Sep 10, 2019
Twenty-two
veterans die by suicide every day in America, outpacing deaths in
combat or war supporting activities. Despite the military’s best
efforts to contain a public health crisis, the numbers of deaths
continue to rise. The Beyond Well team had extraordinary insight
into the causes and potential remedies of military suicides in our
conversation with New York Times bestselling author and former
Special Tactics Officer, Dan Schilling.
Schilling spent more than 30 years in the military, primarily
as a Combat Controller and Special Tactics Officer, though he
proudly started his career as an infantry grunt. His numerous
combat and clandestine deployments have taken him around the world
and include Operation Gothic Serpent, popularly known as Black Hawk
Down from the movie and book bearing the same name, where he is
credited with saving the lives of a Ranger and SEAL Team Six SEAL
while under fire. He later founded and then served as the first
commander of two special operations squadrons, one of which’s name
and purpose remains classified.
A purveyor of adrenaline-fueled endeavors, he holds the
Guinness World Record for most BASE jumps in 24 hours (201), a feat
he conducted to benefit children who’ve lost a parent in special
operations through the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. He is
also a pro-rated demonstration skydiver, speedwing flyer and expert
skier and volunteer instructor with Wasatch Adaptive Sports,
helping those with disabilities to experience the thrill of
downhill skiing.
Beyond Well talks with Dan about the mental health crisis in
America’s military.