John Thomas "Mac" McAleese, MM (25 April 1949 – 26 August 2011) was a Scottish soldier who took part in several late 20th century conflicts with the British Army's Royal Engineers and the Special Air Service.

He was a lance corporal in 1980, serving in Pagoda Troop, 'B' Squadron, 22 SAS Regiment, when he led "Blue Team" in the storming of the Iranian Embassy in London during a hostage siege on 5 May 1980.

[7] He appeared in the BBC produced television documentary series SAS Survival Secrets (2003), detailing the organizational structure of the Special Air Service Regiment and the nature of the military and security roles in which it is used.

On 20 August 2009 his elder son, Serjeant Paul McAleese of 2nd Battalion The Rifles,[10] was killed on active service in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb during a foot patrol in Helmand Province.

[1] Four days after his son's funeral, John McAleese was arrested by officers from West Mercia Police over an allegation of accessing child pornography on the internet via his home computer.