View Full Version : Mercenary 'Mad Mike' Hoare passes
Badger52
02-03-2020, 06:03
Age 100, in South Africa.
He's certainly one of those people you'd find in the dictionary under "May you live in interesting times"
Article here. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51352075)
A friend and former teammate was on that last bungled mission with him.
I think I remember reading articles on him in the Soldier of Fortune mag when that was hot, around the mid 80's or so..
I think I remember reading articles on him in the Soldier of Fortune mag when that was hot, around the mid 80's or so..
Yup...and back in the mid 70's from my recollection....
RIP Warrior, Vaya con Dios
I think Mad Mike might have influenced Warren Zevon's writing of "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner"
NSFW: If you haven't heard it in a while..
Dylan C
The following are a series of war correspondence films from the Simba Rebellion in the Congo in 1964/65 set to the tune of "Roland the Thompson Gunner" by Warren Zevon. The film features a platoon of mercenaries from Europe conducting a platoon attack on the town of Boende in the Cong. The mercenaries primarily come from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Of note there is an ex-ss officer in the film according to the source, I can't confirm this though.
It features some brutal combat and the summary execution of a rebel so it is NSFW.
Song: Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Artist: Warren Zevon
Album: The Best Of Warren Zevon (US Release)
https://www.*******.com/watch?v=op0HCQK-PDU
kpatton539
02-04-2020, 14:33
I grew up with an SF father and in SF circles. One of the family friends was SGM David Disharoon, 7th, 46th co and 5th that I know of. His mother was French so he had dual citizenship and passports. I know he was involved in the Congo operations, ended up doing an E&E eventually being smuggled out by another "A" Team about a year later. What I don't know, and since he passed away never will, is what he actually did. I tried like hell to get him to talk but never managed, even though I used a copy of the Levenworth papers to lay out the overall operations. His comment was, "I was just s como guy with a French passport". He did say that with his TDY settlement, he bought the house his wife still owns in Ponderosa and the car he drove until he couldn't drive. It's a shame that I wasn't smart enough to realize the legends I was around in my youth.
I grew up with an SF father and in SF circles. One of the family friends was SGM David Disharoon, 7th, 46th co and 5th that I know of. His mother was French so he had dual citizenship and passports. I know he was involved in the Congo operations, ended up doing an E&E eventually being smuggled out by another "A" Team about a year later. What I don't know, and since he passed away never will, is what he actually did. I tried like hell to get him to talk but never managed, even though I used a copy of the Levenworth papers to lay out the overall operations. His comment was, "I was just s como guy with a French passport". He did say that with his TDY settlement, he bought the house his wife still owns in Ponderosa and the car he drove until he couldn't drive. It's a shame that I wasn't smart enough to realize the legends I was around in my youth.
The easy, painless, and moderately quick answer? File a Standard Form 180, Request Pertaining to Military Records (SF180) and see what are in his records.
It will have unit assignments and dates so you can look for survivor teammates.
Badger52
02-04-2020, 19:25
JJ, no unit specifics but several disparate readings in several genre have popped up a former Waffen-SS guy (or 3) who was a merc in SA during those times. There have been a couple of good books that, marketed as non-fiction, have been widely disputed to be a bit of both. Still, it's a completely believable direction for someone like that, and have seen over time that there's enough smoke that there's probably some fire there too. And probably not a little embellishment as well.
But as youngsters my cousins & I were all yelling "Zeeeem-bob-WAYYYYYYY!" cheering on the merc's exploits and of course what young man worth his testosterone wouldn't love to have an Uzi or MAC-10, ya know?
:D
Guymullins
02-09-2020, 04:04
JJ, no unit specifics but several disparate readings in several genre have popped up a former Waffen-SS guy (or 3) who was a merc in SA during those times. There have been a couple of good books that, marketed as non-fiction, have been widely disputed to be a bit of both. Still, it's a completely believable direction for someone like that, and have seen over time that there's enough smoke that there's probably some fire there too. And probably not a little embellishment as well.
But as youngsters my cousins & I were all yelling "Zeeeem-bob-WAYYYYYYY!" cheering on the merc's exploits and of course what young man worth his testosterone wouldn't love to have an Uzi or MAC-10, ya know?
:D
I got a book written by Mikes son which was launched just a couple of months ago. I have yet to read it, but it is a biography of Mike and on talking to his son, well researched. I will revert once I have read it.
Badger52
02-09-2020, 06:30
I got a book written by Mikes son which was launched just a couple of months ago. I have yet to read it, but it is a biography of Mike and on talking to his son, well researched. I will revert once I have read it.Would be great to hear your impressions sir.