Ops Medic - A National Serviceman's Border War (Paperback, illustrated edition) - Steven Webb

He writes about border patrols conducted on foot and in Buffel mine protected fighting vehicles, seeking out SWAPO’s armed guerrillas who had infiltrated from Angola and the constant anticipation of ambush by an elusive foe. He tells of the stabilisation and casevac of casualties by helicopter.

In truth white National Service units achieved little success in the border war against an underrated enemy.

So this is not the story of elite and glamorous fighting units like the Reconnaissance Commandos, Koevoet, 32-Battalion, or the Parachute Battalions and the successes they achieved, but of young, white, conscripted National Serviceman, often straight from school, who were thrown headfirst into a guerrilla war in a country outside of South Africa and far from home.

Many National Servicemen, including 37 Ops Medics, died fighting in the Border War. Fifteen were awarded the Honoris Crux (two of the silver grade) for bravery — four posthumously.

This book includes the SADF’s Roll of Honour which lists almost 2,500 of its honoured dead killed on active service and the complete roll of the SADF’s Honoris Crux awards for bravery — both published for the first time.