Captain W. J. J. (Badie) BADENHORST, South African Air Force veteran of World War II action, was one of the four original Flight commanders arriving in Korea with the No. 2 Squadron's 'Flying Cheetahs'. He, the Squadron Commandant S. v. Theron, and the other three Flight Commanders flew their first Korean combat mission on 19 November, 1950, and by the end of February, 1951, each of them had been awarded the United States' Distinguished Flying Cross medal for exemplary combat performance.

"On 2 March 1951, sadly, the squadron lost one of its most experienced pilots of the Second World War while flying a risky combat mission over North Korea. Captain Badie Badenhorst was leading a long-range armed reconnaissance mission towards a section of the main supply route between Sinanju and Chonju. While crossing the Ch'ongch'on River at an altitude of 500 feet, the flight suddenly drew heavy anti-aircraft fire. Badie's wingman heard his leader say "Look out - there's bags of heavy flak .....' He stopped in mid-sentence and there was no further radio contact with him. His Mustang appeared to be out of control, and after climbing, and then diving steeply towards Sinanju, it pitched over and crashed into the town in flames.