#117 | Brian Delate | Vietnam and Guardian Angels

Vietnam veteran and actor Brian Delate on working with Al Pacino, his film Guardian Angels, and helping end military suicides. Brian is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War (1969-70). Since then, he has had a diverse and rewarding film, theatre, and TV career. Brian worked on the big screen with luminaries like Al Pacino, Jim Carrey, Jodie Foster, Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Tim Robbins, and many others and he was prominently featured in five episodes with Lisa Kudrow in HBO's The Comeback. He has appeared on stages from Broadway to London, Greece, and Vietnam and worked closely with Al Pacino in Oscar Wilde's Salome on Broadway. Guardian Angels explores the fantastical and life-changing event Brian experienced while in college, which marked a spiritual or psychological upheaval directly connected to his experience as a combat veteran. Tune in for a wide-ranging conversation. To learn more about Brian: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0216507 Lastly, Brian works closely with The Mission of Trauma and Resiliency Resources (TRR) is to end military suicides. We do this by focusing on Military Moral Injury© – a term we have coined to describe the wounding to the heart and soul of our warfighters. TRR saves the lives of military veterans and also improves and changes their lives. We do this through our Warrior Camp® program. TRR's focus is not simply the prevention of veteran suicide, but on improving the day to day lives of our nations combat veterans and the people closest to them. If you are interested in learning more: https://trrhelp.charityproud.org/Donate/?cid=10897 Chapters 0:00 Welcome Brian Delate 2:38 A life-changing event 7:31 Classified 1A and working at a record store 12:34 Committing to the army 17:33 The draft lottery and fear 22:34 Cheered on one day, called a dog the next 25:06 A veteran who runs 200 miles at weekends 30:02 Training at Fort Bragg 35:01 A great drill sergeant and a misread name 40:07 Leadership at 19 45:08 Stock control and accounting 50:01 Good at it and thinking of staying 52:33 Community college and the GI years 1:02:31 Bucks County Community College 1:07:31 Sappers at night 1:10:03 Returning to Vietnam and a waiter's eyes 1:15:02 Shaking on the way to the flight line 1:20:01 A teacher who saw something in him 1:25:02 First lines in a Tennessee Williams one act 1:30:07 From The Doors and Cream to classical 1:35:07 An otherworldly encounter 1:42:33 The biggest mystery 1:50:00 The distance from head to heart 1:55:00 Equine therapy, EMDR and Native American healing 2:00:03 Memorial Day and fantastical elements 2:05:00 Ellen Burstyn 2:15:07 A life-affirming experience 2:20:00 Guardian Angels, the one-man show 2:22:32 Telling the story through art 2:32:38 An upturned sense of self 2:35:04 Advice to a frightened friend The Ryan Pyle Podcast is ad-free by choice. If you enjoy these conversations, you can buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/ryanpyle Ryan's TV series are streaming around the world. Follow the Podcast X: https://x.com/RyanPylePodcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpylepodcast Follow Ryan Pyle YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanjpyle Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanpyle X: https://x.com/RyanPyle Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpyle https://www.ryanpyle.com