Quote:
Originally Posted by Blademaster
Hey sappersgt, when did you serve in the South African Army? Was it before the Apartheid or afterwards? If before, how did the American embassy take it when they found out that you had been serving in an military force that wasn't in good graces with the American government?
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That is a really good question. This was in the 80s, right at the height of Apartheid. In spite of South Africa being a "restricted" country relations were extremely good. After I enlisted in the SADF an embassy official showed up to tell me I had to renounce my US citizenship or face an eight to twenty year prison term. I was understandably reluctant to do either!
I finally did so after the embassy provided me with documentation saying I would be granted citizenship upon entry into the US if I so desired. They also allowed me to keep my US passport! When I went on leave to the US the embassy in Belize issued me with documentation stating that I was to be granted all those same rights and privileges as a US citizen! When I came home for good I had to surrender my South African passport and renounce my SA citizenship in front of a SA consular official.
The relations between the US military were even better. In El Salvador we ran all of our requests for equipment through the US embassy. We called on them for (and got) "real time" intelligence on cell phone usage of guerrillas operating in the mountains. I also got to use the embassy phone to call home.
On one occasion I had the unfortunate duty to escort the body of an fellow American and Sapper back to the US. Since he was a former Marine he received a military funeral complete with honor guard. I got a free plane ride back to the US and an extra ten days leave out of the deal.