Hollywood and Horsepower Show, July 2, 2026

Hollywood And Horsepower Show with Mark Otto Guest: Top Gun Matthew Buckley, best known as Wiz Buckley From Fighter Jets to Healing: Matthew “Wiz” Buckley on Mission, Trauma, and No Fallen Heroes Episode Summary A Story Behind the Story Takes Flight Mark Otto opens Hollywood and Horsepower by explaining why this replayed conversation matters: Matthew “Wiz” Buckley brings together aviation, service, finance, trauma, and charitable work through No Fallen Heroes. The episode frames Buckley as both a former Navy fighter pilot and a founder focused on helping veterans, first responders, and family members facing serious emotional and psychological struggles. The Neighbor Who Lit the Fuse Buckley traces his love of flying to childhood in New Jersey, where a neighbor in the Air National Guard made fighter aviation feel larger than life. A dramatic F-106 flyover helped cement a lifelong goal: he wanted to fly Navy fighter jets from aircraft carriers, not simply become a pilot. The Navy Pyramid and the Top Gun Standard The conversation follows Buckley through Navy ROTC, Pensacola, jet training, F/A-18 Hornets, deployments aboard the Abraham Lincoln and Kitty Hawk, work as a Landing Signal Officer, and later training connected to Top Gun. He explains the competitive pyramid of naval aviation and the demanding mental discipline required to become both a “good guy” and an adversary pilot. September 11th and the Weight of Readiness Buckley recalls September 11th from the perspective of an American Airlines pilot and Navy reservist who raced to Naval Air Station Fort Worth as the attacks unfolded. He describes the surreal possibility of being ordered to defend American airspace, including the moral weight of potentially intercepting a civilian airliner. From Combat Methods to Marcet Methods After his military career shifted, Buckley entered finance and eventually built Top Gun Options by applying military-style planning, briefing, risk management, and debriefing to trading. He contrasts ordinary financial “education” with disciplined training, emphasizing strategic, operational, and tactical thinking before any trade is made. No Fallen Heroes and the Search for Radical Healing The second half of the episode centers on Buckley’s founding of No Fallen Heroes after personal losses, veteran suicide concerns, and his own experiences with trauma. He discusses psychedelic-assisted therapy, ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, family trauma, grief, faith, and the role of integration after treatment, while making clear that veterans, first responders, and family members can all carry wounds that deserve healing. A Call to Heal the People Who Served Otto and Buckley close by discussing the broader failure to reintegrate service members and the need for public awareness, support, and practical help. Buckley directs listeners to No Fallen Heroes and its online resources, leaving the episode with a message that healing, service, and purpose can continue beyond the cockpit, the battlefield, or the uniform.