Adapted from the post of Graham Du Toit: FOR HIM THE LAST POST HAS SOUNDED When the Roll was called on 08 October 2014, the following young man of 61 Mechanised Battalion Group stepped forward and answered when his name was called. Brothers and Sisters, during the course of the day, please pause for a minute to remember this young man who are no longer here to share this day with us. 83472712BG Trooper Frederick de Jager from C-Squadron, 61 Mechanised Battalion Group who was Killed in Action during Ops Modular. The South African armoured column had penetrated deep into Angola and had just formed into a laager to take bearings on their position and objectives when two Angolan MiG-23 fighter jets spotted the column and after initially making a low pass, they turned and came in for the attack. Each aircraft dropped a 500 pound parachute retarded bomb. The first bomb landed just behind Ratel 33C literally driving the back axel into the ground and igniting the Ratels 90mm ammunition. The second bomb landed and exploded just next to the Ratel. Frederick was the Ratel driver and was resting in the back of the Ratel when the bombs detonated. He was critically wounded when the Ratel ammunition exploded. He succumbed to his injuries a short while later. He was 19 His name and sacrifice has not been forgotten.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 07:05:18 +0000
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