About

Thank you for taking the time to visit this website, and taking time to learn about the late, great, Peter McAleese.

There are so many stories of Peter, a complex soldier, living through some complex history. This website is a labor of love to share some of those stories, and compile together various digital media that tells the story of one of the most exceptional soldiers of the 20th century.

This website was transferred to me by the former webmaster Joe Lockey, who supported Peter’s podcast and book tour in the last years of his life. It was through Joe that I was first introduced to Peter McAleese in late 2021. I was already aware of Peter’s exceptional career, but getting to actually know the man in his latter years through hours of video conversations was an eye opener. I would have the pleasure of talking to “Pete” over several dozen video calls in his final years.

I am indebted to Joe for his support in developing this website, and his wellspring of knowledge about Peter’s life. The bulk of the digital media on this website was either scanned, digitized, filmed, recorded, or otherwise worked on by Joe. I am also indebted to my friends in the United Kingdom that helped me with my interview with Peter in 2022.

There was no embellishment or bravado whenever the story was told. Peter always stated that he was just a regular “Pilgrim”, in exceptional circumstances. In his mind, he was just lucky, in the right place, at the right time. Perhaps there was a bit of luck, being where he was in life, and surviving all the conflicts he had.

However, there were a great many hardships of trauma, debilitating injury, and a great deal of regret. He experienced a childhood of such violence and extreme poverty that it physically made me cringe with discomfort whenever he discussed it. They certainly contributed to some of the issues he had later in life with domestic affairs, including the complex history behind the cycle of spousal violence that ultimately landed him in jail in the early 1970s. It fascinates me that a Scottish prison, with all the stereotypically gruff characters of “hard” men, was one of the turning points in Peter’s life. With renewed vigor, Pete went on to fight in Angola, Rhodesia, South Africa and Angola.

For every great success during this career, was an equal share of heartache and failure. From the horror of discovering the crimes of “Colonel Callan” in 1976, to the horrific injuries suffered as a result of a parachute failure in 1984. His recollections about his final days living in South Africa, getting tear gassed in his own home by over zealous South African cops were particularly shocking to me. A decorated paratrooper and veteran, coughing and wheezing in a wheelchair, as the agents of apartheid smashed through his house. The imagery of the events as recounted by Peter, was truly haunting. It was remarkable to me that he had come through it all, to develop an incredible sense of humor and good-spiritedness. I could always sense regret when certain topics were discussed, but never resentment or bitterness. Having the strength to overcome the ugliness of not only war, but of politics, disability, divorce and depression, left Peter with many lessons to impart to young warriors in his latter years.

Pete remarked to me not long before his death, that he’d talked a lot about soldiering - but he wanted me and Joe to eventually share with people, “what makes me tick”. I think what made him tick, was having the toughness to endure failure, to improve himself as a warrior, and in his latter years, reflect on the lessons learned of a turbulent life. We are blessed, that the lessons of his life may be preserved for many years to come.

Henry “Hank” Lung, webmaster