19 With a Bullet (21 page)

Valk
4 (Platoon 4) outside their bungalow during training.

The author on a weekend pass flanked by brother Murray and his mother.

The whole gang back in base after a night out AWOL and drinking in Bloemfontein.
From left
: Anthony Stander, John Delaney, Granger Korff, Dan Pienaar, Aaron ‘Doogy’ Green, Kevin Green in front.

‘The Jollers’: Lance (
on the bike
), the author (
right
) and Darryl (
front
)— old high-school mates enjoying a rare weekend off at the same time. Lance was an infantry lieutenant and Darryl a medic.

Kurt Barnes feeding one of the base’s feral cats.

John ‘The Fox’ Glover fools around on a patrol in Owamboland.

Back from an operation, the author jams on his guitar with his mates. Section leader Dan Pienaar is on the left while John ‘The Fox’ Glover and Louwtjie Nel look on glassily.

The author poses with a UNITA soldier prior to a raid on a SWAPO base in Angola.

D Company troops on the South West African–Angolan border, returning from a month-long search-and-destroy operation in Angola. D Company was involved in several running battles with FAPLA and SWAPO.

The canteen and pool area at the Ondangwa para base. This is where Baba drowned, having made it unscathed through numerous ops and fire fights, two weeks before the end of his national service.

Centre and right
:
The Angolan town of Ongiva burns after a day of fighting during Op
Protea
, August 1981.