J. C. Olive was conscripted into the South African Defence Force in early 1986. In August 1987, after his basic training at the Potchefstroom Artillery School, he served as a driver with Sierra Battery, 61 Mechanised Battalion Group on the Lomba River, in southern Angola. From 1 January to 11 December 1987, Olive kept a diary, recording his daily experiences of months of continuous combat, including the SADF’s largest operation of the Border War, Operation Moduler.