Dit is my voorreg om tans Bevelvoerder van 11 Veldposeenheid te wees. Oor 25 jaar het hierdie eenheid 'n onbaatsugtige diens aan die manne op die grens, en so aan die Republiek van Suid-Afrika gelewer. Militere strategee stem saam oor die belangrikheid van daardie dienste wat agter die linies aan die manne op die gevegsfront gelewer word. So 'n diens lewer 11 Veldposeenheid  met een verskil, ons is die draers van die boodskap wal die moreel help bou. Hiersonder is enige veldslag gedoem tot mislukking. Ek bring hulde aan daardie manne wat oor 25 jaar heen hul lewens in die uitvoering van hierdie belangrike diens gewy het. Ek is trots om deel van so 'n eenheid te wees.

It is my privilege at present to be the Officer Commanding of 11 Field Postal Unit. Over 25 years this unit has rendered an unselfish service to the men on the border, and in doing so, to the Republic of South Africa. Military strategists agree on the importance of those services rendered behind the lines. 11 Field Postal Unit renders such a service with one difference, we are the bearers of the message which helps build morale. Without this any battle is doomed to fail. I honour those men who have, over 25 years, dedicated their lives to perform this important duty. I am proud to be part of such a unit.

Vorige Bevelvoerders van 11 Veldposeenheid - Previous Officers Commanding of 11 Field Postal Unit

11 Field Postal Unit handles some 4 million items of mail annually. Financial transactions to the value of nearly R2,9 million were handled during the past financial year. 11 Field Postal Unit was established as a fully-fledged citizen force unit on 1 October 1964. This followed negotiations between the Post Office and the South African Defence Force where the necessity of an efficient field postal service for the troops in uniform was discussed. The then Under-Secretary: Posts and later Deputy Postmaster General: Telecommunications, Mr Chris Gouws, was the first commanding officer of the Unit. Initially the Unit was manned by 25 volunteers from the ranks of the Post Office. Today the Unit consists of more than 300 members which are supplemented by Post Office national servicemen. During the Republic festival of 1966 the Unit for the first time rendered a fully-fledged field post office service to participating troops. Since then more than 50 field post offices have been deployed during different military manoeuvres in the Republic. This included a further two Republic festivals RSA 10 and RSA 20 in Cape Town and Durban. Owing to circumstances on the South West African/Angola border an extensive investigation concerning mail distribution in the operational area was undertaken in December 1975. Following this, 14 members from the Field Postal Unit were sent to Grootfontein to help establish an organised mail distribution system in the operational area. Grootfontein was identified as the main receiving and distribution point. Fully-fledged financial counter facilities were also provided later. With the establishment of Field Post Office 1 on 1 July 1982, the main distribution office, Field Post Office 2 at Grootfontein, was moved to Pretoria. By doing so, the field postal system for the transport of letters and parcels were improved. Direct airmail dispatches from Pretoria to Grootfontein, Ondangwa/Oshakati, Rundu and Mpacha were undertaken twice weekly. Today full-time field post offices are in operation at Pretoria, Grootfontein, Ondangwa, Rundu, Mpacha, the Rooikop training area in Walvis Bay and at Messina which serves the Soutpansberg military area. In 1986 the Chief of the South African Defence Force, General Jannie Geldenhuys, presented the Unit with a citation in acknowledgement of 10 years of uninterrupted service in the operational area. Now, after 14 years, this is a record for continuous operational service by any Citizen Force Unit.

An army marches on its stomach - a full stomach - but no matter how full a soldier's stomach may be, the morale falls to zero when he does not regularly receive news from home...

Daardie briewe van familie by die huis maak al die verskil...