Gunship over Angola

Title: Gunship over Angola
Subtitle: The Story of a Maverick Pilot
Author: Steve Joubert
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers
Imprint: Delta Books
Johannesburg, South Africa 2019
ISBN 9781868429301 / ISBN 978-1-86-842930-1
Softcover, 15 x 23 cm, 236 pages, many b/w photographs and maps

Author's note on writing Gunship over Angola

It is often said that 'writing about it' is one of the most cathartic things that human beings who have undergone extreme trauma can do. I firmly believe this, and can personally testify to the truthfulness of that statement. Often, while writing this book, I sat down at my laptop to continue writing but nothing of any substance was forthcoming. I'd try in vain for ten minutes, 20 and sometimes even longer until suddenly, like a veil being drawn back to reveal the scene, I was back in the cockpit and the sights, sounds and smells were as they'd been more than 35 years ago.

As I've aged, I have felt compelled to tell some of the story of my life and, by doing so, to end my family's practice of stoically avoiding telling its own history and forcing those who might be interested in the subject, like me, to delve into obscure inscriptions in centuries-old family bibles and piles of sepia-tinted photographs to decipher our origins. I have five children, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and three granddaughters who, I must admit, haven't yet become avid fans of my writing, but who I hope, in years to come, might spend some time reading my story

Steve Joubert, growing up in suburban Pretoria, dreamed of a career as a pilot. After undergoing SAAF pilot training, he learned to fly the versatile Alouette helicopter. He had barely qualified as a chopper pilot when he was sent to the Border, where he flew missions over Namibia and southern Angola to supply air cover to troops on the ground. As a gunship pilot, Steve Joubert saw some of the worst scenes of the war, often arriving first on the scene after a contact or landmine attack.

The author also recalls the lighter moments of military life, as well as the thrill of flying. A born maverick, his lack of respect for authority often got him into trouble with his superiors. His experiences affected him deeply, and led him eventually to question his role in the war effort. As the Border War escalated, his disillusionment grew. This gripping memoir, Gunship over Angola, is a powerful plea for mental healing and understanding.

Content: Gunship over Angola

Another Soul
People of the Great Sand Face
Are Your Eyes Nicely Open?
In the Beginning
Voices Across the Sand
Backwards and Forwards in Time
The Old Way
And the Children
The Early Race
In the Light of the Day
The Softening of the Sun
Eyes Nicely Open
Olden-Day Ostriches
A Long Story
Animal to Human
Fire in our Heart
Talking Bones
Earthgift
Winter Moon
Blood Holds the Memory
That We Live
The Spider's Message
The Tall One
The Tree of Life
Passing of Days
One Day
Another Day
A Healing Man
Hunter Predator
When Boys Become Men
Dance the Healing Dance
Coming into Wholeness
Resolution
The Cutting Moon
Woman
Day of the Rain Animals
After the Storm
All Creatures
The Old Man
Wisdom Of The World
Mystery Truths
A Human Trinity
Spoken Words
God's Children
Exodus
All Circles Close
Brothers and Sisters
The Last Great Dance
Across the Threshold
The Consecration Of Humanity
Bushman Winter
/Gwikwe Conversations And Clicks
Clicks - A Description Of How To Make The Six Primary Clicks
List Of People