South Africa.
During my first weeks in South Africa, I stayed with my older brother. Before long I rented a place of my own in Johannesburg. Through my brother I met Jim and Ian, not their real names.
Jim was former Rhodesian SAS, having served through the sixties and seventies against ZANLA and ZIPRA, both fighting to take control from the white led government.
Ian was former South African Special Forces, the Recces. Without my brother’s knowledge, Ian got me work in private security, a role that would prove more dangerous than my time in the Army.
I have spoken about the details only to a couple of people. This is the first time I have set it down. During one undercover job we were ambushed. I was dragged from the vehicle and forced to kneel at gunpoint. The pistol pressed into the back of my head, it was then cocked. The other man in the car was pulled out and beaten to death in front of me, solely for being with a white man.
For reasons I still do not understand, they left me kneeling in the dirt beside my friend as he bled to death. They took the car.
That incident still haunts me.
I later returned to the UK.
You’ve had an interesting life and it seems you have a love for writing, have you considered blogging? Perhaps on hot topics or on the veteran owned businesses you support.