From Playground to Battlefield

“…This period of my National Service had the most influential impact on my life and no doubt the lives of many young men who took part in Operation Modular and subsequently Operation Hooper. Being exposed to death, taking another human being’s life and constantly being exposed to the fear of dying in some far-off country for a cause I did not comprehend, left scars on my heart and soul. At that stage of my life I did not have an identity document, a driver’s license nor had I entered a bar due to my age, yet I was soon to discover the horrors of armed conflict and the effects it has on a human being. My youthful conscience and innocence would be stripped and altered forever in a matter of three months…”

- Author, Donovan Munro

Donovan Munro committed his entire life to his country as both a National Service Man and a Captain in the South African Police Force. He regarded the men and women he served with as family and he will be fondly remembered as a man of great courage. He sadly passed away on 11 July 2012 due to pancreatic cancer. To those who had the privilege of knowing him, may his words ever echo in your memory… ‘Be Strong’.