Les Rudman | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lesley |
| Born | 18 March 1955 |
| Allegiance |  South Africa |
| Service |  South African Army |
| Years of service | 1974–2014 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | 44 Parachute Brigade |
| Commands |
|
| Battles / wars | South African Border War |
| Awards |                   |
| Spouse(s) | Elsje Rudman [1] |
| Other work | Security Consultant |
Major General Les Rudman PVD SD SM MMM SAStC was a General Officer in the South African Army from the infantry.
General Rudman was an honorary Special Forces Operator, Pathfinder and parachutist instructor. He was appointed to the post of Deputy Chief of the South African Army on 1 October 2011. [2] [3] [4] He was awarded the Sword of Honour at the South African Military Academy in 1976. He retired at the end of 2014 and was succeeded by Maj Gen Lawrence Smith. [5] He served at 31 Battalion as Company Commander, 32 Battalion with the Pathfinders and for this he was awarded the Pro Virtute Decoration, 1 Parachute Battalion and Brigade Commander 44 Parachute Brigade while still based in Wallmansthall. He was Army attaché to Washington, DC where he was replaced by Col Chris Gildenhuys from the Armoured corps. He was appointed as Commanding General of the Special Forces Brigade reporting to Lt Gen Deon Ferreira and Lt Gen Godfrey Ngwenya, taking over from Brig Gen Borries Bornman. After this prestigious posting, he was promoted to the rank of major general as Chief Director Corporate Services in the Army Headquarters successively under Lt Gen Gilbert Ramano and Lt Gen Solly Shoke. His last appointment was as Deputy Chief of the South African Army.
Pro Virtute Decoration (PVD) 
Southern Cross Decoration (SD) 
Southern Cross Medal (1975) (SM) 
Military Merit Medal (MMM) 
Pro Patria Medal 
Southern Africa Medal 
General Service Medal (South Africa) 
Unitas (Unity) Medal 
Medalje vir Troue Diens (Medal for Loyal Service) (40 Year Clasp) 
Good Service Medal (Gold (30 Years)) 
Good Service Medal (Silver (20 Years)) 
Good Service Medal (Bronze (10 Years)) 
Legion of Merit (Officer) (LOM) 
Peacemaker Medal (Brazil)
(Honorary) |
| ||||
|
|
The South African Military Academy is based on similar principles to that of the military academy system of the United States. The academy is a military unit of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) housing the Faculty of Military Science of the University of Stellenbosch. It provides officers of all the arms of service an opportunity to earn a BMil or more advanced degrees. See Military science § University studies.
The Parachute Regiment is an airborne and special forces regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1945 as part of the British Indian Army but was disbanded after World War II and was re-raised in 1952 as part of the Indian Army. Currently it consists of fifteen Special Forces, two Territorial Army and one Rashtriya Rifles battalions.
Jan Dirk Breytenbach was a South African Special Forces military officer and author of military books. He is best known as the first commander of 1 Reconnaissance Commando, South Africa's first special forces unit. In his long career, he served in the Suez Crisis, the Biafran War, the South African Border War, and the Angolan Civil War, and attained the rank of colonel before his retirement. He died on 16 June 2024, at the age of 91.
The South African Army Infantry Formation supervises all infantry within the South African Army.
Lieutenant General Hattingh Pretorius (1942–2008) was a South African military commander, who held the post of Chief of the South African Army November 1, 1993 – December 31, 1994.
The Military Merit Medal, post-nominal letters MMM, is a military decoration which was instituted in the Republic of South Africa on 9 October 1974 as the Chief of the Defence Force's Commendation Medal. It could be awarded to all ranks of the South African Defence Force for service of a high order.
Lieutenant General Reginald Otto was a South African military commander, who held the post of Chief of the South African Army.
The Pro Virtute Decoration, post-nominal letters PVD, is a military decoration for bravery which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1987. It was awarded to officers of the South African Defence Force for distinguished conduct and exceptional leadership during combat operations in the field.
The Honoris Crux of 1975, post-nominal letters HC, is a military decoration for bravery which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975. The decoration was awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for bravery in dangerous circumstances. It was the junior in a set of four Honoris Crux decorations in four classes, which together replaced the discontinued Honoris Crux of 1952.
The Star of South Africa, Gold, post-nominal letters SSA, is the senior decoration of two military and five non-military classes of the Order of the Star of South Africa, a South African Order which was instituted in 1975, and awarded to general and flag officers of the South African Defence Force. The Order of the Star of South Africa was discontinued in 2002.
Lieutenant General Deon Ferreira was a South African Army officer. He served as Chief of Joint Operations before his retirement.
Lawrence Reginald Smith is a General Officer in the South African Army. General Smith completed the South African Army Command and Staff Duties Course at the South African Army College, Pretoria over the period January 1994 to November 1995. Smith graduated from the US Army Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1997 and the People's Liberation Army of China, National Defense College, Beijing, in 2008.
Major General Gerrit Nicolaas Opperman (Gert) was a General Officer in the South African Army.
Brigadier General Krupert Eric Nel is a retired South African Army officer who also served in the South African Special Forces.
Brigadier-General Renier (Cojack) Coetzee was a General Officer in the South African Army from the recces.
The Chief of Defence Force Staff was a post in the South African Defence Force and the South African National Defence Force.
Lieutenant General Frans van den Berg was an artillery officer who was appointed as the first Chief of Staff Planning in the SADF in 1986.
M.J. "Mannetjies" de Goede is a South African Army officer, who served as Acting Chief of the Army.
The term "Master Gunner of the Artillery" was introduced in 1982 as the overall head of the artillery. The origin of this term, and it's particular prestige, can be found if you trace the history of the Royal Artillery's Long Gunnery Staff Courses, War time Gunnery Staff Courses (LGSC) amongst others. The crossed guns were originally called Gunnery Instructors (IG)(Officers) with other ranks known as Assistant Instructors Gunnery (AIG) from 1979–1990. In 1990 the nomenclature was reversed and the head of the artillery was henceforth called the General of the Artillery. Holders of the crossed barrels in turn became known as Master Gunners. When the first ADA officer was appointed to the post of General of the Artillery, it was changed to General of the Gunners. When General Koos Laubscher was appointed to this post in 2002, he again changed it to General of the Artillery, but when General Roy Andersen was appointed in 2006, he changed it back again to General of the Gunners.
Maj Gen Chris le Roux is a retired General Officer from the South African Army. He was born in Dundee and matriculated from Pinetown Boys' High School in 1963.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)  | This biographical article related to the South African military is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |