Toespraak deur die beskermheer van die 61 Meg Veteranevereniging op 12 Junie 2010

Revised: July 12, 2010 Tags:

Generaals, Bevelvoerders, Eks Bevelvoerders, Mr John Keen, Hoof Kurator van die Diphong Museum van Militere Geskiedenis, Lede van die Industrie, Voorsitters van Veterane Verenigings of hulle verteenwoordigers, Offisiere, Adjudant Offisiere, Veterane en hulle families, dames, here en vriende.

It is a wonderful privilege and honour for me to be part of the proceedings here today. Today is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate our past, and to look forward to our future as proud South Africans with great expectation and excitement.

Die afgelope maande en veral die laaste week het die hele Suid-Afrika gedemonstreer dat die Sokker wêreldbeker toernooi hier is. Gister was dit vir die vasteland van Afrika ‘n spesiale dag toe die toernooi begin het en wat ‘n prestasie is dit nie dat die Bafana Bafana 1 elk gelykop gespeel het nie. Kom ons wens Bafana Bafana geluk en kom ons vertrou hierdie wêreldskouspel vind plaas sonder ernstige insidente.

Vandag, 12 Junie 2010 is ‘n ewe besonderse en spesiale dag in die geskiedenis van die ontbinde eenheid 61 Gemeganiseerde Bataljon Groep. Dit is besonders vir die volgende redes:

- Die afgetrede Hoof van die Weermag, Generaal Constant Viljoen wat 31 jaar gelede die Hoof van die Leer was en wat 61 Meg gestig het, het al die pad vanaf Ohrigstad gekom om hierdie gebeurtenis saam met sy lede te beleef
- Die afgetrede Hoof van die Weermag, generaal Jannie Geldenhyus wat 31 jaar gelede die Bevelvoerende Generaal van SuidWes-Afrika Gebiedsmag was, is die eerste generaal onder wie se bevel 61 Meg vir die eerste keer operasies gevoer het.
- Afgetrede luitenant generaal Raymond Holtzhausen is een van min generaals wat fisies saam met 61 Meg operasies gedoen het.
- Ons is geëerd om u hier te hê. Daar is ander opper offisiere wat ‘n noue verbintenis met 61 Meg het, wat verskoning aangebied het.
- Dit is merkwaardig dat hier vandag nege van die elf voormalige bevelvoerders teenwoordig is. Vier uit die vyf stigterslede van 31 jaar gelede is ook hier teenwoordig.
- Daar is 180 eks lede wat minstens een lid per jaar van die 27 jaar, 1979 tot 2005 teenwoordig. Van hierdie lede is daar die wat sover as Kaapstad, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein en elders kom.
- Nog ‘n merkwaardige kenmerk van hierdie eenheid is dat die junior leiers van die eenheid twee jaar gelede die 61 Veterane Vereniging gestig het en sedertdien aanvoer.
- Die militere veterane verenigings wat hier teenwoordig is gee karakter aan die geleentheid en dit word waardeer. Dit is besonders dat hier so baie van ons vriende hier is vandag. Ek is dankbaar en geëerd deur die teenwoordigheid van my familie wat van die Kaap en Bethlehem gekom het.
- 61 Meg wat oor 27 jaar geswerf het, het uiteindelik ‘n huis hier by die Diphong Militere Geskiedenis Museum gevind. ‘n Tuiste wat altyd beskikbaar sal wees vir enige lid van die publiek maar veral vir die ongeveer 20,000 lede wat in 61 Meg oor die jare gedien het.

Ek sal u graag wil herinner aan die roemryke geskiedenis van 61 Meg Battaljon Groep:

- Die program bevat ‘n kort opsomming oor die eenheid. Dit is interessant om te noem dat dit die eerste en enigste permanente veggroep was wat saamgestel is uit infanterie, pantser, artellerie, genie en logistieke vermoëe in Suid-Afrika is. Slegs die Franse en Amerikaners beskik oor sulke magte. Oor die 27 jaar leeftyd van die eenheid was daar drie periodes van aanwending wat soos volg ingedeel kan word, Tewete:
* Ongeveer 9 jaar het 61 Meg vanuit Omuthiya, die bosbasis in Ovamboland opgetree in aktiewe operasies in Angola. Operasie Smokeshell het 10 Junie 1980 plaasgevind. Dit was die afgelope Donderdag 30 jaar gelede. Dit was die eerste mag in Suid-Afrika wat met konvensionele uitrusting sedert die Tweede Wêreld Oorlog opgetree het. Een van die laaste optredes deur 61 Meg in die bosoorlog was by die slag van Cuito Cuanevale.
* Die volgende periode van 9 jaar het 61 Meg vanaf Leergevegskool by Lothlathla hoofsaaklik as reserwemag, interne onrus beheer en vredesoperasies insluitend die 1994 verkiesing gedoen. Dit het ook deurentyd steun gelewer aan internasionale magsgereedheid oefeninge.
* Die laaste jare het 61 ‘n belangrike rol gehad om leiers van die SA Leer blootstelling te gee in gesamentlike gevegsvoorbereiding.

Deurentyd was 61 Meg op die voorpunt van gevegsgereedheid. Die Weermag strategie het egter verander en is die eenheid in 2005 ontbind. Die toekoms sal leer of dit die regte besluit was.

- Soos u kon agterkom het 61 Meg nog nooit ‘n permanente tuiste gehad nie.

Omtrent die gedenknaald het u reeds gehoor hoe dit vanuit Ovambo (1989) geskuif het (Walvisbaai, Lohathla, 1992) tot uiteindelik hier by die Museum. Saam met die gedenknaald is ook die memorabilia, aandenkings, fotos en dokumente na die museum verskuif en dit sal soos wat daar fondse beskikbaar raak, uitgestal word. Daar is tans 81 name van soldate wat gesterf het, op die gedenknaald, terwyl hulle saam met 61 Meg diens gedoen het. Indien daar persone is wat gesneuwel het terwyl hulle in diens van 61 Meg was en wie se name nie verskyn nie, sal ons graag daarvan wil verneem. U moet nie aarsel om dit aan die 61 Veterane Vereniging bekend te maak nie. Op hierdie wyse sal 61 in die harte en gedagtes van sy lede en hulle kinders, in die toekoms bly voortbestaan. Aan die anderkant is daar ons wat oorleef het. Hier is vandag lede teenwoordig wat met koëelgate deur hulle lyf oorleef het en wat die Here elke dag vir die lewe dank. Oor die verskuiwing en die reëlings van hierdie dag is daar baie wat meegedoen het, en sonder om name te noem wil ek dankie sê vir ‘n groot geleentheid.

Now Friends, you will ask me, what do we make of all of this. What do we make of our struggles, what do we make of our own sacrifices and the sacrifices of our fallen comrades. Let us be blunt — our experiences have affected us all in a deep personal manner. Some of us carry terrible physical scars. Some of us have suffered failed relationships with people very close to us. And I can go on.

In 1979 we faced a simple choice. We could have decided to simply invite the Swapo soldiers over the S.W.A. border to continue with their terrorism campaigns. We decided not to. Our first casualty (a dog handler) was killed on 6 June 1979 in an anti-insurgency patrol North of Tsumeb. After that, we went after our enemy in Angola. We decided to be part of a global struggle against communism. And we fought with velour and honour against a threat which we considered to be a threat against what we believed in.
I am convinced that our efforts made a huge contribution to the privileges that we enjoy today in the post-1994 South Africa. Our efforts gave our previous government the precious opportunity to negotiate a world class constitution after the fall of communism and the Berlin Wall. I am convinced that if we hesitated to fight and to fight hard in 1979 to 1989, we would not be in the same position that we are in today. We would not be living in a country where we are now welcoming the world to enjoy our hospitality. Even with the benefit of hindsight, I cannot think that we had any other choice than to do what we did.

I cannot recall all the words I told you years ago before we went into battle. I suspect my words were not too many, and it did include something about fighting hard, and doing your best. And so, I will close, once again, and ask you to fight.

- Let us fight against a spirit of negativity. It is so easy to be negative about our beautiful country and the progress we have made over the past twenty years. Let us always remember that things were never easy in this country. When my great great great grandparents trekked over the Drakensberg, numerous obstacles and threats lay in front of them. But they overcame and persevered through great hardship. Today we face great challenges in our country. I am confident to predict that there also be challenges in a hundred years from now. You see friends – that is the nature of the world we live in. All things are subject to frustration; we must expect that. And I must add that this is not different in any other place in the world, even Australia. Running away won’t help. My great great grandparents didn’t run away; they stood their ground and continued to work for what they believed in.

- Let us fight against living in the past. Let us live for the future. I am not saying we should not be emboldened by what we have achieved in the past. No. But we cannot live for things that are now part of the past. We need to live for today, and the future, and our children, and the hope that we have for the future. And yes friends, why do we ultimately have hope? If you are a Christian, and believe that what Jesus Christ did for you on the cross is sufficient to reconcile you with a Holy God that is in control of everything, we have a hope that it is not only for now, but is for eternity.

- Let us fight against withdrawing from our families, from our friends and from our communities. Let us fight from keeping our experiences to ourselves and not sharing it with our friends and those that we love. Let us fight against an aimless apathy and feeling that nothing matters. Everything we do matter. Our contribution in our society matters. Be involved, and make a positive contribution. Avoid aimless and negative talk, and start doing something positive for the betterment of the whole of society. Let us fight against not taking ownership and accountability for our country in which we have played a huge role in forming and shaping for the years to come. Let us enjoy, for example, this World Cup, and recognise and remember the role we played in making it happen.

Friends, I know, my request to you today is even more difficult than my request to fight 30 years ago. At least then, we had a physical enemy that we could see. Now our fight is against our own weaknesses. And our own shortcomings.

And our walk on this earth ultimately remains, as always, a fight against the dark spiritual forces of this world (Ephesians 6:12) Let us keep our eyes on our Lord Jesus as he reigns over all that we see. And let us find in Him our ultimate satisfaction and meaning. And we shall go on — “Mobilitate Vincere” — we shall conquer by our mobility, and by our ability to adapt to our changing circumstances.

I thank you.

JM Dippenaar Maj Gen(ret)
Patron 61 Mechanised Veterans Association
Founder and First Commander 61 Mechanised Battalion Group

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