceWeb Africa's leading defense news portal
Pictures from: Google South African Defense Force
Thank you 'Johan'
Toni 💋
