I think the theme of the movie is men born and made of wars, but after a decade of fighting they cant fall into civilian life.
shareOk... I take it you are ignoring the fact that many of them are happily settled in civilian life, that also a lot of them would have seen at least TWO decades of service?...
shareI think it's more of a fantasy that ignores the actual history of modern mercenaries. Most were wannabes, with little practical military experience, even by Hoare's account. Most mercenaries acted in advisory roles, rather than as large combat organisations (apart from the Congo). This was before the rise of large "security companies," like Executive Outcomes and Blackwater. EO was probably the largest group of experienced soldiers, since it was made up almost entirely of ex-South African Defense soldiers, with modern equipment. Prior to that, most "security companies" were smaller scale and acted more as personal security or as advisors to police or military within a sovereign state.
More likely, Matheson would have used his connections to get a government operation to launch a coup, or would bribe the existing government to get what he wanted, or just fund a coup directly.
"Fortunately, Ah keep mah feathers numbered for just such an emergency!"