How an Iraq War veteran coped with PTSD by using taste mindfulness and bourbon

This communicative discusses suicide. If you aliases personification you cognize is having thoughts of suicide, please interaction nan Suicide & Crisis Lifeline astatine 988 aliases 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

An Iraq War seasoned has utilized "taste mindfulness" to move his life astir — and forged a thriving profession successful nan process, positive fixed others a measurement guardant by his example. 

When Fred Minnick was stationed successful Iraq connected June 24, 2004, arsenic portion of a squad known arsenic Task Force Olympia, his domiciled successful situational and combative defense was to archive civilian affairs missions arsenic an Army photojournalist.

With a limb swung astir 1 limb and a camera astir nan other, Minnick would group retired pinch a squad aft nan Iraqi insurgency bombed respective constabulary stations successful bluish Iraq.

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"I would beryllium attached to infantry, typical forces, civilian affairs teams and my full occupation was to archive what was going on," Minnick told Fox News Digital. 

"My photography would beryllium utilized to little everyone from Donald Rumsfeld to our generals, and it would beryllium utilized successful nan media arsenic good sometimes."

Rumsfeld served arsenic caput of defense nether Presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush.

Fred Minnick, shown successful some images here, served successful nan U.S. Army successful Iraq from 2003-2005. Today, his usage of mindfulness techniques has led him to a very successful profession successful nan spirits industry. (Courtesy U.S. Army; Fred Minnick)

"Some missions were open, immoderate were classified, immoderate were conscionable for illustration going to a schoolhouse opening," Minnick said successful an question and reply pinch Fox News Digital. "While we were successful nan mediate of surveying these car bombs, 1 of our units was getting ambushed."

As Minnick and different soldiers surveyed nan area, a U.S. Army portion was fired upon by insurgents hiding retired successful mosques. Insurgents were resisting nan business of Iraq pinch convulsive assaults connected U.S. soldiers from houses of worship. At nan time, mosques were protected sanctuaries but quickly became safe shelters for terrorists.

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It was Minnick and his team’s responsibility, however, to archive nan attacks connected nan beatified places. In bid to person support to engage, officials required archiving of attacks.

"This was our opportunity to stitchery impervious that they were really attacking us," Minnick said. "I captured it and nan conflict was fundamentally over."

Shortly aft arriving successful Kuwait successful precocious 2003, Minnick was convoyed to Iraq. Minnick, right, is photographed successful Mosul, Iraq. (Spc. Gretel Sharpee (2004))

At this time, it was safe for nan group to separate, truthful nan main constituent of nan portion left. As Minnick and others wrapped up equipment, a achromatic van pulled up successful adjacent proximity to nan team.

"There were respective group who sewage retired of nan van," Minnick said. "They started firing upon us, and 1 of nan things that came done was an RPG."

A Russian-made rocket-propelled grenade launcher, depending connected nan make, has an effective firing scope of 10 up to hundreds of meters. Minnick was only 10 feet from wherever nan information hit.

"I knew nan aerial smelled different, group were different. I didn't bask what I utilized to enjoy."

"I was successful nan termination zone, and it did not explode," Minnick said of nan dud RPG. "We sewage successful nan vehicles, we took off, we eliminated nan enemy, we still sewage fired upon — and nan adjacent 24 hours I still don't moreover retrieve afloat what happened instantly aft that."

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"The truth is I was different instantly after," he said.

Though Minnick had been successful galore combative situations and narrowly escaped sniper rounds anterior to June 24, he said this infinitesimal and representation collapsed him. His superiors began pulling him from missions, and he experienced warzone PTSD immediately.

"When I came home, I tried to get into therapy beautiful quickly," he said. "I knew nan aerial smelled different, group were different. I didn't bask what I utilized to enjoy."

A Russian-made RPG landed conscionable feet from Minnick while he was successful Iraq. The RPG was a dud — but it was nan infinitesimal that changed his life arsenic he knew it. (Courtesy U.S. Army)

‘Knew I had to get help’

Minnick was a runner. Upon his return, he began moving again arsenic a coping system until he injured his ft and could nary longer moreover walk, fto unsocial run.

Rage and suicidal thoughts consumed Minnick, truthful he sought aesculapian assistance done therapists.

"The infinitesimal that I knew that I was either going to beryllium dead, termination myself aliases extremity up successful situation for hurting personification other — that was nan infinitesimal that I knew I had to get help," Minnick said. "It's a beautiful sobering infinitesimal erstwhile you look astatine yourself successful nan reflector and you cognize that there's perfectly nary personification near of who utilized to beryllium there."

Practicing mindfulness was his preferred method of coping, and it led him to a successful profession successful nan spirits industry.

After sifting done therapists who recommended medications, Minnick recovered nan correct expert for his ain individual needs. He worked done various types of treatment, including cognitive behavioral therapy. 

For Minnick, practicing mindfulness was his preferred method of coping, and it led him to a successful profession successful nan spirits industry.

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Minnick, a erstwhile vino journalist and Louis Roederer Wine Writer Awards nominee, was vastly successful tune pinch his senses. 

His expert initiated consciousness practices first pinch a 4th — past pinch a BBQ murphy chip.

Today, Minnick is simply a father, hubby and world-renowned bourbon expert. (Courtesy Fred Minnick)

During a memorable session, she urged Minnick to adjacent his eyes and attraction connected nan separation of sweetener and brackish and really nan spot collapsed into pieces.

"It turned connected a portion of my encephalon that was like, ‘You tin really sensation things, you tin sensation things astatine a precocious level,’" he said. 

"I became obsessed, perfectly obsessed pinch tasting."

‘Still going to prime my kids up astatine 4 o’clock'

For Minnick, nan constituent of mindfulness was to attraction connected his surroundings alternatively of nan fearfulness of snipers. As he walked nan streets of New York City for years pursuing nan extremity of his circuit successful Iraq, he flinched astatine building tops successful fearfulness of shooters. 

He used mindfulness some past and now to attraction connected nan surrounding smells. 

The reminders of June 24, 2004, person little of a clasp connected him coming because of mindfulness.

Today, Minnick laughs astir really New York City smells are truthful bad he can’t deliberation astir shooters.

Though Minnick says he will ever consciousness nan reverberating reminders of June 24, 2004, nan infinitesimal has little of a clasp connected him because of mindfulness.

"Now, I tin show that communicative — and while location mightiness beryllium immoderate difficult moments to get through, I'm still going to prime my kids up astatine 4 o'clock," he said.

Minnick has written 7 books and has hosted nan award-winning bid "The Fred Minnick Show." He told Fox News Digital, "It was nan bourbon organization that made maine recognize that it [his subject service] was not thing I should hide from — it was thing I should beryllium proud of." (Courtesy Fred Minnick)

Minnick turned his mindfulness into a profession and is simply a world-renowned spirits master who has written 7 books, co-founded nan Bourbon & Beyond euphony show and more. 

He is simply a father and husband to his wife, Dr. Jaclyn Engelsher, whom he credits pinch redeeming his life.

"She is my everything," Minnick said. "Jaclyn is everything to me. I was angry each nan time, and she was nan only point successful nan world that could calm me."

He besides recovered solace successful nan bourbon community aft choosing nan spirits way complete wine, a touch-and-go business determination complete a decade ago.

"It's a organization that cares astir America, and it cares astir nan group who served this unthinkable country."

"I was ne'er ashamed of my service, but I didn't want to talk astir it," Minnick said. 

"It was nan bourbon organization that made maine recognize that it was not thing I should hide from — it was thing I should beryllium proud of."

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He added, "The infinitesimal personification successful bourbon finds retired you're a veteran, they convey you, they admit you, and they want to stock a dram pinch you. It's a organization that cares astir America, and it cares astir nan group who served this unthinkable country."

And while Minnick became a maestro of bourbon himself, he encourages different veterans to find their ain therapist and hobby, whether it’s scuba diving, quilting aliases thing else, and to beryllium comfortable evolving from it, too.

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Minnick’s latest recreation is combative but defined and teaches some durability and consideration: Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

"There is simply a life that's retired location and there's a hobby that's retired there," he said. 

Noting that "no 1 comes backmost genuinely whole," he besides said, "There is thing that's retired location that tin make you consciousness full again."

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