South Africa, June 23 -- Dignity and importance of Blue-collar work

It still sends shivers down my spine when I remember my barely-walking daughter grabbing hold of my leg and refusing to let go as I tried to get into the car to head off to a trouble spot.Two days later, having had three guns pointed at me on different occasions, I knew when I was pushing my luck and told news desk: Fire me if you want but I am done here.

That's by way of saying that, unlike many desk-flying white-collar workers, I do know that it can be traumatising for a family saying goodbye to Dad (or Mom, these days) as he or she heads off to a risky job to keep food on the table. Sadly, it took me far too long to realise it, but that's another story.Seeing that to...