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  1. #11

    Default Re: The lingering, unspoken pain of white youth who fought for apartheid

    Quote Originally Posted by Ds J View Post
    they feel it was a waste of time because everything they fought against happened non the less.
    Not so. If we weren't there and we didn't do what we did, you wouldn't have constitution you have today. Just for starters. It would have been a very, very different world for us here in SA - whatever our current problems are (and there are a great many).
    Last edited by Wanderin' Zero; 10-04-2019 at 08:34.
    Quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit: occidentis telum est.

    Seneca (4 BC - 65 AD)

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ds J View Post
    Now that you mention it, I have experienced both opinions in my daily work with the "war generation". Some folks remember it fondly, others seem to have been hurt severely. Sometimes it is a bit of both.

    One thing that is almost universal amongst ex-soldiers is a sense of loss - they feel it was a waste of time because everything they fought against happened non the less.

    I get the notion that going to war did not matter that much. What really hurts them is the waste it seems to have been. "The guys we were supposed to have shot are now our ministers" - or similar - is a sentence or feeling often heard.
    And not because the war was lost, the war was won but then surrendered anyway. That caused a lot of bitterness

  3. #13

    Default Re: The lingering, unspoken pain of white youth who fought for apartheid

    Quote Originally Posted by Vuurdoop View Post
    when Jan Smuts forced SA men to annex German South West
    Really? Forced SA men to annex? Altogether ignoring the fact that South Africa was an Allied power in the First World War and made war on the German enemy in South West Africa? Altogether ignoring the fact of the League of Nations mandate given to South Africa? The book starts to sound like an exercise in misinformation…
    Quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit: occidentis telum est.

    Seneca (4 BC - 65 AD)

  4. #14
    User Paul's Avatar
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    Default Re: The lingering, unspoken pain of white youth who fought for apartheid

    Quote Originally Posted by Ds J View Post
    One thing that is almost universal amongst ex-soldiers is a sense of loss - they feel it was a waste of time because everything they fought against happened non the less.
    Not in the least.

    We forged non-racialism on the battlefield. We created the political space for peace. War is only ever politics by other means.

    The sharp-end warfighters are, almost to a man, quite happy and not unduly proud of their role.
    "Always remember to pillage before you burn"
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paul View Post
    Not in the least.

    We forged non-racialism on the battlefield. We created the political space for peace. War is only ever politics by other means.

    The sharp-end warfighters are, almost to a man, quite happy and not unduly proud of their role.
    Thanks for clearing that Paul, I have a limited view. Partially due to my age: I did not serve - and partially due to my work: I am not in touch with all the different groups of SA society on a daily base.

    I'll be quiet now. It will surely mean a lot if more old hands can give input like yours.

  6. #16
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    Default Re: The lingering, unspoken pain of white youth who fought for apartheid

    Quote Originally Posted by Ds J View Post
    Now that you mention it, I have experienced both opinions in my daily work with the "war generation". Some folks remember it fondly, others seem to have been hurt severely. Sometimes it is a bit of both.

    One thing that is almost universal amongst ex-soldiers is a sense of loss - they feel it was a waste of time because everything they fought against happened non the less.

    I get the notion that going to war did not matter that much. What really hurts them is the waste it seems to have been. "The guys we were supposed to have shot are now our ministers" - or similar - is a sentence or feeling often heard.

    the current youth of south africa. black and white, whether they know it or not are THANKFUL for the sacrifices made on the border

    Although we have a socialist leaning governement, Communism would have been full blown here, and the SADF essentially put an end to cuban military influence in africa

  7. #17
    Moderator KK20's Avatar
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    Default Re: The lingering, unspoken pain of white youth who fought for apartheid

    I don't care much for the Cubans and their culture. To me stopping them was more of an issue than stopping the communist as such.
    live out your imagination , not your history.

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    Default Re: The lingering, unspoken pain of white youth who fought for apartheid

    Quote Originally Posted by KK20 View Post
    I don't care much for the Cubans and their culture. To me stopping them was more of an issue than stopping the communist as such.
    agreed hand in hand

    was all about money and minerals at the end of the day for them

  9. #19
    Moderator KK20's Avatar
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    Default Re: The lingering, unspoken pain of white youth who fought for apartheid

    In my experience with them , the racial discrimination with them was far worse than with the Whites in South Africa.
    The Whites still had some level of respect for blacks on a one on one . The Cubans I met had what appeared to be deep seated racial superiority and class issues . Either way, fuck them.
    live out your imagination , not your history.

  10. #20
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    Default Re: The lingering, unspoken pain of white youth who fought for apartheid

    Quote Originally Posted by KK20 View Post
    I don't care much for the Cubans and their culture. To me stopping them was more of an issue than stopping the communist as such.
    agreed hand in hand

    was all about money and minerals at the end of the day for them

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