The miracle that was
Thirty-two years later, to the day … 21 May 2012, I stood on the battlefield again at Savate in Angola. And at exactly the same time the battle begun … 9.00am Angolan time, wearing our now faded berets and formed up as a squad, we saluted the memorial we had just erected.
It was truly remarkable that we were back. Standing there at attention with my eyes fixed on the memorial, I suddenly felt a huge sense of release. Looking up at the slope above us where hidden amongst the trees, the trenches were still marked in the sand and battle debris still lay scattered around, the images and sounds of that vicious action came back to me as if it were only yesterday. On that day we had been intent on killing each other, and doing a pretty good job of it too. Here we were, now at peace, putting it all behind us with a surreal feeling of goodwill and mutual respect.
My thoughts went back to a time when we were facing an apocalypse whichever way we turned. In its attempt to avoid the chaos that had enveloped most of the rest of Africa, the discriminatory policy of Apartheid had offered the promise of civil war and bloodshed with the added threat of the neighbouring frontline states boiling over our borders in their support. And the alternative at the time, that of capitulating to one-man-one-vote with its threat of black communist rule, nationalisation and economic collapse was unthinkable. And neither had happened. The unimaginable had played itself out.
The collapse of the Russian Empire with its threat of global communist domination in the mid-eighties had allowed us the opportunity to negotiate our withdrawal from Angola and this had resulted in the independence of South West Africa; Namibia. And the most unthinkable of them all … democratic elections in South Africa in 1994, one-man-one-vote, black majority rule … without the mayhem we feared that had characterised other African states. The new South Africa had been born, and with it the promise of a future for us all, working together regardless of race or religion. And while there were those that felt betrayed by it all, it was the only way forward even though there is always the chance that it will all unravel. So far the new era has stood the test of time. With the nightmare our country faced in the seventies and eighties, the fact that it has been a peaceful transition and stable democracy with our constitution intact is a miracle … an incredible example of tolerance and reconciliation in the face of the unthinkable, an inspiration for all mankind.
Savate Day Memorial Service, Savate, 21 May 2012: Final touches to the memorial erected in Savate village square.
Savate, 21 May 2012: thirty-two years to the day that the battle began – unexploded ordnance still lying on the battlefield.
Savate, 21 May 2012: thirty-two years to the day that the battle began. The airfield in the middle of the Savate army base. Originally built by the Portuguese prior to 1975, it was bombed in the mid-1980s to render it inoperable. Below is one of several bomb craters.
Three-Two seemed to me to symbolise the miracle we had lived through in Southern Africa over the previous thirty-two years. Having been an integral part of the process, the unit seemed to reflect the new at a time when we were mired in the old, and while it had had its share of controversy, Three-Two offered an example of what was right, as opposed to what was wrong… a sense of honour, a sense of integrity. As the Battalion faded away with its disbandment, the baton seemed to have been taken up by the entire country with the ushering in of a new era … that of a non-racial South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s Rainbow Nation.
And now here we were having been welcomed back by the Angolans and unbelievably, back at Savate … not only at peace, but with a strong and mutual feeling of goodwill and respect, of bygones being bygones and of looking to the future with a keen sense of anticipation.
Turning my gaze away from the slope upon which we had fought so hard and on which so many had died, I fixed my eyes on the granite memorial again … and found the closure I had been seeking for all of these 32 years. My friends Tim Patrick and Heinz Muller’s names were up there with the rest of them. I thought of the last time I saw Tim, his youthful face with that preoccupied, detached look in his eyes and his brave smile. And I could see myself sitting around a campfire with Heinz again, beers in hand and us laughing together at our differences of opinion as to how to fight the war, and being young, fit and living our adventure. The inspiration I have drawn from them is that life has little to do with dying young and everything to do with living young … live your adventure every day. I thought again of Heinz’s last words to me which had been “Justin … jy moet lekker wees!” (“Justin … you must go well”). Now it was my turn and I quietly said to myself … “Julle moet lekker wees” … you both must go well” …
It was done.
Savate no longer represented conflict and grief but was now a symbol of reconciliation, hope, pride and integrity. While defeated at Savate, the Angolan army had proved to be a worthy adversary and they could also stand tall and with their heads held high. I felt humbled to have fought shoulder to shoulder here at the Battle of Savate with the troops of 32 Battalion – I would not have wanted any other soldiers at my side. With its outstanding combat record and racial integration ahead of its time, I am honoured to have served with this unique battalion. While Three-Two may be no longer, it is a unit that is so unique, its spirit will forever be out there in the savannahs and forests of Africa.
On sun-filled days and beautiful starlit nights across Africa, the whisper in the reeds will, for me, forever carry the story of Three-Two.
The war is over for me now, but it will always be there for the rest of my days … but be that as it may, those of us who did make it have an obligation to build again, to teach to others what we know, and to try with what’s left of our lives to find a goodness and meaning to this life.
Charlie Sheen as ‘Taylor’, Platoon, MGM 1987