Veteran Mark Wales reveals army secrets in Survivor: Life in the SAS book

A former SAS trooper has lifted the lid on the secret military unit, telling how he watched the line between right and wrong become blurred.

A former SAS soldier has revealed the inner secrets of Australia’s most elite military unit, telling how the line ­between right and wrong ­became blurred during his four tours of Afghanistan.

Between 2006 and 2010, Mark Wales — who was in charge of 30 elite soldiers — was deployed each year to the war-torn country as part of an international effort to fight the Taliban.

But after four deployments of intense fighting, the veteran said he was crippled with guilt by the time he left the Defence Force.

In his new book Survivor: Life in the SAS, the 16-year-veteran hopes to inspire readers to “never lose hope” and to “stay in the fight” despite their inner battles.

Former SAS soldier Mark Wales says he suffered the effects of trauma by the end of his first tour in 2007. Picture: Supplied

Former SAS soldier Mark Wales during his deployment to Afghanistan. Picture: Supplied

Each of Mr Wales’ tours lasted around six months, with missions gradually shifting from reconnaissance to kill and capture.

In the book, he details his time on Operation Spin Ghar and the effects of seeing his mate Sergeant Matthew Locke fatally wounded by small arms fire from Taliban extremists.

“We stood there in the dust with the sunset behind us, 30 bearded men and a dog, and stared at the boots that Matt had recently worn,” he said. “To hear a battle-hardened soldier openly proclaim his love for his mate was heart-wrenching.”

Not long after, Mr Wales witnessed three of his men injured, including one who suffered facial burns from hot motor oil and another who had his leg shattered by fire from a heavy machine gun.

His experience hardened him to the plight of the locals his unit came across.

Mark Wales has detailed several harrowing incidents from his time in Afghanistan. Picture: Supplied

Former SAS soldier Mark Wales Picture: Toby Zerna

“As we processed the Afghan men (who were found with military-grade explosives on them), I looked at the terrified women and children,” he said. “I felt nothing.

“For the first time ever, there was no love in my heart at all. My moral compass had shifted a lot in a short time.”

In another incident, Mr Wales recalls how, towards the end of his tour, his troops spotted a Taliban soldier along the bottom of a cliff face more than 1500m away.

“We set up cameras as we called in air support. Someone was playing Welcome to the Jungle,” he said. “We dropped one 500-pound (bomb) directly onto the man. I saw the black dot start to run in his last two seconds of life before he disappeared into the yellow blast. Everyone cheered, me included.”

Mr Wales said he wanted his book to delve into more than just the battles.

Sergeant Matthew Locke, who died whilst serving with the SAS in Afghanistan in October 2007

Mark Wales at Duntroon in 2011 after he agreed to take a job there as an instructor.

“I wanted to take people behind the curtains and see what it's like as a person being involved in those battles and the impact it has,” he said.

“It is my intention to reveal the human side of special operations soldiers — a side that is rarely seen, given the secrecy in which we operate.

“We are not robots. Like everyone else, we feel fear, anger, empathy, embarrassment, sadness, wonder, grace, humour, anxiety and hope.”

Mr Wales believes his book will not only help veterans “find their purpose”, but will also be “relatable” to other struggling Australians.

“It’s still a good, good world, and worth fighting for,” he said.