Lt. Duvenhage obtained his wings in December 2002. Lt. Duvenhage had recently flown his first solo in the Impala and was busy with operational training. Lt. Derek Duvenhage's girlfriend of 5 years was Janine Coetzee (22). They met at Hoerskool Waterkloof, where he was in the school cadets. After school he joined the SAAF, she studied medicine at the University of Pretoria. He was buried in Krugersdorp, where his parents lived
"The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Roelof M. Du Plooy, South African Air Force, for gallantry in action as a fighter pilot with two (2) Squadron, South African Air Force, 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing on a weather reconnaissance mission over Korea. After Encountering below marginal flying conditions and successfully destroying an important road bridge, the leader was hit by intense ground fire and crashed in flames. The element leader's wingman was also hit and forced to bail out, landing successfully at a position twenty-three miles northeast of Kaesong at 1545 hours. While the leader's wingman, flew south in an endeavor to alert rescue facilities, Lieutenant Du Plooy remained over his downed wingman. At this position with the cloud base at seven hundred feet, visibility severely restricted, and enemy ground fire intense and accurate, Lieutenant Du Plooy provided combat air patrol. For forty-five minutes, continuously under fire, he fended off enemy efforts to capture his wingman. At approximately 1630 hours he reported that his ammunition was low and notwithstanding all his efforts the enemy was closing in. A few minutes later, with the rescue helicopter only a few miles away, Lieutenant Du Plooy sent out his last message: ""they have got him; they have got him"". All subsequent efforts to contact Lieutenant Du Plooy were unavailing and the search which was severely hampered by the weather and intense enemy ground fire, did not reveal his whereabouts or that of his aircraft. By this exceptional act of valor, Lieutenant Du Plooy reflected great credit upon himself, the Far East Air Forces, and the South African Air Force. General Orders: Headquarters, Far East Air Forces, General Orders No. 431 (September 11, 1951) Action Date: July 23, 1951"