He started his career at 1SSB and then attended the School of Armour after becoming involved in the development of the Rooikat armoured fighting vehicle. But it was in Southern Angola where he made his name commanding the armour part of 32 Battalion’s Support Group. His Ratel IFV, armed with ZT3 laser-guided anti-tank missiles, stopped an entire enemy brigade, shooting out three enemy T55/T62 main battle tanks in a row