Hollywood and Horsepower Show, February 19, 2026

Hollywood and Horsepower Show with Mark Otto Guest, Matthew “Whiz“ Buckley TOP GUN Graduate NAVY FIGHTER PILOT Founder of NO FALLEN HEROS From Top Gun to Total Healing: The Matthew "Wiz" Buckley Story From Afterburners to Breakthroughs The Journey of Matthew "Whiz" Buckley: Navy Pilot, Trader, and Healer. EDITORIAL SUMMARY The Profile Call Sign: "Whiz" Background: Top Gun Graduate, F-18 Pilot Foundations: Top Gun Options, No Fallen Heroes Critical Metrics 44 Est. Veteran Suicides Per Day 16 Brothers Lost (Non-Combat) $2.5M Profitable Trades (COVID Crash) #TopGun #PTSD #Ibogaine #SOT The "SOT" Methodology Buckley applies Navy combat training to finance and life through a three-tier framework: Strategic: Global context (Israel, China, Russia). Operational: National context (Fed, Interest Rates, DC). Tactical: Specific execution (The Trade/Action). Radical Healing: The Mexico Journey "Radical trauma requires radical healing." Buckley describes a life-changing "system reset" using Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT alongside figures like Marcus Luttrell. He emphasizes that while the medicine is 5%, the 95% integration (journaling, exercise, coaching) is the true mission. Key Perspectives On Big Pharma: "There is no money in healing." Claims lobbyists block psychedelic progress to protect recurring revenue from antidepressants. On National Security: Veteran suicide is a recruitment crisis; veterans are steering their children away from service due to poor reintegration support. Source: Hollywood and Horsepower Podcast Visit: nofallenheroes.com This interview features Matthew "Wiz" Buckley, a former Navy fighter pilot and Top Gun graduate, discussing his transition from elite aviation to financial trading and his current mission to combat veteran suicide. Buckley shares his profound personal journey through trauma, addiction, and radical healing via psychedelic-assisted therapy. Detailed Summary The Path to the Cockpit Matthew Buckley’s aspiration to fly was sparked in childhood by a neighbor who flew F-106s and once performed a low-altitude max-afterburner flyover at Buckley's school bus stop. This drive led him through Navy ROTC and flight school in Pensacola, where he finished at the top of his class to select F-18 Hornets. During his sea tours, he deployed on the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Kitty Hawk, flying no-fly zone missions over Iraq before serving as a Landing Signal Officer (LSO) at Miramar. 9/11 and the Transition to Finance On the morning of September 11, 2001, Buckley was preparing for his first trip as an American Airlines pilot when the attacks occurred. He immediately raced to Naval Air Station Fort Worth, scrambling to defend the airspace in a "Lexington and Concord" moment with other part-time aviators. Following the post-9/11 airline industry collapse, he transitioned into finance, teaching himself to trade stocks and options by applying fighter pilot methodologies to the markets. He eventually moved to Chicago to help lead a multi-billion-dollar trading firm before founding his own company, Top Gun Options. The "SOT" Trading Framework Buckley applies military discipline to financial markets through a three-tiered approach: Strategic: Global landscape analysis (Geopolitics, macro trends). Operational: Domestic factors (The Fed, interest rates, earnings). Tactical: The execution of specific trades. "Trading is combat. You must brief the strategy before you act tactically." Trauma, Loss, and the Breaking Point Despite a successful career, Buckley carried immense "invisible" weight. He lost 16 squadron mates to accidents and three to suicide, alongside the childhood trauma of losing his sister to a drunk driver [184-192][215]. The disconnect of civilian life in Chicago led him into a spiral of alcohol and drug abuse to numb the pain [175]. He describes the military's failure to effectively reintegrate veterans, often leaving them with a "slap on the back" and a broken VA system after they have given their "pound of flesh". Radical Healing and "No Fallen Heroes" In 2020, after predicting the COVID market crash and generating significant profits, Buckley sought a way to address the veteran suicide epidemic. He traveled to Mexico to undergo psychedelic-assisted therapy using Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT alongside Navy SEALs like Marcus Luttrell. He describes the experience as a "system reset" that instantly ended his alcoholism and allowed him to process decades of grief. This transformation led to the founding of the No Fallen Heroes Foundation, which provides healing grants to veterans, first responders, and their families. The Crisis in Numbers Buckley highlights the disparity between official government data and independent research regarding veteran welfare: 17-20Official VA Daily Suicides 44Actual Estimated Daily Suicides Source: Alabama and Duke University research Advocacy and the "We The People" Moment Buckley is a vocal critic of the "military-industrial complex" and the pharmaceutical industry, arguing that there is "no money in healing" and that Big Pharma lobbies to keep effective treatments illegal. He notes that while there is growing bipartisan support for psychedelic therapy—citing figures like Dan Crenshaw and AOC—the real change must come from a grassroots "groundswell" rather than top-down government intervention. Key Data Veteran Suicide Rate: Research indicates the number is closer to 44 per day, nearly double the official VA figure of 17-20. Personal Loss: Buckley lost 16 brothers in aviation accidents and 3 to suicide. Financial Impact: During the 2020 COVID crash, Buckley's trading group executed $2.5 million in profitable trades over two and a half weeks. Foundation Reach: No Fallen Heroes has provided grants to over 50 recipients with a 100% success rate in reported mental health improvement. To-Do / Next Steps Visit nofallenheroes.com to apply for a healing grant or donate to the cause. Subscribe to the No Fallen Heroes YouTube channel to watch testimonials from veterans and first responders. Follow @officialwhizbuckley on Instagram for updates on financial training and veteran advocacy. Explore Top Gun Options for financial training based on naval aviation methodologies. Conclusion Matthew "Wiz" Buckley’s story is one of high-stakes transition—from the cockpit of an F-18 to the volatility of the trading floor, and finally to the front lines of a mental health revolution. He advocates for "radical healing" to match "radical trauma," emphasizing that the tools to save veteran lives already exist in nature and simply require the courage to bypass systemic obstacles.