pmcimagazine.com
8
“MAD MIKE” HOARE: THE LEGEND
At PMCI we realise that in some circles military contractors are still viewed as “guns for hire”, or
more simply put, mercenaries, former soldiers that will put their lives on the line for cold, hard cash.
But is this a bad thing when they not only fight for the money, as virtually every professional soldier
does, but for ideals as well? Bill looks to the story of “Mad Mike” Hoare who turns 100 years old in
March 2019, to take this further.
The question of the “mercenary soldier” will no doubt vex minds
far more learned than my own, but history can show many
examples where the “paid and professional soldier” fought not
on behalf of their country of birth, but for an ideal that they truly
believed in. The days of the “gentleman adventurer” may be
gone now, but I believe it is still a reason why good men and
women may take up arms against a foe in distant lands.
I am certainly not naive enough to realise that some are
truly “just in it for the money”, but many that leave the military
and search for “what comes next” have spent their formative
lives defending an ideal (whether that is country, creed, or just
simply the guy next to them), and with a different mindset and
a set of specialist non-transferable skills decide, like “Ronin”,
they must seek to follow the warrior path but without a specific
master; it’s their beliefs, morals, and ideals that drives them to
put themselves in harm’s way to protect others.
It was my great honour to be contacted by Chris Hoare,
the son of a man that you could say history has dealt harshly
with in some circles, but that in my mind epitomises that
“gentleman adventurer” of a different age, a man who would
find a welcome amongst the modern day warrior that fights for
pay; “Mad Mike Hoare”.