PIET NORTJE is a son of the Karoo who reported for compulsory national military service in 1978. After completing a junior leader's course, he became one of 45 volunteers for the inaugural 32 Battalion reconnaissance wing training course.
It was tough going, but not only was Nortje one of the 13 candidates who made it, but he went on to become a qualified paratrooper in 1982. He elected to remain with 32 Battalion when the recce wing was disbanded, and was appointed sergeant major in charge of training at Buffalo Base in the Caprivi.
At 25 he became the youngest regimental sergeant major in the SADF's history, a remarkable achievement as 32 Battalion was fast becoming the SADF's largest operational unit.
During a decade of service with the battalion, Nortje took part in most of the major SADF operations inside Angola. As RSM he had a unique vantage point from which to experience history in the making as former Angolan rebels were moulded into a fully fledged SADF unit that retired undefeated from the battlefield after 12 years of frontline combat.
Sergeant Major Nortje has completed 25 years of unbroken military service.