In Troep more than one hundred veterans talk about what they remember about their conscription: being called up while still at school, going to war and only coming back home two years later. There are stories about troop trains, hitchhiking, border duty and landmines, and memories of friends, sons and brothers who never returned. Bun Booyens brings all these voices together, telling of the exceptional events that thousands of boys experienced. These stories will strike a chord in veterans and help their loved ones understand what these people still carry with them to this day: what they remember, but also what they simply cannot forget.

Bun Booyens was the founding director of the travel magazine, Weg! and the editor of the daily paper, Die Burger. He is the compiler of the centenary book, Die Burger 100- Sy Mense en Hul Stories (2016), 50 jaar met Fred (2020), about the cartoonist Fred Mouton, and Ek Onthou—Die Lewensverhaal van ’n Outistiese Seun (2021). He was a foot soldier during conscription and currently works as a freelance journalist.