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  1. #1
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    Default Those were the days, we were soldiers!

    Members, I think it prudent to commence with a photo story about our days in the army..please be so kind as to join in, tell your story, use photos.... Give as much info as possible, things you remembered, things that happen to you .....

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Those were the days, we were soldiers!

    These photos were the days in Oudshoorn , Infantry school...
    Who will forget these mountains and clouds:


    Training in Progress:




    We did train...hard and long hours:




    My friend James:tough as nails...


    Many hours spend in the hole:

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Those were the days, we were soldiers!

    Vasbyt:
    We were young then, optimistic and ready to go....

    This is what was carried in your rucksack..the rucksack weighed more than me:

    It is possible to sleep while you walk the Vasbyt:

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Those were the days, we were soldiers!

    We did 'grens fase '"in the region of Sektor 10 , Calueque ....


    Sorting out night vision:


    Driving around on wheels patrol with our company Buffel:



    Koevoet doing patrol as well:


    Ready for night patrol:


    Inside of a kuka shop:
    Only the best wines from Stellenbosch is good enough:


    A sponsored chicken from the indigenous people as supplement to our food rations an improvement on the rat packs:

    Lunch for two ;

  5. #5
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    Smile Re: Those were the days, we were soldiers!

    Cant post pictures, so just a short joke and some notes:

    Grew up in the Karroo and my Dutchman buddies couldn't wait to go to army so they could:

    Sleep late
    Wear shoes
    And grow their hair!!!

    Just remember being so grateful at the time that I went to an Afrikaans school and could almost sound Afrikaans. The "Engelse sleg moere kakked off double." And the Toti okes just shit extra double. Durban dagga rookers were on triple runs "om die boom, haal die blaar."

    All good now of course. At times though, resented the fact that we were so hated by the Afrikaans PF's. Remember telling a staff sergeant once that if we were so "kak sleg as Englese", just send us home and stop calling us up. He "smaaked that niks".

    Well that was a triple run "om die boom".

    Did teach you "vasbyt" - mental fortitude. And 7 days CB was always a jol. Looked good in a red staaldak.

    Actually in 30 years since the army the only thing I have had to do that was "harder" than the army was when I bought shares in a Spur Steakhouse. The 12 week training at the Spur training store in Jhb was run by Hitlers little brother and we "kakked" off far more doing Spur training than any 2 liner with swords made us "kak" off. PT instructor I think they were called.

    Oh, and a underwater welding job in Russia was close to basics and Spur training.

    So some good friends made, saw Namibia for the first time and still love the place. Recently did a big bike ride to all the old army bases in Nam. Caprivi Strip, Ondangwa, Oshikati etc etc. Verlep hey. But good memories. All the water towers are still up, except Charlie which was sabotaged.
    (But check this info as I do have photos of the 4 remaining towers, fairly sure Charlie is gone.)

    Cheers.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Those were the days, we were soldiers!

    Yes, this is something I remember, I do not know why, but the English speaking soldiers did get unfair treatment from the PF side...did not make sense since the volunteer mostly to join the army....

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Those were the days, we were soldiers!

    Hi LLTHB

    Funny what you said about the 'Toti okes, it even permeated into the Universities. I was at UND at the time and some of the people (especially the females) from Westville and Durban North would refuse to speak to me because I was from 'Toti. One even said that they would rather mix with people from the Bluff before they spoke to someone from 'Toti.

    Great photos Gert, thanks.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Those were the days, we were soldiers!

    Thank you Nkoi, yes, it is nice for me as well to look at them and try to remember how good it was to be young and taking on the world.

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    Default Re: Those were the days, we were soldiers!

    1993, the very last intake.. Potch...we were busy with bushphase training when Chris Hani was shot. I remember manning road blocks with the two liner that gave us more hell than Dante's inferno, and outside base he was suddenly a different person when lives were at stake.

    From there to Upington 8SAI, there was good times... Visited 8SAI four years ago, and not much has changed..

    Think the most memorable time was when I got to Technikon and the 2nd years wanted to 'initiate' the 1st years, but left the okes that did NS alone..they gave us a wide berth...

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Those were the days, we were soldiers!

    Quote Originally Posted by nkosi View Post
    Hi LLTHB

    Funny what you said about the 'Toti okes, it even permeated into the Universities. I was at UND at the time and some of the people (especially the females) from Westville and Durban North would refuse to speak to me because I was from 'Toti. One even said that they would rather mix with people from the Bluff before they spoke to someone from 'Toti.

    Great photos Gert, thanks.
    Is that what you had had to emigrate, being from 'Toti and all?
    One too many wasted sunsets and one too many for the road .........

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