An Unpopular War
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In the seventies, eighties and nineties, conscription had a profound effect on hundreds of thousands of young men, particularly those who had to serve in the Angolan war. This title is a collection of reflections and memories of that time, collected by JH Thompson, who interviewed men who did National Service. Contributors include ordinary soldiers, Special Forces members, helicopter pilots, chefs and religious objectors. The title captures the spirit and atmosphere, the daily duties, the boredom, fear and other intense experiences of an SADF soldier.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was given this book as a gift for Christmas 2006...and what a superb one it was. I was conscripted into the SADF (South African Defence Force) in January 1985 until December 1986, two years of my life. I was just 18. I spent many months doing "basic" training and "JL's" (Junior Leaders) and eventually spending 13 months on the Angolan/South West African border, defending against the "enemy". I lived and fought with the profound and highly respected 32 Battalion...and have many fond memories of the men who gave up so much of their lives for their families and now have nothing to show for it. This book certainly captures the emotions, fears, joys, camaraderie and much much more. It is amazing how much the young men had to endure for the safety of others at that time, but to be quite honest, it taught self-discipline, working under intense pressure and developing strong bonds amongst many other character building traits. It was a time that I will never forget and will always hold fond, yet sometimes sad memories.This book brings back the good and bad times...and does it very well. 32 Battalion, I salute you.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The "war" in South Africa was quite odd for women ... most took no part in military service at all. What we did was spend two years waiting for sons, husbands, boyfriends or friends to return. Very often the man who left was not the same person who came back. This book tells you why. I read it in a day ... it was riveting. Could the author find more former servicemen and write a sequel?
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a book of anecdotes from young SADF national servicemen about their lives in and around the Border War which went from the Portuguese withdrawal in 1975 to Mandela's release in 1990. The range of individuals is admirably wide. There is a volunteer, a conscientious objector, a gay guy and the usual crowd of daft young lads. Of course there are innumerable stories of Army/Navy/Airforce "bull", of rites of passage, drinking and smoking, silly larks and horrible experiences. What came through to me especially was how young these men were to be killing (but not, as one says, watching American Gigolo). They had barely begun to form their own views (which is why the military wanted to form these views for them). The question of the war's morality is not really of interest to these young men who are in the grip of something much more horrible - corporals. The accounts from the late Eighties where the front-line states had Soviet aircraft make it clear that these battles were not just turkey-shoots.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An eye opener!
An Unpopular War from Afkak to bosbefok - J H Thompson
I'm not sure how I came to find this book - I'd been looking through South African authors on Kindle and for some... Read more
I'm not sure how I came to find this book - I'd been looking through South African authors on Kindle and for some... Read more
Published 8 months ago by ronix
Brilliant
This book gives afantastic insight into the apartheid system, and reminds us of things we may have forgotten about - the illegal wars in other countries in Southern Africa, the... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2007 by Ania
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