My EMOTIONAL Story

Story continues..

Name: Neville Oosthuizen
Location: Uitenhage
Date: 2009-06-04 22:38:19

Neville Oosthuizen's Story:

I was fortunate enough not to have lost any of my troops during my initial 2 years National Service, but I did lose one man during my last border camp. I was then with 1st Battalion Transvaal Scottish. We were based in Ondangwa, and my platoon & I were responsible for base protection - seeing as we were the mortarists. We regularly undertook overnight bridge guarding patrols along the main road up to Oshakati - as a result of intel about possible bombings of these.

One bright, sunny day, whilst all was quiet, one of my platoon sergeants went for his customary jog in the town of Ondangwa which formed part of the base. He never returned - 'cause a drunk driver - a white resident of the town - knocked him over, killing him.

This big, burly soft-hearted blond-haired guy never got to see his wife again - and for what??? That's been the question in my heart for all these years.

I struggled with his death - a real wasted, unnecessary death - so much that I never went to his funeral, or even went to offer his wife my condolences. I've carried this with me too. I wonder how many other officers have walked around with similar feelings - I mean, none of us were ever trained or informed as to how to deal with something like this.

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