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Peloton 2 1987 AWOL – A SAAWCOL Anecdote

#writtenbyahuman

LEES DIE AFRIKAANSE WEERGAWE HIER

SAAWCOL – South African Army Women’s College / Bev Inspeksie – Commander’s Inspection

The story about Peloton 2’s (1987) AWOL escapade is one I remember with fondness.

We were busy with Leierskap en bevel-en-beheer-phase (LBBV, I think) of our training at the South African Army Women’s College, and our lieutenant, Lt Kiewiet (now Hugo), left the unit for a few days for some reason. (We didn’t want her to get into trouble, so we waited for her to leave, before acting on our plan.) We were left in Corporal Pinkie Nieuwenhuizen’s (unsure of the spelling of her surname) care and Captain Harris was in charge of Alpha Company – so she was responsible for our wellbeing.

Up until that day, Peloton Twee was quite an average bunch. We didn’t stand out in anything, and neither had we won a single Bev Commander’s Inspection – and neither did we do anything else making us stand out. Although we were an ordinary group, we were a good lot who had lots of fun! We were learning about responsibility during this leadership phase mentioned above, and were supposed to be on our very best behaviour. But some of us were starting to become restless. We wanted to be remembered for something more than just being ordinary, so we decided that we must do something ‘grandiose’. We devised a plan and had serious group discussions – as a few members were opposed to the outrageous scheme. And understandably so!

We eventually bullied the nay-sayers into going along with the plan, promising them that we would defend them from any repercussions. We decided to target the weekly parade, where the whole unit gathered for roll call. Our plan was to vanish before the parade and leave a huge emptiness on the parade ground where our platoon was supposed to be. Now, imagine this: Six platoons are supposed to arrive for the parade, and one is gone!

We stole the small gym’s key from the duty room the previous evening, got up very early, left our beds unmade (because, hey, if we were going to be in trouble, we would be ordentlik in trouble) and sneaked to the gym in the still dark hours of the morning. We stayed there, quiet as mice, while we couldn’t even have imagined the chaos it caused in the unit and elsewhere – as the Western Province Command had to be informed that a whole platoon of the South African Army Woman’s College had vanished!

Although we thought we have planned well, we didn’t think things through very well, because we didn’t fully foresee the repercussions such an act would cause. As a matter of fact, I don’t think that we really thought that it would work at all! But for a few hours there had been pandemonium outside the unit, with people looking for us everywhere – outside in the mountain, in town and everywhere they could think of. Except in the little gym in the middle of the unit! And we encountered unforeseen problems of our own though. The gym didn’t have a toilet, so Lance Corporal Sonette Van der Bank (nee Meiring) took the initiative to create a shopping bag toilet! Fortunately, we had one when needed! When we got bored later, she also lead us in ‘face aerobics’ – “to fight future wrinkles”. (It didn’t work for my double chin.)

We were, of course, still unaware of the commotion. Because it was so quiet within the unit, we assumed that nothing much had happened outside. By morning teatime, we nonchalantly sneaked back into Watsonia and returned to our rooms, rather disappointed because we thought that nobody had come looking for us.

But, oh, boy! That was when we first realised what a ‘success’ our obscure little operation had been! We heard the click-clack of haaipolfaais coming down the hall and when we slowly emerged from our rooms, beds still in phases of unmade, there the red-headed Captain Harris was, with Corporal Pinkie tailing anxiously behind her – eyes way too big for her petite frame.

“Peloton Twee, what the hell have you done?!” The captain’s green eyes weren’t furious though. There was something like relief and even a bit of admiration in them instead.

After Captain Harris gave us a serious talking to, she dramatically kept quiet, looked us in the eye one by one, and with an almost smile around her blood-red lips, she told us that there would be consequences. We had straf PT scheduled for us for the rest of the week (although it wasn’t called that, because it wasn’t legally allowed). She came to supervise every session and interrupted whoever was in charge if the PT looked too strenuous on us, because we learnt that the red-headed, red-lipped captain, was actually a real softy. (The PT wasn’t too strenuous at any time though.) She kept overseeing our punishment and came to check on us while we washed ambulances and lorries and the bus and the hall floor as further punishment. (I doubt if the hall’s poor wooden floor ever recovered from that much water and soap!) She even attended Corporal Pinkie’s Bible readings to us early the next few mornings. (From Romans 8 and onwards nogals!) The captain won a special place in our hearts that week and I believe – we in hers.

Peloton 2 had never been the same average, ordinary bunch again after that episode. On her return, Lt Kiewiet found a different platoon than the one she left behind. The next Saturday, we won our first of two Bev Inspections during that second half of the year, and we became a force to be reckoned with. And the most wonderful of it all was that those who were against the idea, didn’t once complain about the punishment and took it like real women with the rest of us!

We learnt quite a bit more than ‘bevel en beheer’ that week!

And that is the famous Peloton 2 AWOL story. What an extraordinary time we had! What memories we have, to cherish now. And what awesome, lifelong friendships we still have.

Salute, Peloton 2 – 1987!

Fielies De Kock is a freelance content writer/blogger (www.fieliesdekock.com) living in Hermanus in the Overberg, South Africa, with her crazy-haired husband and two dogs. She authored a children’s chapter book and a few short reads and is co-author of 125 Creative Writing Prompts for Petrolheads (available on Amazon Kindle) with her content writer son – who also has crazy hair.

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Peloton 2 AWOL – ‘n 1987 SALVKOL-staaltjie

#writtenbyahuman

READ THE ENGLISH VERSION HERE

SALVKOL – Suid-Afrikaanse Leër Vrouekollege / Bev Inspeksie – Bevelvoerdersinspeksie

Die storie oor Peloton 2 se AWOL-eskapade onthou ek met groot geneentheid.

Terwyl ons besig was met die Leierskap en bevel-en-beheer fase (LBBV, of so iets) van ons opleiding in die Suid-Afrikaanse Vroueleërkollege, het ons luitenant, Lt Kiewiet (nou Hugo), die eenheid vir ‘n paar dae verlaat om een of ander rede. (Ons wou nie hê sy moes in die moeilikheid beland nie, so ons het gewag tot sy weg is voordat ons ons plan in werking gestel het.) Ons is in die sorg van Korporaal Pinkie Nieuwenhuizen (nie seker oor die spelling nie) gelaat en Kaptein Harris was in beheer van Alpha Kompanie – so sy was verantwoordelik vir ons welsyn.

Tot op daardie dag was ons, Peloton Twee, maar ‘n bra baie gemiddelde spulletjie. Ons het nie in enigiets uitgeblink nie, en ons het nog nie ‘n enkele Bev Inspeksie gewen nie – of enige iets anders gedoen wat ons onderskei het nie. Maar, al was ons ‘n gewone klomp, was ons ‘n goeie groep wat baie pret saam gehad het.

Ons het baie oor verantwoordelikheid geleer tydens die leierskapsfase en moes eintlik ons absolute beste gedrag ten toon gestel het. Maar sommige van ons het begin rusteloos raak. Ons wou graag onthou word vir meer as om net gemiddeld te wees, en so het ons besluit ons moet iets ‘grandieus’ doen. Ons het ‘n plan beraam wat ‘n paar ernstige besprekings in pelotonverband tot gevolg gehad het – aangesien ‘n paar meer gematigde lede teen die gewaagde – en onverantwoordelike – plan was. Ons het uiteindelik dié teenstaanders oorreed om saam te werk – met die belofte dat ons hulle teen enige gevolge sou beskerm, en hulle het ingestem.

Ons het besluit om die weeklikse parade te teiken waar die hele eenheid vir roll call bymekaargekom het. Ons plan was om voor die parade te verdwyn en ‘n leemte op die paradegrond te laat waar ons peloton moes wees. Stel jou dit voor: Ses pelotons moet opmarsjeer, maar een hele peloton is afwesig!

Die oggend het aangebreek en ons het die klein gimnasium se sleutel die vorige dag uit die dienskamer gesteel, baie vroeg opgestaan, ons beddens onopgemaak gelos (want, as daar moeilikheid moes wees, moes dit ordentlik wees!) en stilletjies na die gym gesluip in die nog-donker ure van die dag. Ons het daar gebly, so stil soos muise, terwyl ons ons nie eers kon indink watter chaos dit na sonop in die eenheid en elders sou veroorsaak nie, aangesien die Wes-Kaap Kommandement ingelig moes word dat ‘n hele peloton van die Suid-Afrikaanse Leër Vrouekollege vermis geraak het!

Hoewel ons die ‘operasie’ baie goed beplan het, het ons het nie die gevolge van so ‘n daad baie goed deurdink nie. Trouens, ek dink nie ons het regtig eers geglo dit sou werk nie! So, vir ‘n paar ure was daar chaos, met mense wat buite in die berg, in die dorp en oral waar hulle kon dink, na ons gesoek het. Oral, behalwe in die klein gym in die middel van die eenheid!

In die gym, het ons onself in ons eie onvoorsiene probleme vasgeloop. Die gimnasium het nie ‘n toilet gehad nie, so onder-korporaal Sonette Van der Bank (nee Meiring) het die inisiatief geneem om ‘n inkopiesak-toilet te maak! Gelukkig het iemand ‘n heel, leë sak gehad toe dit nodig was! Toe ons later begin verveeld raak het, het sy ons ook in ‘face aerobics’ gelei – “om toekomstige plooie teë te werk”.

Ons was natuurlik heeltemal onbewus van die pandemonium wat buite die eenheid geheers het, omdat dit so stil binne-in die eenheid was, en teen oggend teetyd het ons nonchalant terug gesluip Watsonia toe, op met die trappe en terug na ons kamers – redelik verveeld en teleurgesteld omdat ons gedink het dat niemand na ons gemis het nie.

Maar, o, genade! Dit was toe dat ons eers besef het hoe ‘suksesvol’ ons obskure eskapadetjie was! Ons het die klik-klak van haaipolfaais in die gang gehoor en toe ons stadig uit ons kamers kom, beddens steeds in fases van onopgemaakheid, het die rooikop Kaptein Harris, met Korporaal Pinkie angstig agter haar – oë te groot vir haar piepklein lyfie – ons ingewag.


“Peloton Twee, what the hell have you done?!” Die kaptein se groen oë was egter nie kwaai nie. Daar was iets soos verligting en dalk selfs ‘n bietjie bewondering in hulle. Nadat sy ons ernstig aangespreek het, het sy dramaties stilgebly, elkeen van ons een vir een in die oë gekyk en met ‘n amperse glimlaggie gesê dat daar gevolge gaan wees. Ons het straf-PT gekry (al is dit nie so genoem nie, omdat dit eintlik ontoelaatbaar was) wat sy soms self kom onderbreek het, as dit gelyk het of ons te veel suffer. (Ons het geensins gesuffer nie.) En so het ons geleer dat die rooikop, rooilippe kaptein eintlik ‘n softy is. Sy het ook persoonlik kom toesig hou toe ons die ambulanse, vragmotors, bus en saalvloer moes was as deel van ons straf. (Ek vermoed daai hout saalvloer was nooit weer dieselfde na al die seep en water nie!)

Kaptein Harris het selfs Korporaal Pinkie se Bybelstudies die volgende paar oggende kom bywoon. (Uit Romeine 8, nogals!) Die kaptein het daardie week ‘n spesiale plek in ons harte gewen en ek glo – ons in hare.

Peloton 2 was nooit weer dieselfde gemiddelde, gewone klomp daarna nie. Luitenant Kiewiet het ‘n ander peloton gevind as die een wat sy agtergelaat het. Die volgende Saterdag het ons ons eerste van twee Bev Inspeksies daardie tweede helfte van die jaar gewen, en ons het ‘n mag geword om mee rekening te hou. En die wonderlike ding was dat dié wat teen die idee was, nie een keer oor die straf gekla het nie – en dit soos ware vroue saam met die res van ons gevat het!

En dit is die berugte Peloton 2 AWOL-storie. Watter buitengewone tyd het ons nie gehad nie! En watter wonderlike herinneringe koester ons nou nog saam met wonderlike, lewenslange vriende!

Saluut, Peloton 2 – 1987!

Fielies De Kock is a freelance content writer/blogger (www.fieliesdekock.com) living in Hermanus in the Overberg, South Africa, with her crazy-haired husband and two dogs. She authored a children’s chapter book and a few short reads and is co-author of 125 Creative Writing Prompts for Petrolheads (available on Amazon Kindle) with her content writer son – who also has crazy hair.