Hollywood rarely gets veterans right, portraying returning soldiers as caricatures or perfect heroes.
“Sheepdog,” which opened nationwide on January 16, doesn’t have that problem. The film is intent on showing the reality of the veteran experience from all sides — something the film’s writer, director, producer, and star, Steven Grayhm, says came at a cost.
“It was hard. It was really hard,” Grayhm told The Daily Wire in an interview reflecting on the film’s 14-year journey to the screen. “We could have cut corners early on that would have made our lives easier. And we would never have been able to live with ourselves. We never bent the knee, and we never kissed the ring.”
“Sheepdog” is about Army combat veteran Calvin Cole, who is court-ordered into treatment and into the care of a VA trauma therapist in training. 
“Things become even more complicated when Calvin&#8217;s father-in-law, a retired Vietnam Veteran, shows up on his doorstep having just been released from prison,” a description of the film reads. “As Calvin’s plan to run from his past becomes even more challenging, he learns through the support of his community, tough love and compassion, that he must put himself back together again for his family and for himself.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Sheepdog - Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IunslTliq2w?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The film is personal for Grayhm, whose grandfather was a Polish farmer captured by the Nazis during World War II and held as a prisoner of war for five years. After being widowed, he moved in with Grayhm’s family.
“I had bunk beds in my room,” Grayhm recalled. “So I slept on the top, but I would fall asleep to his stories at night. Some of them were hard … but he did share his being liberated by the American and Allied troops. As a young boy, that’s ingrained in you. That goes into the DNA of who you are.”
His grandfather’s influence laid the foundation until a chance encounter planted the seed that would lead to “Sheepdog’s” creation. In 2011, Grayhm’s car broke down three hours north of Los Angeles. He said his conversation with a tow truck driver is a major source of inspiration for the film. 
“He opened up about his life, the challenges in his marriage, being a father of three, financial hardship,” Grayhm said. “Then he began to share all the different medications that he was on … tethered to his post-traumatic stress from multiple military deployments.”
Grayhm recalls listening without speaking.
“He kept saying, ‘I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I’ve never told my wife. I’ve never told a therapist,’” Grayhm said. “And that lit the spark. The teachable moment was to sit and listen without prejudice.”
The idea that it was easier for a veteran to speak to a stranger than to his own family stuck with the filmmaker.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about him weeks after,” he said. “I thought there had to be more men and women like him suffering in silence.”
That summer, Grayhm and co-star Matt Dallas, who plays Calvin’s best friend in the film, embarked on a nationwide road trip to interview veterans and families. Along the journey, they found many similarities in the stories.
The result is not a traditional war movie, Grayhm said. “‘Sheepdog’ is not a post-traumatic stress movie,” he said. “It is a movie about post-traumatic growth.” He went on to say that too many films in this genre portray veterans as broken beyond repair.
“My character has been to hell and back, but he’s not broken,” Grayhm said of Calvin. “He doesn’t feel sorry for himself.”
He said Hollywood wasn’t biting, at least not without totally changing the vision.
“I cannot tell you how many rooms we were laughed out of,” Grayhm told The Daily Wire. “They said, ‘These movies don’t make money. Nobody cares about these stories.’”
When someone did show interest, it always had stipulations. “We started getting script notes to sanitize the story,” he said. “They wanted to turn my character into some paranoid guy having visions … almost a thriller. That’s not the truth.”
Instead, Grayhm made the project independent, raising private equity out of Texas and filming on a tight budget. After making the rounds on the festival circuit, the film just opened in 500 theaters nationwide.
The authenticity extends to the cast. Academy Award nominee Virginia Madsen (“Sideways”), who plays trauma therapist Dr. Elecia Knox, is a Gold Star family member. “She knew the stakes were very high,” Grayhm said. “She bared her heart and soul.”
“She has this speech where she says, ‘You were willing to give your life for your country. Now maybe you should try living for it,’” Grayhm recalled. “You could hear a pin drop. She did it in one take.”
Grayhm says he has just one goal for “Sheepdog.” 
“If we can save a single life with this film, it will be the greatest Hollywood success story,” he said. “There are currently five million veterans not accessing their VA care,” Grayhm added. “Sometimes walking through that front door can be the longest we’ve traveled.”
For civilians, the film serves two purposes. First, it’s a glimpse into what a veteran is going through. And second, it’s a chance to appreciate the freedom they’ve been given.
“The one percent is defending and protecting the other ninety-nine percent,” Grayhm said. “Just being aware of that matters.”
“Sheepdog” is currently showing in theaters.

Sheepdog

Hollywood Told This Filmmaker ‘Nobody Cares’ About Veterans’ Stories. He Told Them Anyway.

Hollywood Told Him ‘Nobody Cares’ About Veteran Movies, But This Filmmaker Made One Anyway

Entertainment

Hollywood

Military

Movies

PTSD

Veterans

Editor’s Note: This article was previously published on December 20, 2023. Since &#8220;It&#8217;s A Wonderful Life&#8221; remains a holiday classic, we’re bringing it back.
* * *
Months after his return from combat, actor James &#8220;Jimmy&#8221; Stewart was still adrift — unmoored in the Hollywood he had previously called home, living with fellow veteran Henry Fonda, and waiting for film offers that just weren&#8217;t coming in.
After a couple of months had gone by, director Frank Capra — who had worked with Stewart before in 1936&#8217;s &#8220;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You&#8221; — first pitched &#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life.&#8221; A meeting was set, and <a href="https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-james-stewart-on-its-a-wonderful-life/">Capra described the story</a> to Stewart and his agent Lew Wasserman.
Stewart, who had been adamant about doing a comedy upon his return to Hollywood, was reportedly taken aback at first. &#8220;You want me to do what?&#8221; he asked, and according to Capra&#8217;s notes walked out of his initial pitch meeting. But Capra believed in the strength of the story — and he was equally adamant that Stewart was not just the right person to play George Bailey, he was the only person who could do it.
Stewart eventually sat down to listen to Capra&#8217;s pitch in full, and he recalled the director&#8217;s awkward description of the story in a <a href="https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-james-stewart-on-its-a-wonderful-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1987 interview</a> for Guideposts.
&#8220;&#8216;Now, listen,&#8217; Frank began hesitantly. He seemed a little embarrassed. &#8216;The story starts in heaven, and it’s sort of the Lord telling somebody to go down to earth because there’s a fellow who’s in trouble, and this heavenly being goes to a small town, and … Well, what it boils down to is, this fella who thinks he’s a failure in life jumps off a bridge. The Lord sends down an angel named Clarence, who hasn’t earned his wings yet, and Clarence jumps into the water to save the guy. But the angel can’t swim, so the guy has to save him, and then … This doesn’t tell very well, does it?'&#8221;
The actor said his response was simple: &#8220;Frank, if you want to do a picture about a guy who jumps off a bridge and an angel named Clarence who hasn’t won his wings yet coming down to save him, well, I’m your man!&#8221;
<div id="attachment_478827" style="width: 777px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478827" class="size-large wp-image-478827" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-767x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 20: The movie &quot;It's a Wonderful Life&quot;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Henry Travers as Clarence and James Stewart as George Bailey. Premiered December 20, 1946; theatrical wide release January 7, 1947. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="767" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-767x576.jpg 767w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-768x577.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px" />&#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Henry Travers as Clarence and James Stewart as George Bailey. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)</div>
For Capra and Stewart both, the film was a do or die project. For Stewart, it was his chance to prove that he still had something to give to fans. And Capra — who had also been away from Hollywood making movies for the War Department — believed so much in the story that he put everything on the line, even forming a new independent studio (Liberty Films) to produce it. But making the film was not without its difficulties. As actress Donna Reed — who played Mary Bailey to Stewart&#8217;s George Bailey — put it, &#8220;This was not a happy set.&#8221;
At one point, an agitated Stewart complained about the superficiality of Hollywood and acting in general, prompting veteran actor Lionel Barrymore — who plays the movie&#8217;s villain Mr. Henry F. Potter — to scold him: &#8220;So, are you saying it&#8217;s more worthwhile to drop bombs on people than to entertain them?&#8221;
<div id="attachment_478823" style="width: 777px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478823" class="size-large wp-image-478823" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-767x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 20: The movie &quot;It's a Wonderful Life&quot;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Lionel Barrymore as Henry F. Potter, Frank Hagney (in background) as Potter's Bodyguard and James Stewart as George Bailey. Premiered December 20, 1946; theatrical wide release January 7, 1947. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="767" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-767x576.jpg 767w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-768x577.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px" />&#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Lionel Barrymore as Henry F. Potter, Frank Hagney (in background) as Potter&#8217;s Bodyguard and James Stewart as George Bailey. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)</div>
As Matzen explained in a <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-jimmy-stewart-book-mov-1202-20161201-column.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2016 interview</a> with The Chicago Tribune, Stewart appeared to funnel all the bottled up rage, anxiety, anger, fear, and frustration into the role — making his portrayal of a man on the brink truly blur the line between fiction and reality.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a scene in the movie where he questions his sanity and he&#8217;s got this wild look about him. That&#8217;s one scene that really struck me, watching it on the big screen. And the other scene that always made me uncomfortable, but now means so much more to me, is when he&#8217;s in his living room and he&#8217;s throwing things and screaming at his kids — and his wife and children look at him like, &#8216;Who is this man? Who is this monster?'&#8221; Matzen explained. &#8220;And that is so reflective of what millions of families faced, looking at these strangers who came back from the war with this rage. Stewart played it beautifully. He just lets it out.&#8221;
Stewart recalled a similar moment in the <a href="https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-james-stewart-on-its-a-wonderful-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guideposts interview</a>, when George Bailey turned to God in desperation — completely unaware that his entire town was also praying for him in the same moment.
&#8220;In agony I raise my eyes and, following the script, plead, &#8216;God … God … dear Father in heaven, I’m not a praying man, but if you’re up there and you can hear me, show me the way. I’m at the end of my rope. Show me the way, God …'&#8221; Stewart said, adding, &#8220;As I said those words, I felt the loneliness, the hopelessness of people who had nowhere to turn, and my eyes filled with tears. I broke down sobbing. This was not planned at all, but the power of that prayer, the realization that our Father in heaven is there to help the hopeless, had reduced me to tears.&#8221;
Capra, who loved spontaneity in his films, kept the powerful moment in the final cut — he even sacrificed some of the film quality to turn a wide shot into a close-up so that the audience could better see &#8220;George Bailey&#8217;s&#8221; pain.
The film was a resounding flop when it was released in 1947 — bringing in less than half of the expected box office haul — but still managed to impress the Academy. In addition to two technical nominations, Stewart received another Best Actor nod, Capra was nominated for directing, and the film was nominated for Best Picture. All five lost — and Capra&#8217;s newly-formed studio <a href="https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,793760,00.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liberty Films quickly went under</a>.
<div id="attachment_478828" style="width: 775px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478828" class="size-large wp-image-478828" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-765x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 20: The movie &quot;It's a Wonderful Life&quot;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Donna Reed as Mary Hatch Bailey, James Stewart as George Bailey and Karolyn Grimes as Zuzu. Premiered December 20, 1946; theatrical wide release January 7, 1947. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="765" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-765x576.jpg 765w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px" />&#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Donna Reed as Mary Hatch Bailey, James Stewart as George Bailey and Karolyn Grimes as Zuzu. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;By the end of 1947 the film was quietly put on the shelf,&#8221; Stewart <a href="https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-james-stewart-on-its-a-wonderful-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recalled</a>, adding, &#8220;But a curious thing happened. The movie refused to stay on the shelf. Those who loved it loved it a lot, and they told others. They wouldn’t let it die any more than the angel Clarence would let George Bailey die. When it began to be shown on TV, a whole new audience fell in love with it.&#8221;
The fact that the movie appeared on television was actually the result of a probable <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2TYK2NfhJ6pmDqW8rfT4LCf/its-a-wonderful-life-from-festive-flop-to-christmas-classic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clerical error</a> that resulted in Republic Pictures — who owned the rights after Liberty Films collapsed — failing to apply for a copyright renewal in 1974. Because it was public domain, television studios quickly added it to their holiday line-ups. A Supreme Court decision nearly two decades later determined that the owner of the short story it was based on — &#8220;The Greatest Gift&#8221; — actually owned the copyright, and to this day, NBC is the only network licensed to show the movie on television.
But those twenty years meant that millions of people saw that film — and many of them came to love it and come back to it every year.
Stewart explained that he believed the thing that had truly resonated with the audience was the thing that had resonated with him all those years ago — revealing that of the 80-or-so films he had made in his career, &#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221; remained his favorite.
&#8220;Today, after some 40 years, I’ve heard the film called an American cultural phenomenon,'&#8221; Stewart told Guideposts. &#8220;Well, maybe so, but it seems to me there is nothing phenomenal about the movie itself. It’s simply about an ordinary man who discovers that living each ordinary day honorably, with faith in God and a selfless concern for others, can make for a truly wonderful life.&#8221;
* * *
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-stewart-a-world-at-war-and-why-its-a-wonderful-life-was-almost-less-wonderful-part-i">Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why &#8216;It&#8217;s A Wonderful Life&#8217; Was Almost Less Wonderful: Part I</a>

One of the Final Scenes from Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Was Almost Less Wonderful: Part II

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why 'It's A Wonderful Life' Was Almost Less Wonderful: Part II

Celebrities

World War II

With Memorial Day so near, I’m thinking of active-duty military, their families, and our veterans.
It’s impossible to let this national day of commemoration pass without addressing the tragic statistics of military and veteran suicide. Twenty-two veterans commit suicide each day. That’s one veteran every 65 minutes.
A 2024 Pentagon study revealed another devastating statistic: American soldiers are now <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/06/11/military-suicide-defense-department-pentagon-study/73983842007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more likely</a> to die from suicide than from any other cause. In an attempt to provide help and resources for our struggling veterans, the <a href="https://988lifeline.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Suicide Crisis Hotline</a>, and organizations such as the Military Suicide Awareness have been created. But is it enough?
Our soldiers may no longer be fighting in traditional ground wars. But those engaged in remote operations can nonetheless suffer invisible wounds just as crippling as an IED blast.
Almost 7% of veterans will <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_veterans.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffer from PTSD</a> in their lifetime. These struggles not only affect veterans, but can have a cascading impact on their families, too. It is vital to recognize the great impact active duty and veteran life has on our military families. In 2022, for example, 146 military family members died by suicide, including 83 spouses and 53 dependents, the majority of whom were under 18.
Often, military spouses are expected to be the glue that holds the family together. We are expected to be resilient and strong despite the deployments, raising children alone while repeatedly losing community because of frequent relocations.
But military spouses often suffer in silence. Depression, under the best of circumstances, is isolating. But when you experience frequent moves and loss of community and support, it only adds to that sense of loneliness and having to “deal with it” on your own.
I struggled with the shame and embarrassment for not being able to “tough it out” and handle everything while my spouse was away serving. I struggled with the guilt of not feeling strong enough. It is an isolating battle, and it’s almost easier to sink into yourself rather than risk judgment or become a poor reflection on your spouse when you finally do ask for help.
These struggles are often overlooked by both the military and civilian communities. But they shouldn’t be.
We as a society need to end the stigma surrounding mental health for our soldiers and our military families. Supporting our veterans and military families starts with compassion, education, and collective action.
It’s time to share stories of veterans and spouses who have sought help and found healing to inspire hope and reassurance. We need to launch mentorship programs that pair a healed service member or spouse with one facing struggles to foster encouragement and fellowship. We can establish essential services, including support groups, counseling, and mental health-informed medical care, to support their journey to healing.
This is a time for our leaders — both military and civilian — to step up and speak openly about the mental health situation affecting our veterans and military families. Their actions and policies set the tone for whether mental health is seen as a weakness or a priority. We need to make it a priority.
Together, let’s strive to serve our veterans and their families through initiatives like #988, volunteering, and raising awareness. Together, 22-a-day may become a thing of the past, and our soldiers and their families can find hope for the future.
Dani Pettrey is the bestselling author and military spouse. Her latest novel, “Two Seconds Too Late,” features a veteran battling PTSD and depression.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

1st Infantry Division Soldiers Return Home To Fort Knox From Afghanistan

This Memorial Day, We Should Think About Military Families

Memorial Day

Soldiers

MixCollage-01-Mar-2025-01-46-PM-7816

‘Brothers After War’: An Interview With Gary Sinise And Jake Rademacher

Afghanistan

Documentaries

Gary Sinise

interview

Iraq War

Marines

Morning Wire

Movie Theaters

U.S. Army

U.S. Military

U.S. Navy

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/las-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department</a> (LVMPD) released a letter from the man who blew himself up in a Tesla Cybertruck this week that they located on one of two cellphones they recovered from inside the vehicle.
The letter was located on an app on the cellphone belonging to Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, the U.S. Army Green Beret who they identified as the person who shot himself inside the vehicle moments before the explosives he placed in it detonated.
FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans said that the incident was “a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who is struggling with PTSD and other issues.”
In the letter, Livelsberger said that the U.S. was &#8220;the best country&#8221; to ever exist, but that in its current state, it was &#8220;terminally ill and headed toward collapse.&#8221;
He talked about the decline in traditional values in the letter and warned that political elites view the masses as &#8220;cattle.&#8221;
He warned that most people had no purpose in life and were &#8220;just sitting around waiting to die.&#8221;
&#8220;No sunlight, no steps, no fresh air, no hope,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Our children are addicted to screens by the age of two.&#8221;
He said that Americans were &#8220;too fat to join the military yet we are facing a war with China, Russia, North Korea and Iran before 2030.&#8221;
He called for focusing on increasing strength and winning in society and removing those from government who do not like those ideals; ending the war in Ukraine through a negotiated settlement as fast as possible; ending wealth inequality and improving conditions on America&#8217;s streets so there were not so many homeless people; and stop obsessing over diversity.
&#8220;We are all diverse and DEI is a cancer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Thankfully we rejected the DEI candidate and will have a real President instead of Weekend at Bernie’s.&#8221;
He said that his decision to detonate the bomb he created was &#8220;not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call.&#8221;
&#8220;Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence,&#8221; he said. &#8220;What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?&#8221;
He said that he did it because he needed to &#8220;cleanse&#8221; his &#8220;mind of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.&#8221;
He called on Americans to rally around some of the biggest figures in the Republican Party &#8220;and ride this wave to the highest hegemony for all Americans!&#8221;
Livelsberger said that the U.S. was being led by &#8220;weak and feckless&#8221; leaders who only care about enriching themselves.
He called for taking action against the individuals in the U.S. government whom he said were ruining the country, warning &#8220;they all must go and a hard reset must occur for our country to avoid collapse.&#8221;

Cybertruck Explosion Outside Trump International Hotel Investigated For Terror Ties

Police Release Manifesto From Suspect Who Blew Up Cybertruck

Las Vegas

Terrorism

Tesla

U.S.

Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, the U.S. Army Green Beret who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck on New Year&#8217;s Day in front of the Trump International Hotel in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/las-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Las Vegas</a>, reportedly suffered from PTSD and other personal issues when he decided to take his own life this week.
Officials from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), FBI, and ATF shared updates from their investigation into the incident at a press conference on Friday afternoon.
They revealed that they have found no connection between the incident in Las Vegas and the Islamic terrorist attack that unfolded just hours prior to the incident in New Orleans where more than a dozen people were murdered.
Law enforcement confirmed Livelsberger&#8217;s identity through a variety of investigative techniques, including DNA matching.
LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said that Livelsberger documented his activities during the 10 days prior to the explosion in an app on his cellphone, including where he traveled, weapons he bought, camping gear he bought, and more. They said that at the moment, there did not appear to be any significant meaning behind his decision to commit the act in a Tesla Cybertruck.
Koren said that the incident was being viewed as a suicide via a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), even though he took his life with a single gunshot wound to the head just moments before the explosion.
Police released the following excerpts from writings they discovered on one of his cellphones that they recovered from inside the vehicle:
<ul>
<li>&#8220;Fellow Servicemembers, Veterans, and all Americans, TIME TO WAKE UP! We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves.&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives? Why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I&#8217;ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;We are the United States of America, the best country people to ever exist! But right now we are terminally ill and headed toward collapse.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
Koren suggested that more excerpts from his writings could be released in the future.
&#8220;He does offer additional information that is varying on the spectrum in terms of political grievances, issues about the conflicts elsewhere, not here, domestic issues, societal issues, a variety of other things, including personal challenges as well,&#8221; Koren said. &#8220;We are intending to release those initial letters so people can understand the best they can what the person&#8217;s thought process was at one point in time.&#8221;
FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans said that law enforcement has not been able to identify any information indicating that Livelsberger belonged to any kind of a terrorist group or had any contact with one.
&#8220;Investigative steps have discovered, and information from the Army indicates, that he likely suffered from PTSD, and we are also aware that there were potential other family issues or personal grievances in his own life that may have been contributing factors,&#8221; Evans said.
He said that the Livelsberger &#8220;considered, planned, and thoughtfully prepared for this act alone.&#8221;
Evans again added that the incident was &#8220;a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who is struggling with PTSD and other issues.&#8221;
He addressed an email that was released on a popular podcast that is allegedly from Livelsberger, saying that the FBI has &#8220;not conclusively determined that that&#8217;s from the subject, but feel confident, based on evidence that we&#8217;re uncovering on his devices, that that was, in fact, from [the suspect].&#8221;
&#8220;So in terms of the so-called manifesto that&#8217;s circling or circulating online, we have strong evidence to suggest that it was the subject that wrote it, but we haven&#8217;t conclusively proven that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And that evidence relates to other evidence that we&#8217;re finding, that we&#8217;re able to compare that lead us to believe it was in fact him who sent it.&#8221;
Evans said that Livelsberger was not on the FBI&#8217;s radar because he had no criminal history.

Man Who Blew Up Cybertruck Was ‘Struggling With PTSD And Other Issues,’ Officials Say

For those who have either fought in war, or, as in my case, have had loved ones who have, Veterans Day is not just a date on the calendar. It is a reminder that survivors of the battlefield — the most taxing and traumatic of any environment — have given so much of themselves to defend the liberties we all too often take for granted.
During an election year, Veterans Day takes on special significance. When we step into the voting booth and draw the curtain, we are acting out the answer to a fundamental question so many of those returning home from duty must ask themselves: “What, exactly, did I fight for?” The answer is they fight so their fellow Americans are free to choose their leaders and to decide their own fate. It is cliché, but veterans have, indeed, fought for our most basic freedoms, and to exercise our God-given rights without fear of the midnight pounding on the door.
At times, as in my father’s case, our troops have fought not for our freedom per se, but those of others. Entire nations like South Korea, as well as post-war Western Europe, owe American veterans a debt that can never be fully repaid. Many of the men and women would return home maimed, or psychologically broken. Yet, the sublimity of their sacrifice remains. Unfortunately, so do the wounds, the memories, the terrors.
My Marine dad was a rare breed. Unlike many combat veterans, my father would talk about it. I gave him a sounding board, a release valve for the memories that I now understand were assaulting him for three decades since leaving the horrors of Korea behind. He was wounded by Chinese mortars and almost lost his foot. He would tell stories of how the Chinese attacked in human waves, blowing bugles and clanging gongs; how the enemy once splayed the body of a dead Marine across barbed wire between the lines, daring his men to come get their comrade. Marine tradition is to not leave the dead behind, if at all possible. They did retrieve the body. He would share how the North Koreans taught kids to throw grenades at them, and how they’d have to shoot them down; Or how he once identified a man in his platoon by his head, which the aid station attendees in a moment of macabre caprice had laid on the man’s chest.
No doubt what 2nd Lt. John M. Schaeffer, First Marine Division experienced in Korea were the same feelings, if under different circumstances and topographies, of every veteran on every battlefield. The blood, the shrieks, the pleas for water, the crying out for mothers, and the gore are universal no matter what side the combatants find themselves on. Indeed, Wellington famously <a href="https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-waterloo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, “Believe me, nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won.”
<div id="attachment_827165" style="width: 442px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-827165" class="size-large wp-image-827165" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/1Schaeffer-Korea-432x576.jpeg" alt="2nd Lt. John M. Schaeffer, First Marine Division, with Purple Heart. Credit: Brad Schaeffer" width="432" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/1Schaeffer-Korea-432x576.jpeg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/1Schaeffer-Korea-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/1Schaeffer-Korea-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/1Schaeffer-Korea-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/1Schaeffer-Korea-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/1Schaeffer-Korea.jpeg 1620w" sizes=" (max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" />2nd Lt. John M. Schaeffer, First Marine Division, with Purple Heart. Credit: Brad Schaeffer</div>
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), called “shell shock” in the First World War, and “battle fatigue” in the Second, is another consequence of the battlefield. As with any disorder of the mind, studies vary and exact figures are hard to come by as it manifests in so many different ways and to various degrees. <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2891773/#:~:text=The%20point%20prevalence%20of%20combat,returning%20UK%20Iraq%20War%20veterans.">One study</a> by the National Library of Medicine places combat-related PTSD in U.S. combat veterans to range from about 2–17%; and a lifetime prevalence of about 6–31%. These are broad ranges. And the low estimates seem just that. Even if we split the difference in a non-scientific way, almost one-in-five veterans are currently suffering from some form of PTSD. When you consider that <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2023/veterans-day.html#:~:text=16.2%20million,population%20age%2018%20and%20over." target="_blank" rel="noopener">16.2 million veterans</a> will be the subject of this month’s annual day of remembrance, then we may have some 3 million-plus veterans in need of counseling or medication/treatment out there.
These are not just statistics. These numbers represent veterans, our champions on the field of conflict, who struggle every day just to live normal lives while not dwelling too much upon all they have seen. But sometimes the horrors of battle can never be unseen. I remember looking at my dad and thinking: Do the ghosts return when you lie in bed at night? Can you compartmentalize it? How do you handle it?
Turns out, he couldn’t. After thirty years, he could no longer drink or talk away the war. The memories were assaulting him like those mass waves of Chinese soldiers long ago. His defenses crumbled. He was not alone. In 1990-2010 the national suicide rate among American males was 19.4 per 100,000, and 4.9 per 100,000 for females. According to the <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/cooccurring/suicide_ptsd.asp#:~:text=From%201999%2D2010%2C%20the%20suicide,12.8%20per%20100%2C000%20in%20females." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Veterans Affairs</a>, however, in the same time period the ratios for veterans were double for men at 38.3 per 100,000 and almost triple for women at 12.8 per 100,000. Clearly, veterans are a high-risk group, and we must be vigilant and watch for suicidal ideations among those we love who wore the uniform.
Like many mental illnesses, PTSD is insidious. It comes from within. How do you fight an illness in which your thoughts are the illness? People who’ve never suffered the midnight of clinical depression, PTSD, or other mental illnesses, have difficulty grasping that you cannot reason your way back into the happy dawn. You can’t just “snap out of it.” You may tell yourself, “Nothing warrants these terrible thoughts.” You know it’s irrational and it doesn’t matter. That’s what depression is. It’s knowing you shouldn’t feel this way, but feel it anyway.
And that doesn’t even include a depression caused by something you saw or, worse, something you did. Under normal circumstances, far from the chaos and adrenaline of a battlefield, you would never encounter the raw emotion and bloodlust of war. You would be repulsed by your actions. How could I, for example, who was only 16 when my father eventually took his life, possibly relate to a man who fought Chinese troops armed with spades, picks, and even his bare hands as well as bullets and bayonets, in the middle of the night in minus twenty-degree weather under the eerie luminescence of star shells? How can anyone but other veterans truly relate to a combat experience?
It’s tragic, but if my veteran father were alive today, he would have more support, both within his own veterans community and the public at large. And certainly access to more effective medications, without any taboo. But we were just starting to recognize veterans’ emotional as well as physical anguish. Vietnam was barely decades in the past. And as for Korea? It was called “the Forgotten War” for a reason. Forgetting the war and getting on with their lives was what Korea’s veterans were supposed to do. But Dad couldn’t.
And that really is the point. This Veterans Day, let’s take time out of our busy day to pause and reflect and pray for all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who have seen the worst of humanity up close and personal, to spare us the horrors of what they took upon themselves in our stead. As the saying goes, “Free people sleep peaceably in their beds because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” My father was just such a rough man. And, like so many vets today, he did unspeakable violence on our behalf. But that violence comes with a cost that we may not always appreciate or even see, let alone understand.
My thoughts this Veterans Day travel to our warriors returning home from their own combat zones, with their own demons picking away at their souls. How do they get through the black nights, with their spouses sleeping quietly next to them, their children dreaming in their beds, blissfully unaware of the struggle of the mind taking place in the darkness down the hall?
In July 1983, 30 years almost to the day after the last shot of the Korean War was fired, my father became another casualty of that war. Yet from his suffering, I have learned a vital lesson that I hope I can impart to any veteran reading this who may feel like he or she is losing the fight with PTSD: Don’t let the demons win. We’ll help you. Just please choose life.
To the families of veterans, you must be forceful in offering your help, your support, and love. Warriors are a stubborn and proud lot. And to all the veterans now engaged in their final tour of duty, this time in the combat zone of the spirit, I implore you. Choose life. Get help if you need it. It is there for you.
Remember you are not forgotten. We owe our freedom, like the freedoms we all exercised on November 5, to you. And, in return, you are unconditionally loved and appreciated by family, friends, and your nation. So always choose life. It is worth living.
* * *
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to <a class="c-link" href="http://speakingofsuicide.com/resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources" data-sk="tooltip_parent">SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources</a> for a list of additional resources.
* * *
Brad Schaeffer is a fund manager and author of three books. His articles have appeared on the pages of Daily Wire, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, New York Daily News, National Review, The Hill, The Federalist, The Blaze, Breitbart, Zerohedge and other outlets. His best-selling novel, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Extraordinary-Brad-Schaeffer/dp/1642939420" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Extraordinary</a>, tackles the subject of living with a veteran father with PTSD as told by his autistic teen son.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Happy Veterans Day concept. American flags against a dark stone  background. November 11.

This Veterans Day, Choose Life

Fathers

Korean War

Opinion

Veterans Day

Vietnam

If you spend any amount of time watching shows on streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, then you may have noticed that several big-name productions are now putting trigger warnings on the screen before some pivotal episodes. The show &#8220;Baby Reindeer,&#8221; for example, warns its viewers in advance of an upcoming scene depicting sexual violence. &#8220;Better Call Saul&#8221; alerts its audience about an upcoming suicide. Other popular shows, like &#8220;Severance,&#8221; &#8220;The Morning Show,&#8221; &#8220;Life &amp; Beth,&#8221; and several others also include similar messages before the show even begins. Even classics like &#8220;Goodfellas&#8221; and old <a href="https://x.com/CarmineSabia/status/1728958011392036870" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shows</a> like &#8220;All in the Family&#8221; now come with warnings about &#8220;ethnic prejudices.&#8221; 
Online, these trigger warnings have caused a lot of consternation because they often ruin the episode that people are about to watch. If you know a suicide is coming, for instance, it&#8217;s usually not too hard to guess which character might be involved. (Spoiler alert: It&#8217;s probably the character that&#8217;s been having serious mental problems all season). And even if you&#8217;re not sure what character might be involved, it still blunts the dramatic impact of the scene to be told, directly, that something shocking is about to happen. There&#8217;s a reason Shakespeare didn&#8217;t have some guy go on stage before the fifth act of &#8220;Romeo &amp; Juliet&#8221; to explain that poisoning and self-harm would occur. There was no stagehand to announce, &#8220;If you&#8217;re not ready to see two lovers take their own lives, then leave the amphitheater immediately.&#8221;
But we live in a much dumber time now, so trigger warnings like that are no longer unthinkable. In fact, if you go see a play like &#8220;Romeo &amp; Juliet,&#8221; there&#8217;s a very real chance you might run into one. For several years now, theaters all over the world have been incorporating these kinds of advisories. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="004 Trigger Warnings" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SKU2CRquz8g?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
That report was from a few years ago, but the trend has only continued. The Sir Thomas Allen theater in Durham, UK, for instance, posted <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231202062825/https://www.theassemblyroomstheatre.org/whats-on/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this notification</a> on its website just a few months ago, about the play &#8220;I, Joan,&#8221; which also premiered at Shakespeare&#8217;s Globe:
<blockquote>Content Warning: Loud music / Partial nudity / Period-accurate transphobia / Depictions of war.</blockquote>
So &#8220;Period-accurate transphobia&#8221; is now worthy of a trigger warning, which I guess means that every single play and work of literature that was written before 2015 needs a trigger warning. 
I could go on and on about how absurd these warnings are and how counterproductive they are. But there&#8217;s really no point. You&#8217;ve probably already heard about the research demonstrating that these trigger warnings are worse than useless. More than a dozen <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-10-17/are-trigger-warnings-useless-new-study-says-yes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">studies</a> have shown that these kinds of notifications are either ineffective or actively distressing to people. 
This is becoming a mainstream position. Bill Maher did a whole monologue about it a year ago. Dr. Phil talked about it with Joe Rogan. And so on.
Instead of retreading that ground, I wanted to look more closely into why exactly these warnings came about in the first place. They seem like a symptom of a much larger problem that&#8217;s gone unnoticed, for the most part. I came to that realization after the outlet &#8220;Variety&#8221; ran a <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/trigger-warnings-spoil-tv-shows-1236025257/">piece</a> on this a few days ago on the problems that these trigger warnings can cause. Throughout their article, Variety kept using the term &#8220;trauma&#8221; again and again: &#8220;As content advisories become popular, Hollywood tries to find a balance between ruining plot twists and helping viewers avoid trauma.&#8221; That&#8217;s the headline. Then the article continues, &#8220;A growing number of programs have opted to inform viewers before showing potentially traumatizing content. &#8230; The goal is to help viewers enjoy TV without trauma.&#8221; They even speak to a medical expert about how trigger warnings relate to &#8220;trauma.&#8221;
This caught my attention because, up until relatively recently, when people heard the word &#8220;trauma,&#8221; they thought of serious, violent injuries — the kind people might suffer in car accidents or on the battlefield, for example. And that&#8217;s how the medical profession understood the word &#8220;trauma,&#8221; as well. But somewhere along the line, something obviously changed. &#8220;Trauma&#8221; became a daily occurrence rather than something suffered by people in the most extreme and harrowing circumstances. Everyday discomfort and mild inconvenience has been medicalized and overblown into &#8220;trauma.&#8221;
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1386-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h4>
We&#8217;ve seen this a lot in the past couple of years. You might remember the whole episode when the tennis player Naomi Osaka dropped out of a tournament and melted down at a press conference back in 2021. The idea was that talking to the press was traumatic for her, for some reason. PBS ran a <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/naomi-osakas-withdrawal-from-the-french-open-highlights-how-mental-health-ranks-below-physical-health#:~:text=Pressing%20problems%20with%20stigma,depressed%E2%80%9D%20after%20losing%20a%20match." target="_blank" rel="noopener">sympathetic story</a> at the time that included this paragraph: 
<blockquote>Osaka, who is Black, Asian and female, may have contended with an even greater sense of vulnerability this past year, in light of the Black Lives Matter protests and the increased violence against Asian Americans. Studies have shown that individuals suffer from vicarious trauma when members of their group are targeted and discriminated against.</blockquote>
Yes, the tennis star was suffering from &#8220;vicarious trauma.&#8221; Those are two words we&#8217;re apparently meant to take seriously, along with other new terms like &#8220;intergenerational trauma&#8221; and so on. We&#8217;ve all seen dozens of stories like this. So when I saw the Variety piece, it occurred to me that the story here isn&#8217;t really about the rise of &#8220;trigger warnings,&#8221; per se. Instead, it&#8217;s about the fact that so many Americans now erroneously believe that they are suffering from trauma. And with that in mind, there&#8217;s an obvious question to ask, which is: When did that happen and why? 
The dramatic rise of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, might provide an important clue. In 2022, instances of alleged post-traumatic stress disorder in college students in America <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2819206?guestAccessKey=bc2533bd-e1d2-4991-8500-1da1a731c2a3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rose</a> by 7.5% — which is more than <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/30/health/ptsd-diagnoses-rising-college-students.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur" target="_blank" rel="noopener">double</a> the rate from just five years earlier. That suggests that something artificial might be going on here that&#8217;s making more college kids suffer from &#8220;trauma.&#8221;
At the same time, of course, 2022 was right in the middle of the COVID lockdowns, which obviously destroyed many lives. So maybe you&#8217;re thinking that&#8217;s related. But PTSD, as it&#8217;s generally understood, involves <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/history_ptsd.asp#one" target="_blank" rel="noopener">witnessing</a> an extreme and catastrophic injury. That&#8217;s why the diagnosis became mainstream following the Vietnam War. And there were no wars directly involving American college students that occurred during the COVID lockdowns. Additionally, violent crime in many major cities was <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/COVIDcrime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">down</a> by nearly a third during the early phase of the lockdowns. So how exactly would COVID have been responsible for more PTSD-related suffering?
Here&#8217;s one mental health expert at Indiana&#8217;s largest nonprofit healthcare provider to explain:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="005 PTSD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jWvQ6TYr8cI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
So masks — which the medical establishment told us to wear at all times, even though they didn&#8217;t stop the transmission of COVID — were actually hell on earth for PTSD sufferers, apparently. This is the explanation they&#8217;ve come up with. If you&#8217;re keeping track, we&#8217;ve gone from &#8220;masks are bad&#8221;, to &#8220;masks are mandatory,&#8221; to &#8220;you should triple-mask,&#8221; back down to &#8220;if you wear a mask, you&#8217;re torturing PTSD sufferers who happen to look at you.&#8221;
This isn&#8217;t exactly a compelling argument. It seems pretty strained, actually. So maybe there&#8217;s another explanation for surging rates of PTSD and &#8220;trauma&#8221; in the general population. What might that reason be?
It turns out that, back in 2013, leading medical associations radically altered the meaning of trauma. As one Berkeley psychology professor <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/30/health/ptsd-diagnoses-rising-college-students.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur">recently told</a> The New York Times: &#8220;Some changes to the diagnostic manual [of psychological disorders] may have blurred the line between PTSD and disorders like depression or anxiety. .. In 2013, the committee overseeing revisions to the manual expanded the list of potential PTSD symptoms to include dysphoria, or a deep sense of unease, and a negative worldview, which could also be caused by depression.&#8221;
The Times report added: &#8220;PTSD was introduced as an official diagnosis in 1980, as it became clear that combat experiences had imprinted on many Vietnam veterans, making it difficult for them to work or participate in family life. Over the decades that followed, the definition was revised to encompass a larger range of injury, violence and abuse, as well as indirect exposure to traumatic events.&#8221;
In other words, with very little fanfare, the medical establishment completely redefined the meaning of PTSD, and the &#8220;trauma&#8221; necessary to qualify for a diagnosis. It&#8217;s no longer necessary to personally witness a violent death or injury to receive a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. It&#8217;s enough to &#8220;indirectly&#8221; experience such a violent death or injury. That&#8217;s trauma, under the new standard. This is what psychologists are telling their patients.
The only limitation, as far as I can tell from reading through the <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/history_ptsd.asp#one">DSM-5</a>, is that this &#8220;indirect&#8221; exposure has to involve a loved one. But even then, it&#8217;s no longer necessary for your symptoms to involve vivid flashbacks and extreme social dysfunction or anything like that. Now a &#8220;deep sense of unease&#8221; and a &#8220;negative worldview&#8221; qualifies. That&#8217;s it. Never mind the fact that more than half the country now has a &#8220;deep sense of unease&#8221; and a &#8220;negative worldview.&#8221; That&#8217;s all it takes to suffer &#8220;trauma,&#8221; according to every major medical institution.
This is one way in which the concept of &#8220;trauma&#8221; has been expanded and over-diagnosed into oblivion. They just changed the meaning of the word back in 2013, probably to enable more doctors to diagnose more patients and prescribe them some more drugs. And then that lingo filters down to the media and everywhere else. If that sounds far-fetched or conspiratorial, consider the fact that another convenient rebranding took place that same year, in 2013. That was also the year that the American Medical Association (or AMA) abruptly decided to reclassify obesity as a &#8220;disease,&#8221; just like asthma or diabetes.
But the AMA privately <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virtually-every-medical-expert-is-lying-to-you-about-obesity-heres-the-proof" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acknowledged</a> that obesity didn&#8217;t actually meet the criteria to be classified as a disease, because there are no unique symptoms that only obese people suffer from. It&#8217;s also the only disease in the world that can be cured, with a 100% success rate, by expending more calories than you&#8217;re consuming. Nevertheless, the AMA simply decided that reclassifying obesity as a disease would have a &#8220;positive impact&#8221; on society, so they did it. The Lancet documented all of this, as I <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virtually-every-medical-expert-is-lying-to-you-about-obesity-heres-the-proof" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlined</a> a few months ago. And now, just a few years later, Oprah is hosting an hour-long special in which she confidently suggests that Ozempic is the miracle drug that can cure this &#8220;disease.&#8221;
There&#8217;s reason to believe that the same approach has now been applied to &#8220;trauma.&#8221; Much like the idea of &#8220;land acknowledgements,&#8221; this massively expanded definition of trauma has quickly made its way from a handful of elite academics all the way to everyday life. So now we get trigger warnings on Netflix and Hulu and the theater and everywhere else. But much more importantly, now millions of Americans incorrectly believe they&#8217;ve suffered &#8220;trauma&#8221; when they haven&#8217;t. They&#8217;re under the impression that their problems are far more serious and uncontrollable than they really are. That&#8217;s good for the people prescribing the medications and doing the talk therapy. For everyone else, it&#8217;s yet another sign that we&#8217;re becoming a weaker and more broken society — one that, inevitably, will become even easier to control and manipulate.

TRAUMA / Blue board concept (Click for more)

How We Became A Society Full Of ‘Traumatized’ Weaklings

How We Became A Society Full Of 'Traumatized' Weaklings

Matt Walsh

Netflix

Psychology

Readers Pass

Theater

Months after his return from combat, actor James &#8220;Jimmy&#8221; Stewart was still adrift — unmoored in the Hollywood he had previously called home, living with fellow veteran Henry Fonda, and waiting for film offers that just weren&#8217;t coming in.
After a couple of months had gone by, director <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-jimmy-stewart-book-mov-1202-20161201-column.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frank Capra</a> — who had worked with Stewart before in 1936&#8217;s &#8220;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You&#8221; — first pitched &#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life.&#8221; A meeting was set, and Capra described the story to Stewart and his agent Lew Wasserman.
Stewart, who had been adamant about doing a comedy upon his return to Hollywood, was reportedly taken aback at first. &#8220;You want me to do what?&#8221; he asked, and according to Capra&#8217;s notes walked out of his initial pitch meeting. But Capra believed in the strength of the story — and he was equally adamant that Stewart was not just the right person to play George Bailey, he was the only person who could do it.
Stewart eventually sat down to listen to Capra&#8217;s pitch in full, and he recalled the director&#8217;s awkward description of the story in a <a href="https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-james-stewart-on-its-a-wonderful-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1987 interview</a> for Guideposts.
&#8220;&#8216;Now, listen,&#8217; Frank began hesitantly. He seemed a little embarrassed. &#8216;The story starts in heaven, and it’s sort of the Lord telling somebody to go down to earth because there’s a fellow who’s in trouble, and this heavenly being goes to a small town, and … Well, what it boils down to is, this fella who thinks he’s a failure in life jumps off a bridge. The Lord sends down an angel named Clarence, who hasn’t earned his wings yet, and Clarence jumps into the water to save the guy. But the angel can’t swim, so the guy has to save him, and then … This doesn’t tell very well, does it?'&#8221;
The actor said his response was simple: &#8220;Frank, if you want to do a picture about a guy who jumps off a bridge and an angel named Clarence who hasn’t won his wings yet coming down to save him, well, I’m your man!&#8221;
<div id="attachment_478827" style="width: 777px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478827" class="size-large wp-image-478827" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-767x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 20: The movie &quot;It's a Wonderful Life&quot;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Henry Travers as Clarence and James Stewart as George Bailey. Premiered December 20, 1946; theatrical wide release January 7, 1947. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="767" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-767x576.jpg 767w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-768x577.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px" />&#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Henry Travers as Clarence and James Stewart as George Bailey. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)</div>
For Capra and Stewart both, the film was a do or die project. For Stewart, it was his chance to prove that he still had something to give to fans. And Capra — who had also been away from Hollywood making movies for the War Department — believed so much in the story that he put everything on the line, even forming a new independent studio (Liberty Films) to produce it. But making the film was not without its difficulties. As actress Donna Reed — who played Mary Bailey to Stewart&#8217;s George Bailey — put it, &#8220;This was not a happy set.&#8221;
At one point, an agitated Stewart complained about the superficiality of Hollywood and acting in general, prompting veteran actor Lionel Barrymore — who plays the movie&#8217;s villain Mr. Henry F. Potter — to scold him: &#8220;So, are you saying it&#8217;s more worthwhile to drop bombs on people than to entertain them?&#8221;
<div id="attachment_478823" style="width: 777px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478823" class="size-large wp-image-478823" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-767x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 20: The movie &quot;It's a Wonderful Life&quot;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Lionel Barrymore as Henry F. Potter, Frank Hagney (in background) as Potter's Bodyguard and James Stewart as George Bailey. Premiered December 20, 1946; theatrical wide release January 7, 1947. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="767" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-767x576.jpg 767w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-768x577.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px" />&#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Lionel Barrymore as Henry F. Potter, Frank Hagney (in background) as Potter&#8217;s Bodyguard and James Stewart as George Bailey. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)</div>
As Matzen explained in a <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-jimmy-stewart-book-mov-1202-20161201-column.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2016 interview</a> with The Chicago Tribune, Stewart appeared to funnel all the bottled up rage, anxiety, anger, fear, and frustration into the role — making his portrayal of a man on the brink truly blur the line between fiction and reality.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a scene in the movie where he questions his sanity and he&#8217;s got this wild look about him. That&#8217;s one scene that really struck me, watching it on the big screen. And the other scene that always made me uncomfortable, but now means so much more to me, is when he&#8217;s in his living room and he&#8217;s throwing things and screaming at his kids — and his wife and children look at him like, &#8216;Who is this man? Who is this monster?'&#8221; Matzen explained. &#8220;And that is so reflective of what millions of families faced, looking at these strangers who came back from the war with this rage. Stewart played it beautifully. He just lets it out.&#8221;
Stewart recalled a similar moment in the <a href="https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-james-stewart-on-its-a-wonderful-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guideposts interview</a>, when George Bailey turned to God in desperation — completely unaware that his entire town was also praying for him in the same moment.
&#8220;In agony I raise my eyes and, following the script, plead, &#8216;God … God … dear Father in heaven, I’m not a praying man, but if you’re up there and you can hear me, show me the way. I’m at the end of my rope. Show me the way, God …'&#8221; Stewart said, adding, &#8220;As I said those words, I felt the loneliness, the hopelessness of people who had nowhere to turn, and my eyes filled with tears. I broke down sobbing. This was not planned at all, but the power of that prayer, the realization that our Father in heaven is there to help the hopeless, had reduced me to tears.&#8221;
Capra, who loved spontaneity in his films, kept the powerful moment in the final cut — he even sacrificed some of the film quality to turn a wide shot into a close-up so that the audience could better see &#8220;George Bailey&#8217;s&#8221; pain.
The film was a resounding flop when it was released in 1947 — bringing in less than half of the expected box office haul — but still managed to impress the Academy. In addition to two technical nominations, Stewart received another Best Actor nod, Capra was nominated for directing, and the film was nominated for Best Picture. All five lost — and Capra&#8217;s newly-formed studio <a href="https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,793760,00.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liberty Films quickly went under</a>.
<div id="attachment_478828" style="width: 775px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478828" class="size-large wp-image-478828" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-765x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 20: The movie &quot;It's a Wonderful Life&quot;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Donna Reed as Mary Hatch Bailey, James Stewart as George Bailey and Karolyn Grimes as Zuzu. Premiered December 20, 1946; theatrical wide release January 7, 1947. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="765" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-765x576.jpg 765w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px" />&#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Donna Reed as Mary Hatch Bailey, James Stewart as George Bailey and Karolyn Grimes as Zuzu. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;By the end of 1947 the film was quietly put on the shelf,&#8221; Stewart <a href="https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-james-stewart-on-its-a-wonderful-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recalled</a>, adding, &#8220;But a curious thing happened. The movie refused to stay on the shelf. Those who loved it loved it a lot, and they told others. They wouldn’t let it die any more than the angel Clarence would let George Bailey die. When it began to be shown on TV, a whole new audience fell in love with it.&#8221;
The fact that the movie appeared on television was actually the result of a probable <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2TYK2NfhJ6pmDqW8rfT4LCf/its-a-wonderful-life-from-festive-flop-to-christmas-classic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clerical error</a> that resulted in Republic Pictures — who owned the rights after Liberty Films collapsed — failing to apply for a copyright renewal in 1974. Because it was public domain, television studios quickly added it to their holiday line-ups. A Supreme Court decision nearly two decades later determined that the owner of the short story it was based on — &#8220;The Greatest Gift&#8221; — actually owned the copyright, and to this day, NBC is the only network licensed to show the movie on television.
But those twenty years meant that millions of people saw that film — and many of them came to love it and come back to it every year.
Stewart explained that he believed the thing that had truly resonated with the audience was the thing that had resonated with him all those years ago — revealing that of the 80-or-so films he had made in his career, &#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221; remained his favorite.
&#8220;Today, after some 40 years, I’ve heard the film called an American cultural phenomenon,'&#8221; Stewart told Guideposts. &#8220;Well, maybe so, but it seems to me there is nothing phenomenal about the movie itself. It’s simply about an ordinary man who discovers that living each ordinary day honorably, with faith in God and a selfless concern for others, can make for a truly wonderful life.&#8221;
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Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Was Almost A Little Less Wonderful: Part II

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why 'It's A Wonderful Life' Was Almost A Little Less Wonderful: Part II

The beloved Christmas classic film &#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221; was the movie that brought a beleaguered and combat-weary actor James &#8220;Jimmy&#8221; Stewart back to fans after the war — but it may have also been the movie that brought a desperate man back from the brink.
<a href="https://www.life.com/people/jimmy-stewart-photos-of-a-world-war-ii-hero-homecoming-1945/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Maitland Stewart</a> was preparing to go to war for several years before he was drafted in 1941. He earned a civilian pilot&#8217;s license in the hopes that the Army would let him fly — and he even took a trip to Europe in 1939 to get a feel for the landscape, knowing that it was likely he would end up there at some point.
By the time the Empire of Japan launched its surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Stewart had already attempted to join the Army. Rejected once in 1940 because he was underweight, the always-slim actor attempted to pack on a few pounds and ultimately turned to a doctor for a note explaining that he was just genetically predisposed to be thin.
Biographer Robert Matzen — who wrote &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Jimmy-Stewart-Fight-Europe/dp/0996274057/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=jimmy+stewart+and+the+fight+for+europe&amp;qid=1621538823&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe</a>&#8221; — explained, &#8220;Step by step, he set himself up to end up in England in a bomb group. One of those steps was taken years before he was drafted, and that was when he became a star in Hollywood and bought a plane that was an army trainer and proceeded to learn to fly and train, and log hours on that plane so that he could be a pilot when the war came.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_478319" style="width: 461px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478319" class="size-large wp-image-478319" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-451x576.jpg" alt="Portrait of American actor lieutenant colonel James Stewart (1908 - 1997), 1944. He had just been named chief of staff of a Liberator bomber combat wing, and recently had been awarded both the Oak Leaf Cluster and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. (Photo by US Army/PhotoQuest/Getty Images)" width="451" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-451x576.jpg 451w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-235x300.jpg 235w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-768x982.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840.jpg 801w" sizes=" (max-width: 451px) 100vw, 451px" />Portrait of American actor lieutenant colonel James Stewart (1908 &#8211; 1997), 1944. US Army/PhotoQuest/Getty Images.</div>
Stewart&#8217;s determination — and his pre-war preparations — did not pay off immediately, however. The actor, who was fresh off his Best Actor win in 1940&#8217;s &#8220;The Philadelphia Story,&#8221; was initially drafted to appear in film reels and enlistment propaganda films — but eventually he demanded to see combat alongside his other draftees.
Stewart eventually got what he asked for, rising through the ranks from buck private to major in just four years and earning a spot in the cockpit of a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber known as Dixie Flyer. He flew dozens of missions over Germany, some as command pilot, and earned both a Distinguished Service Medal and a Distinguished Flying Cross.
But toward the end of the 8th Air Force&#8217;s <a href="https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/mission/8th-air-force-226-big-week-day-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Week</a> in early 1944 — a six-day mission in late February originally named Operation Argument and designed to decimate the German Luftwaffe in preparation for the D-Day invasion — things <a href="https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/jimmy-stewart-ww2-mission-air-force/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went sideways</a>. Stewart was on his 10th mission as a leader and serving as co-pilot when his plane was hit. The German flak left a sizable hole in the fuselage of his plane — just inches from his feet. And while he and his pilot were able to recover, when the smoke cleared from the cockpit, they had to watch as another in their squadron took a similar strike, lost a wing, and plummeted toward the ground.
Stewart was not the same after that and was eventually grounded. At the time, his condition was referred to as &#8220;flak-happy,&#8221; &#8220;shell-shock,&#8221; or &#8220;combat fatigue&#8221; — but today&#8217;s doctors might have diagnosed the decorated pilot with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
&#8220;He wasn&#8217;t afraid of bombs or bullets. He was afraid of making a mistake and causing someone to die. That was his endless stress, and that&#8217;s what ended up grounding him,&#8221; Matzen wrote.
<div id="attachment_478808" style="width: 744px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478808" class="size-large wp-image-478808" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-734x576.jpg" alt="(Original Caption) 9/1/1945-New York, New York-Just like any serviceman returning from the war, Colonel James Stewart was greeted by his proud parents, who journeyed from Indiana, PA, to see their son after his arrival aboard the Queen Elizabeth. A veteran of a year and a half overseas with the 8th Air Force, Colonel Stewart, in his last command, was senior officer over approximately 9,000 men. Here he is shown with his parents at the St. Regis Hotel." width="734" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-734x576.jpg 734w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-300x236.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-768x603.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 734px) 100vw, 734px" />(Original Caption) 9/1/1945-New York, New York-Just like any serviceman returning from the war, Colonel James Stewart was greeted by his proud parents, who journeyed from Indiana, PA, to see their son after his arrival aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Getty Images.</div>
He returned home to his proud parents in Pennsylvania. On the outside, he was a war hero; on the inside, he was nearly broken.
Surviving on little more than peanut butter and ice cream — he struggled to keep any solid foods down — Stewart&#8217;s already thin frame became painfully so. Still, he decided after a short time at home that what he really needed was to get back to work.
&#8220;I have to go back and face Hollywood. I&#8217;ve been away for five years, other people are taking my roles,&#8221; he said — but when he got there, he quickly realized that the landscape had changed and so had he. Stewart ended up sharing an apartment with fellow actor Henry Fonda, who had also recently returned after serving in the Pacific.
<div id="attachment_478811" style="width: 427px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478811" class="size-large wp-image-478811" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640-417x576.jpg" alt="Lt. Henry Fonda (1905 - 1982) during his military service on board the USS Bearss, summer 1945. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)" width="417" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640-417x576.jpg 417w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640-217x300.jpg 217w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640.jpg 742w" sizes=" (max-width: 417px) 100vw, 417px" />Lt. Henry Fonda (1905 &#8211; 1982) during his military service on board the USS Bearss, summer 1945. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;I had been away from the film business, my MGM contract had run out and, frankly, not knowing how to get started again, I was just a little bit scared,&#8221; Stewart described the precarious nature of his situation in a 1987 interview with Guideposts. &#8220;Hank Fonda was in the same boat, and we sort of wandered around together, talking, flying kites and stuff. But nothing much was happening.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-jimmy-stewart-book-mov-1202-20161201-column.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stewart</a> got only one offer in those early weeks. His former boss and MGM exec Louis B. Mayer proposed a biopic capitalizing on the star&#8217;s military service. &#8220;Let&#8217;s do &#8216;The Jimmy Stewart Story&#8217; — we can show you flying over Frankfurt, we can show you as a military hero,&#8221; Mayer said. Stewart&#8217;s answer was an unequivocal &#8220;No,&#8221; and he flatly refused to discuss the matter further.
Director Frank Capra, an Italian immigrant who had been naturalized after serving in World War I, had also spent <a href="https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/director-frank-capra-goes-to-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">time away from Hollywood</a> during the war. As soon as Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall got wind of Capra&#8217;s enlistment, he had him commissioned as a major and assigned to report to him personally.
<div id="attachment_478955" style="width: 782px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478955" class="size-large wp-image-478955" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-772x576.jpg" alt="Italian-American film director Frank Capra (1897 - 1991) as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the US Army, during a stay in London, World War II, 19th August 1943. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)" width="772" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-772x576.jpg 772w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-300x224.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-768x573.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 772px) 100vw, 772px" />Italian-American film director Frank Capra (1897 &#8211; 1991) as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the US Army, during a stay in London, World War II, 19th August 1943. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;To win this war we must win the battle for men’s minds,&#8221; Marshall told Capra in one of their early meetings. &#8220;I want to nail down with you a plan to make a series of documented, factual-information films – the first in our history – that will explain to our boys in the Army why we are fighting, and the principles for which we are fighting.&#8221;
Capra protested, explaining that he had never made any film that could be considered a &#8220;documentary.&#8221;
Marshall responded with the gruff bluster that he was known for, saying, &#8220;Capra, I have never been chief of staff before. Thousands of young Americans have never had their legs shot off before. Boys are commanding ships today, who a year ago had never seen the ocean before.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m sorry, sir. I’ll make you the best damned documentary films ever made,&#8221; was Capra&#8217;s reply.
But when it was all over, Capra returned to Hollywood in much the same state as Stewart: adrift, and wondering if he still had what it took to deliver what the fans wanted.

It’s A Wonderful Life

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Was Almost A Little Less Wonderful: Part I

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why 'It's A Wonderful Life' Was Almost A Little Less Wonderful: Part I

Conflicts

World

The following is a transcript excerpt of a special Sunday edition of Morning Wire. The full episode can be heard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/promise-peril-veterans-promote-psychedelics-to-treat-addiction-6-25-23">here</a>.
As the Opioid epidemic continues to ravage the United States, scientists and lawmakers are taking a novel – and controversial – approach to combating the crisis: psychedelics. Despite continued concerns about the drugs, a number of studies have shown promising results and some states are beginning to fund research. Now military veterans and advocates say that one psychoactive substance in particular, Ibogaine, offers a potential medicinal breakthrough that could save lives.
Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley sat down with reporter Tim Pearce to discuss the potential medical applications of psychedelics.
JOHN: Tim, this is a fascinating topic that’s gaining steam in Washington and within the veteran community — while also prompting lots of questions and concerns. First, how did we get to this point — this official interest in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-psychedelics-are-revolutionizing-the-way-we-treat-mental-illness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">psychedelics</a>?
TIM: Understandably, when a lot of people hear the word ‘psychedelic’ they instantly think of illicit drug use, with images of Woodstock coming to mind. But that perception is starting to change — especially in the medical community, where a number of recent studies have shown that psychedelic drugs could have immense benefits in treating drug addiction, PTSD, and a slew of other mental health disorders. The drug getting the most attention is called Ibogaine — a substance derived from the Iboga plant in Africa. Traditionally, Ibogaine has been used in shamanistic rituals for its hallucinogenic properties, but a growing number of scientists say it’s a powerful tool in combating addiction. Back in the ’60s, a scientist named Howard Lotsof <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/us/17lotsof.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took Ibogaine</a> recreationally with six friends — all of whom were frequent heroin users. According to Lotsof, all but one in the group saw their heroin addiction disappear overnight, with no withdrawal symptoms. That experience led Lotsof to devote much of his research career to studying the scientific components of the drug — he commissioned a number of studies over the next few decades that showed similar effects, but Ibogaine failed to gain mainstream attention. It wasn’t until the last decade, as the Opioid epidemic descended on the U.S. and scientists began looking for alternative treatment plans, that Ibogaine really burst onto the scene.
JOHN: Right. Tell us about some of the studies that showed promising results.
TIM: So, for years there’s been anecdotal evidence that psychedelics helped people address problems in their personal lives — everything from PTSD to addiction. But there wasn’t much hard data to go on. Because the drugs are illegal throughout the U.S., it’s difficult for scientists to conduct legitimate studies on them. But in recent years, scientists have begun to dig into psychedelics and their potential medicinal applications, and the results have been pretty surprising. For example, A study in the <a href="https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2054/1/2/article-p65.xml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Journal of Psychedelic Studies</a> found that 80% of patients who underwent Ibogaine treatment “eradicated or drastically reduced withdrawal syndrome” for a variety of addictions.
JOHN: So how exactly does Ibogaine work in breaking addictive tendencies?
TIM: That’s what scientists are still trying to understand. Once ingested, Ibogaine typically results in an 18-36 hour period where users experience often intense psychoactive experiences. According to users, those experiences produce deep introspective periods that encourage and help convince people to reassess their addiction, but more importantly, there’s the biological component. Again, we still don’t know all the details, but scientists at <a href="https://hub.jhu.edu/2023/06/14/psychedelic-drugs-reopen-critical-periods/">Johns Hopkins</a> say Ibogaine appears to re-wire serotonin receptors in the brain and restore brain activity to pre-exposure levels. It seems to chemically erase addiction pathways in the brain for many users — and reportedly does so after just one or two doses. While other psychedelics that have been studied more extensively for their medicinal qualities, including psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine typically take a round of treatments before relief is felt. Ibogaine, on the other hand, appears to work right away. That’s an important element of treatment.
JOHN: Some of that scientific evidence has drawn the attention of lawmakers. How are they reacting?
TIM: Yeah, most people wouldn’t expect to see politicians publicly calling for research into psychedelic drugs — but as more evidence comes out, that’s exactly what we’re seeing in states around the country — especially those hit hardest by the Opioid epidemic. One of the states investing in Ibogaine research is Kentucky, which last year had the second highest rate of drug overdoses in the country. Just weeks ago, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron introduced a proposal that would potentially allocate $42 million over the next six years to research Ibogaine for treating drug addiction, PTSD, and a host of other mental illnesses. At that same event, Bryan Hubbard, Executive Director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, detailed the research some of that money will be used for. Hubbard said:
<blockquote> “Anecdotal evidence that is a mountain high and decades wide suggests that Ibogaine, within 48 to 72 hours of administration in safe, clinically-controlled conditions, resolves Opioid withdrawal syndrome. It appears to do so by clearing and resetting the brain&#8217;s Opioid receptors while also restoring the brain&#8217;s organic dopamine and serotonin production to pre-Opioid exposure levels. If this anecdotal evidence can be clinically validated, Ibogaine would represent a transformative therapeutic for treatment of Opioid use disorder…”</blockquote>
TIM: Morning Wire also spoke with Hubbard for more context on the potential medical applications of Ibogaine and why he wants more research into the drug.
<blockquote>“Due to Ibogaine’s unique properties, it has the capacity — and a very accelerated time frame — to clear the brain&#8217;s Opioid receptors, while simultaneously restoring the brain’s organic dopamine and serotonin production,” said Hubbard. “Which is almost always completely shut down in an Opioid-dependent individual.”</blockquote>
TIM: Hubbard also expressed caution: 
<blockquote>“It&#8217;s important to note that Ibogaine does come with some risk, and that risk is associated with potential cardiac toxicity. If an individual receives Ibogaine treatment, it is imperative that they receive it within a medically-controlled setting with trained professionals. It is not safe to receive in the underground or recreationally. Anyone that would suggest that Ibogaine would be appropriate to consider for decriminalization is not properly understanding the risk that comes with it or the necessity for administering it within a safe, medically-controlled setting with the appropriate medical professionals present throughout.”</blockquote>
TIM: It’s worth noting, the proposed money to fund that research is coming from an $842 million payout the state received as part of a federal lawsuit against pharma companies for their role in the Opioid crisis. This proposal is important because it marks the first wide-scale effort from a state or federal government to research the drug. Keep in mind, Ibogaine is still illegal throughout the U.S., so it’s hard to know just how many people are using it. But as word of its medicinal application has spread, a growing number of Americans are venturing to places like Australia and New Zealand, where it’s legal. This move paves the way for potential decriminalization, at least in a medical setting.
<h2>LISTEN: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/promise-peril-veterans-promote-psychedelics-to-treat-addiction-6-25-23">Catch the full episode of Morning Wire</a>.</h2>
JOHN: Beyond treating Opioid addiction, Ibogaine is also gaining traction in the military community especially. Tell us about that.
TIM: There’s also compelling evidence that the drug is useful for treating PTSD and other service-related ailments. Retired three-star Marine Corps General Martin Steele, the head of the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition, says that while Ibogaine should not be used for everyone, it should be a tool in the arsenal for veterans in need.
<blockquote>“The existing clinical research and the growing body of personal anecdotes suggests that Ibogaine, when used with careful medical screening, treatment protocols, and oversight, has incredible promise for treating veterans and others struggling with Opioid addiction,” he said.</blockquote>
TIM: Another veteran leading the way for Ibogaine treatment is Tommy Aceto, a retired Navy SEAL. Aceto told us he first heard of the treatment from fellow SEALs struggling with PTSD and drug and alcohol addictions.
<blockquote>“This is going to be crazy to say this, but there&#8217;s guys that wake up and they go &#8216;I don&#8217;t ever want to drink again. I saw what it did to me.&#8217; They&#8217;re not white knuckling it at this point,&#8221; said Aceto. &#8220;This doesn&#8217;t work for everyone, but I can&#8217;t tell you how many times I&#8217;ve seen guys say that — and I&#8217;m one of them. I didn&#8217;t have to white knuckle an addiction. They were gone.”</blockquote>
TIM: Aceto says that while experiencing the psychedelic effects of Ibogaine, he was confronted with the reality of his addictions and trauma and came out a new man. In his words, he’d tried a number of treatments and medications that didn’t work and viewed Ibogaine as a last-ditch effort for healing.
<blockquote>“I felt a reset in myself. There were a lot of triggers, or what I would call “threats,” and they were diminished tremendously.  And I had stopped taking all the medication that the Navy gave me —  probably about 13 pills.  That was a shocker. In our community, when you feel better, you want to tell as many people as you can.”</blockquote>
JOHN: We’ve seen similar calls for government action from veterans serving in Congress. Give us more details on what we’re seeing out of Washington. 
TIM: This month, a number of congressmen, including SEAL veterans Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) and Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), introduced legislation that would allocate $75 million towards research into psychedelics. Here’s Rep. Luttrell speaking outside the capitol:
<blockquote>“Make no mistake, my journey, my experience with this treatment was the most horrific experience of my entire life. It was absolutely miserable. This is not something you do recreationally. The medications I took were Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT. It gives me the &#8220;hibbity jibbities&#8221; even thinking about doing it ever again, which I never will do. I will never tell anybody to do this — ever. If you find yourself in a place where you are lost, and no other modalities have worked, this could possibly be that tool. I can honestly stand here in front of all of you and the American public and say this, I was reborn. This changed my life. It saved my marriage. It is one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I’ve never done a drug in my entire life, but I had to go overseas to do this.”</blockquote>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Introducing the Douglas &#039;Mike&#039; Day Psychedelic Therapy to Save Lives Act" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QFUSCf1cfi0?start=1401&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
JOHN: But we’re still talking about a pretty heavy-duty drug here. You mentioned earlier some of the potential risks associated with its use — what do detractors say?
TIM: This is by no means a closed case in the medical community — there are plenty of doctors who are skeptical about the use of these drugs, and it’s definitely worth noting that psychedelics like Ibogaine can have some serious negative side effects. Most notably, the drug can cause an irregular heartbeat and result in severe cases of ataxia — an affliction that impairs balance and speech. Ibogaine is also especially dangerous when those using it have other drugs in their system, including Opioids, cocaine, or antidepressants and other SSRIs. That part is important, because many users take Ibogaine because they’re addicted to those very drugs. Proponents of the treatment stress that patients must complete a detox from any drugs before taking Ibogaine. And there are also plenty of folks leery of psychedelic use on religious grounds. Ibogaine users often compare the trance they enter to a spiritual state, and often report that during their hallucinations they encounter a sort of being who guides them through the experience. Many people of religious conviction say using any form of psychedelic drug — even in a medical setting — is essentially playing with fire.
JOHN: Well, obviously we want to approach this kind of drug with a lot of caution required here. Thanks for reporting.
TIM: Thanks for having me.
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Why Veterans And Lawmakers Are Exploring Psychedelic Therapy For PTSD And Opioid Addiction

Congress

Dan Crenshaw

Drugs

Psychedelics

Many people who suffer from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ptsd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post-traumatic stress disorder</a> often relive highly-charged fearful and emotional memories while they sleep, and neuroscientists from Virginia Tech have recently discovered what is behind this phenomenon using models of the brain, the news outlet for Virginia Tech <a href="https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2023/01/science-sujith_vijayan_neroscience_ptsd_rem_sleep.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The findings provide vital information for creating therapies that could mitigate the effects PTSD has on sleep.
The brain can be very active during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, so much so that Virginia Tech neuroscientist, professor, and co-author of the study, Sujith Vijayan called it “paradoxical sleep.” Combining the high activity of REM sleep with post-traumatic stress disorder, people who suffer from the disorder can relive painful memories “over and over” again, according to Vijayan.
Normally, the brain can bring up emotional memories during REM sleep to cleanse the emotional charge. However, this normal process can malfunction for people who suffer from PTSD, and the result is that painful memories come to mind night after night.
In their study, <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/43/3/433" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> in The Journal of Neuroscience, Vijayan and his team of researchers constructed a biophysical model of the brain where they could simulate neurophysiological functions like communication between different parts of the brain, neurotransmitters, and brain waves.
By adjusting the brain rhythms between the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2907136/#:~:text=The%20prefrontal%20cortex%20(PFC)%20intelligently,brain%20regions%20(BOX%201)." target="_blank" rel="noopener">prefrontal cortex</a> and the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537102/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amygdala</a> in the model, researchers were able to link lower levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin with the brain&#8217;s ability to restrain fear and pain-based memories during REM sleep. They further found that those who suffer from PTSD experienced high levels of norepinephrine and serotonin during REM sleep, thus repeatedly causing painful memories to come to mind.
Other studies have shown that the emotional charge of negative memories is mitigated by REM sleep. However, it is still the “wild west” when it comes to understanding how REM sleep works, Vijayan described. “REM sleep is a lot harder to get your hands around. There are really good models out there for how non-REM sleep might consolidate memories and what role it might play in learning and memory. But when we talk about REM, there are no real, good models on how that stuff is happening,” he said.
So, this new model from Vijayan and his team provides quite the insight. Looking at brain wave rhythms between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, they found that four to eight hertz on the theta range of brain rhythm, which is common for humans, allowed for the greatest strength of communication in the brain. This, in turn, inhibits fear expression cells during sleep.
When researchers adjusted the models to include high levels of norepinephrine and serotonin during REM, four to eight hertz on the theta range of brain rhythm was ineffective at inhibiting fear expression cells. But, they did find that ten hertz was effective at suppressing fear expression cells in the PTSD brain model.
Therapies could be created as a result of the findings, namely covert auditory stimulation, as Vijayan calls it. “That means I’m playing those sounds and you’re not aware of it while you’re sleeping,” he said. “That could be useful for any sort of disorder where sleep is disrupted, not only in PTSD, but in traumatic brain injury or Parkinson’s disease. The idea is that by inducing desired neural dynamics, we can engage the recuperative powers of sleep.”

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Why Do PTSD Patients Relive Intense Fear-Based Memories In Sleep? New Models Provide Insight.

New Models Provide Insights Into Why PTSD Patients Relive Intense Fear-Based Memories

Brain

Health

Medical Research

Virginia Tech

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