Pilgrim Days

For those of us who devour military history books, especially biographies, Pilgrim Days fills a special spot on our library shelf. Mackenzie served with a multitude of military units across the globe, from the New Zealand Infantry Regiment in Vietnam to the British Paras and SAS in Northern Ireland, and the Pathfinders in the SADF fighting SWAPO in Angola. He served alongside other authors such as Dave Barr, Jan Breytenbach, and Peter McAleese and his experiences help flesh out the stories found in their books, while putting his own unique spin on them. 

With his constant moving and changing of uniforms, he missed out on some major incidents like the Iranian Embassy Siege as well as the Falklands War, but his insight into the NZ experience in Vietnam, his work in Northern Ireland, his experiences in Africa, and especially his later training work in Oman and elsewhere as a private contractor are unique and definitely worth reading.

Mind you, this man has had a extremely robust life and trying to encapsulate it all in one book has made it more of an overview, where the author more often just lists and tells one or two things about each experience, instead of delving into each one in any depth. But what I found most enjoyable was his attention to the people he served with and how no matter where he ended up, he was able to slide in and soldier on. 

This isn't a fictional story about a one man army, but instead the true life of one man who served in many armies around the world, and was part of a period of time where armed conflict and instability made the cold war quite hot. With today's global war on terrorism, and private military companies, it's important to read Pilgrim Days and take notes of where he was, who he was with, and use it as a jumping off point to study more about the things he mentions, from South Armagh to Tim Spicer and what happened in Bouganville. 

Really good book, really good read, entertaining, and I'm so glad I have it on my shelf!