The Bushman Battalion

The tiny (average height 5 ft.) Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert are the oldest human inhabitants of southern Africa and one of the oldest distinct races of mankind. They speak a unique and difficult language, which one anthropologist describes as "an array of weird phonemes--clickings, croakings and raspings." They believe God hurled to earth a piece of turf that broke into pieces; the pieces became nations and the particles of dust their own minute, wandering tribe. Today only a few of the 55,000 remaining Bushmen still pursue their ancient way of life as nomadic hunters, tracking game across the Kalahari's parched wilderness. Most have settled into villages and camps on the edge of the desert. Now a number have traded in their bows and poisoned arrows for the R4 rifles of the South African army.

Some 850 Bushmen are organized into a separate battalion of the South West Africa Territory Force headquartered at Omega, a base camp in Namibia's northeastern Caprivi Strip. Assigned on a rotating basis to South African fighting units, the traditionally unwarlike Bushmen have distinguished themselves in combat. Five have been killed; one was posthumously awarded the Honoris Crux, one of the highest military decorations. Their tracking skills have introduced a new element to the counterinsurgency tactics. "They have fantastic eyesight," says a South African lieutenant, "and they can navigate in the bush without a compass or map." The Bushmen, in fact, were given their name, "Bosman," by 17th century Dutch settlers because of their ability to use the brushy landscape for their own protection. In admiration of the skills the Bushman has acquired from millenniums of hunting game, one lieutenant observes, "For the Bushman, tracking is a science. He can track and backtrack, use false tracks--all the dirty tricks."

There are only a few distractions that can divert the Bushmen from a guerrilla's trail. An entire unit will come to a halt to collect and devour the honey from a wild-bee comb in a tree, for instance. And the presence of a hyena anywhere in the vicinity is likely to bring on inexplicable and uncontrollable fits of derisive laughter from the Bushmen. Otherwise, they have won the respect of their South African officers. "They've taught me what survival means," says one. "For all their small stature, they can put some of our big stocky guys to shame." Says another:"I've been on patrols with those guys. With the Bushmen along, our chances of dying are very slight. They have incredible tenacity, patience and endurance. They've taught me to respect another race."

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