Some stories begin long before the first word is written. This one began in the Angolan bush, echoed through the silence of loss, and finally found its way home through the pages of a book.

In the 1980s, Louis Viljoen served with distinction in 1 Parachute Battalion, Echo Company, 86–88. He was brave, loyal, and deeply respected by his fellow soldiers. One of those soldiers, a close friend, would years later become the author of Forgotten Soldiers.

After the war, like so many young men, Louis disappeared from the pages of the world. No Facebook. No tracking. Just memories.

Years later, the devastating news came: Louis had been killed in a farm attack. He left behind two daughters, just 6 and 4 years old at the time. They grew up with more questions than answers… and the memory of a father they barely had the chance to know.

Until now.

When Forgotten Soldiers was written, the name Louis Viljoen was chosen to honor that fallen friend, a tribute to a brother-in-arms whose courage and spirit left a mark that never faded.

Driven by that same spirit, Echo 86-88 veterans, Joe, Wessie, Gus, and the author, set out to find Louis's daughters. After all these years, they succeeded.

On a quiet Sunday, Joe met Gumay, Louis’s eldest daughter. He placed two books in her hands, one for her, and one for her sister. The book contained stories of friendship, sacrifice, laughter, and the brutal beauty of brotherhood in wartime. But more than that, it gave her a window into the world her father once walked in, and the men who walked it beside him.

She smiled. Held the book close. And in that moment, a lost connection was made whole again.

Gumay, thank you for allowing us to share your story. Your grace, your openness, and your willingness to reconnect with the past remind us why we tell these stories in the first place.

This book was written for soldiers.
But sometimes… it helps families heal too.