Mark Wales

Last updated

Mark Wales
Mark Wales by wall credit Jarrad Seng 2020 (cropped).jpg
Wales in 2020
Personal details
Born
Mark Adam Wales

(1979-11-03) 3 November 1979 (age 44)
Newman, Western Australia, Australia
SpouseSamantha Gash
Children1
Alma mater University of New South Wales
Royal Military College, Duntroon
Wharton School
Website https://www.markwales.com.au
Military service
AllegianceFlag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
Branch/service
Years of service1996–2014
Rank Major
Commands Special Air Service Regiment
Battles/wars

Mark Adam Wales (born 3 November 1979) is an Australian author and entrepreneur. He gained national attention as a competitor on Australian Survivor , which he eventually won. His earlier career had been as an officer in the Australian Army, where he made ten deployments over 16 years, including four to Afghanistan with the Special Air Service Regiment. On leaving the military he began business studies in the United States, before launching an apparel brand in New York. His 2021 memoir, also called Survivor, documented his experiences of war, PTSD and moral injury.

Contents

Early life

Family background

Wales' parents met in the country town of Maffra in Victoria, where his mother was a secretary and his father a bank teller, before taking a job as truck driver in the remote iron ore community of Newman, Western Australia. [1] [2] Wales was born here, growing up with older brother Steve, younger brother Dan and very few rules, which were "no drugs, no motorbikes, and always do your best, always." [3] [4]

He has written about regional Australia in the 1980s as friendly, happily hitchhiking as a child with his older brother. [1] Trips to visit his mother's family in Cookernup, in the state's south west, were frequent. [1] However, it was here that he and his older brother were sexually abused by a family member on a dairy farm, where he was "utterly helpless against this guy because he was bigger, stronger, could do whatever he wanted." [1] Wales has indicated that choosing a military career had been shaped by a desire "to be in control of my environment—never getting in that situation again." [1] His grandfather on his father's side also influenced the young man, handing him a shin guntō captured from Japanese forces whilst he had fought the Battle of Morotai. [5]

Job moves with Australian Customs took the family to Perth, then Geraldton, then back to Perth, with the family settling in Leeming, where Wales went to high school [6] [7] Wales recalls a moment at school where he decided his future: seeing the front cover of a classmate's magazine which showed black-clad troops storming the Iranian Embassy in London to rescue western hostages. [1] [8] [2] He later said he found the idea of "saving people from hell" compelling. [2] In June 1996, his final year of school, 18 Australian soldiers were killed in a tragic Black Hawk accident; though this seemed to increase his resolve. [9]

Military service

With a fellow SASR soldier before an AH-64 Apache helicopter, Afghanistan, 2010 Mark Wales with soldier, Afghanistan, October 2010.jpg
With a fellow SASR soldier before an AH-64 Apache helicopter, Afghanistan, 2010

According to his service memoir, Wales took the Oath of Allegiance at an Australian Defence Force ceremony at Swan Barracks in 1997, at age 17. [2] Commissioned as an officer cadet, he moved to Canberra to study at Australian Defence Force Academy which he did not enjoy. [10] He further admits, "I was a disaster as cadet." [10] In one fire and maneuver exercise he led, most soldier cadets became lost. [11] In his grenade training, the weapon was fumbled before exploding, though, remarkably, no one was hurt. [12] Even so, he successfully completed his degree and went on to Royal Military College, Duntroon in 2000. [13] [10] Here, Wales was dressed down by an assessor officer for a catastrophic ambush exercise, along with the feedback that "To my absolute bloody amazement, they followed you. They wanted to work for you. That’s a good thing. You can lead, you have that skill – you just need more technical work." [10] He would go on to active service, making ten deployments, including Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, Iraq, Afghanistan, Fiji and Lebanon. [1] [6]

Royal Australian Regiment

Commissioned as a Lieutenant, Wales was appointed as commander of 5 Platoon in 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, known as 2RAR, based in Townsville. [14] [15] Through 2001, he led the platoon on exercises at Line Creek Junction, before deploying to East Timor. [14]

Timor Leste, 2001-2002

Leading a infantry platoon of 30 soldiers, Wales served a 7 month tour in Timor Leste to protect locals from pro-Indonesia militias. [15] [16] These involved long patrols of up to nine-days without resupply; and securing Junction Point Alpha on the border with West Timor. [17] Reporting to Angus Campbell allowed him to learn more about the SASR from a former Squadron commander. [18] Only he heard the unit was, at that time, "a menagerie" and that warfare "brings nothing but misery. [19] During Easter 2002, his platoon oversaw the repatriation of 3,000 East-Timorese from refugee camps, which, Wales later said, was the first time he had witnessed real human suffering. [20]

Solomon Islands, 2003

To support Operation Anode, Wales' 2RAR unit was sent to the Solomon Islands in to stabilise the country. This included missions on rigid inflatable boats close to where Australians fought in the Guadalcanal campaign of World War II. [21] By the end of that year he was made a Captain, leading exercises for the 11th/28th Battalion, based in Perth. [14]

SAS Regiment

Wales in Tarin Kot, Afghanistan, October 2010 Mark Wales on base in Afghanistan, 2010 (cropped).jpg
Wales in Tarin Kot, Afghanistan, October 2010

After Selection, Wales moved into special forces, where he would complete four tours of Afghanistan between 2007 and 2010. [22]

Selection, 2004

Wales was one of 83 candidates who underwent the 2004 Selection for the Special Air Service Regiment, completing the additional officers module after the first week. [1] [14] [23] In interviews, Wales has said this included planning a hostage rescue operation, whilst being denied food and sleep, and a 130 kilometre navigation exercise, on foot, in which he became badly injured. [24] Though he had concerns that his size would impede endurance (he is six foot three inches) he completed all modules and was accepted into the regiment and began the one-year reinforcement cycle in 2005. [25] [26]

Close protection, 2006

Operational roles in special forces began when Wales started leading close protection teams in war zones. [27] He led protective security detachments for visiting generals and political leaders, such as Lt Gen Peter Leahy, as they visited Baghdad, Basra, Talil, and Camp Victory in Iraq; and Kabul, Camp Russell, Kandahar, and Bagram in Afghanistan. [28] [29] Wales' squadron was called to provide protection to Xanana Gusmão during the 2006 East Timorese crisis, which extended to combat roles later in the year. [25]

Timor-Leste, early 2007

After providing security for world leaders at the 2007 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Wales was asked to return to Timor for a third tour, in the role of Operations Officer. [25] At one point, this involved missions to locate and retrieve the fugitive rebel officer, Major Alfredo Reinado, who would die in early 2008. [30]

Afghanistan, late 2007

While in Timor, Wales was asked to help form a composite troop within Rotation V, deploying to Uruzgan Province in September 2007. [31] [32] [26] E Troop would be Wales' first troop command; with the task of clearing the Chora Valley of insurgents. [33] [34]

On 24–25 October, he led his soldiers in a 12-hour firefight with Taliban fighters in a greenbelt of cornfield and its surrounding compounds. [35] [36] [26] In the action he was supported by Australian snipers, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters of the British Army Air Corps, members of the 1st Gorkha Rifles and MQ-9 Reapers from the 432nd Wing of the U.S. Air Force; here Wales role meant directing fires, coordinating troops and coordinating medivac. [37] [38] The unharvested field enabled an ambush by the enemy and, very early in the action, Wales' sergeant, Matthew Locke was shot in the upper chest by a PK machine gun, and pronounced dead after extraction. [22] [38] [39] In the reporting of the battle by Chris Masters the soldiers were said to have "fought like mongrel dogs." [40] [41] Wales was devastated by the death of his sergeant, giving himself tough criticism for being insufficiently aware of the dangers of the greenbelt. [39] [42]

On 1–5 December, Wales led the Australian force element in support of an attack on the enemy stronghold of Musa Qala in Helmand Province. [43] [26] Whilst cutting off Taliban reinforcements at Deh Rawood, an Australian long range vehicle became stuck in the Helmand River, with Taliban fighters approaching. [44] Wales' unit soon came under mortar fire but the Taliban effort was repulsed by heavy weapons, artillery fire from a long range self propelled Panzerhaubitze howitzer and B-1 Lancer bombing runs, dropping 500 pound munitions. [45] [26] By the end of the tour, Wales had developed PTSD and depression. [34]

Lebanon, 2008

In what became known as the 7 May clashes, Hezbollah took over parts of Lebanon and was fighting with the Lebanese Army. [46] Wales was given a task to enter the country within 24 hours, in a discrete reconnaissance mission, planning a possible national evacuation operation. [46] [6]

Afghanistan, 2009-2010

Australian forces in the Chora Valley, 2010 Bushmaster.jpg
Australian forces in the Chora Valley, 2010

In 2009, while in a liaison role with Australian operators, Wales noticed "something here wasn't right" at the Australian base. Facilities had been greatly improved, but use of alcohol during the day was now open, and interest in violent combat had become "dark." [47] He took on the role of Executive Officer of 1 Squadron, leading combat operations from Camp Russell, Tarin Kot, in the northern summer of 2010, during what became known as the troop surge. [48] [49] This involved planning operations, including air packages, the rotary wing, counter-insurgency and targeting force commanders. [50] [51]

By the end of 2010, Wales saw strategic, operational and moral problems in Operation Slipper. Strategically, he began seeing the conflict as an "aimless war" with no discernible objective. [36] [52] This gave the enemy an advantage that could not be overcome: "The arrogance you have as a Westerner with hardware, satellites etc. We think we can be beaten and it is such a shock to learn somebody incredibly motivated with a cheap weapon and a willingness to fight you at close range can nullify all those advantages." [40] Operationally, Wales believed that, in contrast to American forces, Australian missions were poorly resourced. [53] He has expressed "frustration that we're not, at the national level, understanding that." [22]

Personally, Wales had begun drinking heavily, had difficulty sleeping and his "moral compass" was slipping. [34] He found that his view of the Afghan people had changed. “I lost trust in the population. I was like, ‘you are all against us, until you prove otherwise’. I just assumed that anyone in the population could be out to kill us.” [22] Surrounded by men who had done "six or seven tours with heavy combat" he came to the conclusion that "a war like that will turn good men bad, and bad men evil." [54] Even so, the journalist Masters came to describe Wales as one a small number of SAS officers who was "admired for assured application of intelligence and integrity within an anarchic a sometimes soulless environment. [55] When the Brereton Report found evidence of war crimes in the regiment, Wales expressed that he was shocked, but unsurprised, telling Neil Mitchell that a cohort of soldiers had been exposed to combat for too long, such that “your sense of what is normal gets warped". [56]

Duntroon, 2011

Now a Major, Wales returned to Australia, with some anxiety about the future. [39] With the support of his former Commanding Officer, Peter Winnall, Wales took a teaching role at Duntroon in 2011. [57] Outside of teaching hours, Wales began to look at ways to move into the business world, applying to American business schools and practicing the GMAT. [58] After several attempts, he won a place at Wharton School in Pennsylvania, resigning his commission and leaving the army in 2012. [6] [39]

Business and entertainment

Arriving at Wharton for the 2012 MBA program, Wales collaborated with other students, which included veterans from around the world, along with extracurricular—such as competing as a heavy weight boxer in the Philly Fight Night. [59] [60] On graduation Wharton selected Wales for the "40 under 40" list for business excellence. [61]

McKinsey

After completing the MBA, Wales applied for a role with McKinsey & Company. [6] He later learned he'd been successful because, in his interview, he made recommendations without hedging. [62] [63] [6] Sent to Australia, his first project was with an iron ore business, based in Newman; and later went on to manage the McKinsey Academy program. [63] However, he chose to move on from the company to concentrate on his own start up. [63]

Kill Kapture

During his MBA, Wales had created a "tough luxury" fashion label, Kill Kapture, and he moved to New York City to work on the business full time. [64] [63] [65] Beginning with leather jackets, he hoped the brand could be a way of telling the story of what he, and others, had been through. [66] During business development, he was partly inspired by retired general Jim Mattis, who had come to visit students, "He told us the best thing we could do for the security of the country was to go out and start good businesses to make the economy stronger." [8] Wales moved to New York City in 2017 to work on the business full time. The initial jacket, known as Pathfinder was made from kangaroo hide, said to be ten times stronger than cowhide. [8] [67] [68] The shape was directly taken from contemporary special forces combat gear, which had become form-fitting. [8] Wales aimed his product at a particular type of person, "someone who had taken a few knocks, stood firmly by their values and who should not be taken lightly." [8] Sewed into the jacket was a tracking beacon that allows the jacket to be located should the item become lost. [67] The initial modelling was done by General Mattis, and Wales himself. [69]

Eco-challenge and Survivor

While in New York, where funds were running low, a friend recommended that Wales audition for the season 4 of Australian Survivor. [39] [70] One of 20,000 applicants to the Endemol production in 2017, Wales positioned himself as a 'special ops / fashion designer' and he was invited to screen test. [71] [70] Wales was chosen from this cohort and filming began on location in Samoa, in May of that year. [39] The cast included the ultramarathon runner Samantha Gash, who formed a relationship with Wales during filming. [72] [39] This proved detrimental to both competitors—being voted out because of the romance—however, the relationship endured. [72]

Wales found adventure entertainment suited him and took up the opportunity to compete in the World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji. [73] Filmed in 2019 and premiered on Amazon Prime in August 2020, the 700 km course was said to be extremely demanding, where contestants experienced hypothermia in the highlands. Wales' team finished 26th out of field of 44. [73] [74]

Both Gash and Wales returned to Survivor for Australian Survivor: Blood V Water . [6] In this 2022 production, based in Queensland, Wales defeated 23 competitors, including his now wife. [75]

Shortly after Survivor, Wales auditioned for a character role in Mad Max: Furiosa , being cast as Hefty Brakeman and he was filmed on location in mid 2022. [76] [77] The film is due for release in 2024. [6]

Political career

Wales was selected as the Liberal Party candidate for the federal seat of Tangney in April 2024. He won a majority of votes among pre-selectors from a field of six. [78]

Writer

In 2019, Macmillan Australia published Wales' memoir, also titled Survivor. [79] His first non-fiction work, many parts were written in "a cold sweat" as the covered disturbing aspects of family life, and combat, which he later said, "unhinged me morally and mentally." [80] [81] At its mid-point, Wales becomes no only critical of himself, but of the leaders and policies who had sent him to war:

"...more people would die, more proclamations about ‘difficult, fragile’ progress would be made. Meanwhile the moral injuries piled up behind the casualty lists – especially in special forces. We were being flogged with operational tempo, which we loved, at least initially... But the cost was high. Death, injury and burnout was boiling to the surface. I had seen all three of them as far back as 2007. [82]

The memoir was endorsed by Bear Grylls, receiving positive reviews from the Australian military community, describing it as "inspirational" and an "epic story of survival" and was listed for the Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award for 2022. [13] [39] [83] It is the first memoir published after the Brereton Report, and seems to have emboldened Wales to write further contributions about the war in Afghanistan, including an op-ed with the Sydney Morning Herald titled "SAS war crimes: 'killing became incentivised, a toxic culture grew.'" [84] Wales' first novel is slated to be published in 2024. [85] It is said to depict a fictional Australian conflict, where a coup is triggered by the influence of the CCP. [77] [86]

Personal life

Wales with family, 2024 Mark Wales with Samantha and Harry 2024.jpg
Wales with family, 2024

Wales met Samantha Gash as a fellow contestant of Survivor in 2017, and the couple married in Monbulk, Victoria in 2019. [1] [75] The couple lived in Kalorama, Victoria [75] for several years before moving to Bicton, south of Perth, where they are raising their son, Harry Locke Wales. [1] [39]

While staying silent for many years on his experience of childhood abuse, becoming a father prompted Wales to report the matter to Western Australian Police in 2019. [1] The abuser, who was later convicted, was his mother's cousin, Richard Ernest Jackson. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Air Service</span> Special forces of the British Army

The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, direct action and special reconnaissance. Much of the information about the SAS is highly classified, and the unit is not commented on by either the British government or the Ministry of Defence due to the secrecy and sensitivity of its operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Boat Service</span> Special forces unit of the Royal Navy

The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Royal Navy formed special forces with several name changes—Special Boat Company was adopted in 1951 and re-designated as the Special Boat Squadron in 1974—until on 28 July 1987 when the unit was renamed as the Special Boat Service after assuming responsibility for maritime counter-terrorism. Most of the operations conducted by the SBS are highly classified, and are rarely commented on by the British government or the Ministry of Defence, owing to their sensitive nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Air Service Regiment</span> Special forces unit of the Australian Army

The Special Air Service Regiment, officially abbreviated SASR though commonly known as the SAS, is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957 as a company, it was modelled on the British SAS with which it shares the motto, "Who Dares Wins". Expanded to a regiment in August 1964, it is based at Campbell Barracks, in Swanbourne, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, and is a direct command unit of the Special Operations Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian involvement in the Iraq War</span>

Australia joined a U.S.-led coalition in the Iraq War. Declassified documents reveal that the decision to go to war was taken primarily with a view to enhancing its alliance with the United States.

Kieren John Perkins, OAM is a former Australian freestyle swimmer. He specialised in the 1500-metre freestyle and won successive Olympic gold medals in this event in the 1990s. He won his first at the 1992 Olympics which he won in world record time and then at the 1996 Olympics when he defended his title. In total he won four Olympic medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Donovan</span> Australian actor and singer

Jason Sean Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap Neighbours, playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records. His debut album Ten Good Reasons was the highest-selling album in the UK in 1989, with sales of over 1.5 million. He has had Four UK No. 1 singles. He has also appeared in several stage musicals, most prominently in the lead role of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand Special Air Service</span> Military unit

The 1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment, abbreviated as 1 NZSAS Regt, is the special forces unit of the New Zealand Army, closely modelled on the British Special Air Service (SAS). It was formed on 7 July 1955. It traces its origins to the Second World War and the famous Long Range Desert Group that New Zealanders served with.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Kruszelnicki</span> Australian science communicator

Karl Sven Woytek Sas Konkovitch Matthew Kruszelnicki, often referred to as "Dr Karl", is an Australian science communicator and populariser, who is known as an author and a science commentator on Australian radio, television, and podcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Paraquet</span> British military operation to recapture South Georgia in April 1982

Operation Paraquet was the code name for the British military operation to recapture the island of South Georgia from Argentine military control in April 1982 at the start of the Falklands War.

Arthur Reginald Evans, DSC was an Australian coastwatcher in the Pacific Ocean theatre in World War II. He is chiefly remembered for having played a significant part in the rescue of future US President John F. Kennedy and his surviving crew after their motor torpedo boat, PT-109, was sunk by the Japanese in August 1943.

Mark Cornelius Whittaker is an Australian journalist, non-fiction writer and writing coach. He lives in Berry, New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hedley Thomas</span> Australian journalist

Hedley Thomas is an Australian investigative journalist and author, who has won seven Walkley Awards, two of which are Gold Walkleys.

General Angus John Campbell, is a senior officer in the Australian Army, serving as the Chief of the Defence Force since 6 July 2018. He was previously posted as Commander Operation Sovereign Borders from September 2013 until he was appointed Chief of Army in May 2015.

Capsize of the ferry <i>Pearl</i>

The capsize of the ferry Pearl occurred on Thursday 13 February 1896 in the Brisbane River, Queensland, Australia. It was estimated that half of the 80-100 people on board the ferry died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Hastie</span> Australian politician

Andrew William Hastie is an Australian politician, and a former military officer, serving as the Shadow Minister for Defence since 2022. Representing the people of Canning, a semi-urban region on the south coast of Western Australia, he is a senior member of the Liberal Party. He has served in federal government as the Assistant Minister for Defence, from 2020 to 2022. Hastie was Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security from 2017 to 2020, rejoining the committee in 2022. Prior to politics, he was a troop commander in the Special Air Service Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Su</span> American web series creator

Bernie Su is an American web series creator, writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the Emmy Award-winning web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries with Hank Green, a modern vlog-style adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice which won YouTube's first primetime Emmy. His five-platform interactive re-imagination of Austen's Emma, called Emma Approved, won the same Emmy two years later. Su also worked on Vanity, was Multi-channel network StyleHaul's first original online series, with Maybelline New York attached as the exclusive sponsor for its centennial celebration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Pera</span> American comedian

Joseph Pera is an American comedian, writer and actor. He is best known as the creator and star of Adult Swim's Joe Pera Talks with You, which entered development following the success of the 2016 specials Joe Pera Talks You to Sleep, and ran for three seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan-Mark Parsons</span> British media personality and columnist

Ryan-Mark Parsons is a British media personality, columnist, and commentator. Parsons is best known for being the youngest-ever candidate on the BBC One reality series The Apprentice (2019) and starring in E4's Celebs Go Dating.

Tony Park is an international author of thriller and non-fiction books. Park has worked as a newspaper reporter, public relations consultant, freelance writer, and as a government press secretary, in addition to writing numerous novels and non-fiction books. He also served in the Australian Army Reserve for 34 years, including a 6-month tour in Afghanistan in 2002 as a public affairs officer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Former SAS commander and Survivor TV star reveals he was sexually abused as a child". ABC News. 30 July 2022. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: LIfe in the SAS. MacMillan Australia. pp. 17–19. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  3. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 7 minutes 30 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  4. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. MacMillan Australia. pp. 18, 19, 38, 44. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  5. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 6 minutes 40 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Can this SAS vet and reality TV star save the Liberals?". The West Australian. 1 February 2024. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  7. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 19–21. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "What do Tony Abbott, roos and 'Mad Dog' Mattis all have in common?". ABC News. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  9. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 29–34. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 46–54. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  11. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 49–55. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  12. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 18 minutes 20 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  13. 1 2 Masters, Peter (5 February 2024). "Survivor: Life in the SAS by Mark Wales". militarybooksaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Pronk, Ben; Curtis, Tim (12 March 2020). "Mark Wales: SAS Journeyman- Beyond Survivor to Tough Luxury". 9:35 to 10:55. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  15. 1 2 Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. p. 57. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  16. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 12 minutes 30 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  17. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 25 minutes 0 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  18. ↑ "Life on the Line: #28 Mark Wales Vol II on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 4 minutes 45 seconds to 6 minutes 0 seconds. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  19. ↑ "Life on the Line: #28 Mark Wales Vol II on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 6 minutes 20 seconds. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  20. ↑ Lloyd, Alex (12 June 2018). "Life on the Line". 7 minutes 40 seconds. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  21. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 28 minutes 10 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "This former Australian soldier fought the war in Afghanistan. Now he says it wasn't worth it". SBS News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  23. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 69–75. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  24. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. From 32 minutes 50 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  25. 1 2 3 Ben, Pronk; Curtis, Tim (12 March 2020). "Mark Wales: SAS Journeyman". Unforgiving 60. 12 minutes 20 seconds to 12 minutes 40 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 Mckelvey, Ben (5 October 2022). Find Fix Finish. HarperCollins AU (published 2022). pp. 242–249. ISBN   978-1460760765.
  27. ↑ "Life on the Line: #28 Mark Wales Vol II on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 9 minutes 0 seconds to 10 minutes 35 seconds. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  28. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 95–101. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  29. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 45 minutes 40 seconds on. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  30. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 47 minutes 50 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  31. ↑ Pronk, Ben; Curtis, Tim (12 March 2020). "Mark Wales: SAS Journeyman". Unforgiving 60. 14 minutes 15 seconds on. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  32. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. p. 331. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  33. ↑ Masters, Chris (2017). No Front Line: Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan. Allen & Unwin. p. 358. ISBN   9781760638962.
  34. 1 2 3 Packham, Ben (19 September 2020). "Pawns in a deadly game". The Australian . Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  35. ↑ "Operation Spin Ghar: Uruzgan gets ugly | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. 16 November 2007. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  36. 1 2 "This former Australian soldier fought the war in Afghanistan. Now he says it wasn't worth it". SBS News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  37. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 58 minutes 15 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  38. 1 2 Mckelvey, Ben (2022). Find Fix Finish. HarperCollins AU (5 October 2022). pp. 244–246. ISBN   978-1460760765.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Margetson, Andrew (2022). "Book Review: Survivor - Life in the SAS" (PDF). Australian Army Chaplaincy Journal (2022): 81–82. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  40. 1 2 Masters, Chris (2017). No Front Line: Australian special forces at war in Afghanistan. Allen & Unwin. pp. 181–182. ISBN   9781760111144.
  41. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 56 minutes 10 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  42. ↑ Masters, Chris (25 October 2017). No Front Line. Allen & Unwin. ISBN   1760528900.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  43. ↑ Masters, Chris (25 October 2017). No Front Line: Australian special forces at war in Afghanistan. pp. 192–194. ISBN   1760528900.
  44. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 152–161. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  45. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 1 hour 7 minutes 0 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  46. 1 2 Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 179–183. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  47. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 186–196. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  48. ↑ "Life on the Line: #28 Mark Wales Vol II on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 11 minutes 25 seconds. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  49. ↑ Lam, Joseph (18 April 2021). "Out of Afghanistan: SAS veterans reflect on 'graveyard of empires'". The Australian . Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  50. ↑ "Life on the Line: #28 Mark Wales Vol II on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 12 minutes 35 seconds to 13 minutes 5 seconds. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  51. ↑ Mckelvey, Ben (5 October 2022). Find Fix Finish. HarperCollins AU. ISBN   978-1460760765.
  52. ↑ "Lessons from our longest war". The Australian . 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  53. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 20 minutes 30 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  54. ↑ "Life on the Line: #28 Mark Wales Vol II on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 17 minutes 35 seconds on. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  55. ↑ Masters, Chris (2017). No Front Line: Australia's special forces at war in Afghanistan. Allen & Unwin. p. 579. ISBN   9781760638962.
  56. ↑ "Why a former SAS commander is 'shocked but ... not surprised' by Ben Roberts-Smith findings". 3AW. 2 June 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  57. ↑ Wales, Mark. Survivor: Life in the SAS. Pan Macmillan Australia. ISBN   9781760982751.
  58. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 0 hour 10 minutes 5 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  59. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 252–256. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  60. ↑ "Fighters". 9th Annual Philly Fight Night. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  61. ↑ Kelner, Braden (20 October 2017). "40 Under 40". Wharton Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  62. ↑ Pronk, Ben; Curtis, Tim (12 March 2020). "Mark Wales: SAS Journeyman - Beyond Survivor to Tough Luxury". The Unforgiving 60. 35 minutes 55 seconds. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  63. 1 2 3 4 Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 278–291.
  64. ↑ "Ex-soldiers need help to soften the hard road back". The West Australian. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  65. ↑ Britzky, Haley (22 April 2020). "Yes, this photo of Mattis modeling a leather jacket is very real". Task & Purpose. Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  66. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 1 hour 10th 5 minutes 10 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  67. 1 2 Simkins, Jon (23 April 2020). "Gen.(tlemen's Quarterly) Jim Mattis, the patron saint of ... modeling?". Military Times. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  68. ↑ Croy, Liam (14 December 2016). "The full jacket". The West Australian. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  69. ↑ Malkin, Bonnie (11 August 2017). "Tony Abbott in leather: former PM joins select politicians' club with kangaroo-skin jacket". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  70. 1 2 Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. pp. 298–304. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  71. ↑ Knox, David (11 June 2017). "20,000 applied for next Australian Survivor". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  72. 1 2 Dennehy, Luke (13 August 207). "Australian Survivor wasn't just a game for these two contestants, who reveal they're now an item". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  73. 1 2 Fugit, Ryan (8 August 2021). "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 1 minute 0 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  74. ↑ "Combat Story: Combat Story (Ep 36): Mark Wales | Australian SAS | Troop Commander | TV Personality | Author | Entrepreneur | Kill Kapture on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 1 hour 20 minutes 10 seconds. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  75. 1 2 3 Hui, Jin (7 April 2022). "Kalorama local Mark Wales wins Survivor: Blood and Water". Ferntree Gully Star Mail. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  76. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (1 June 2022). "George Miller's 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Prequel 'Furiosa' Begins Filming". Variety. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  77. 1 2 "China hawk? Tangney hopeful Wales pens controversial novel". Busselton-Dunsborough Times. 11 March 2024. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  78. ↑ "'Tougher than Survivor': New WA Liberal candidate courts controversy with novel about Chinese invasion". ABC News. 6 April 2024. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  79. ↑ "Life on the Line: #28 Mark Wales Vol II on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 1 minute 20 seconds. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  80. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. p. 323. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  81. ↑ "Life on the Line: #28 Mark Wales Vol II on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 3 minutes 15 seconds. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  82. ↑ Wales, Mark (2019). Survivor: Life in the SAS. Macmillan Australia. p. 191. ISBN   978-1760982751.
  83. ↑ Mem: 10677520. "Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award 2022 longlist announced | Books+Publishing". Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  84. ↑ Wales, Mark (24 November 2020). "SAS war crimes: 'killing became incentivised, a toxic culture grew'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  85. ↑ Wales, Mark (20 March 2024). "Liberal aspirant's new novel sparks concerns among Chinese Australians". The Australian . Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  86. ↑ "QOSHE - He fought the Taliban and won reality TV. Now he's started an Australian civil war - Peter Hartcher". qoshe.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.