The Warfighter: Tribute to Boone Cutler, Army combat vet and fiery voice of a generation

Simply put, Boone Cutler, was one of the most influential veterans of the post 9/11 era. His recent passing comes too soon but reminds us to remember the alarms he sounded for improving VA care and properly addressing mental health. Cutler called out Congress, DoD and VA for overloading vets with prescription meds while holding an outdated stance on cannabis. And he worked to save countless veterans from the suicide epidemic, through The Spartan Pledge. In this episode we hear rare conversations recorded in 2019, where we discussed his life, combat in Sadr City, Psy Op (Psychological Operations) tactics and the gripping origin story of his advocacy. We began at a saloon in Nevada, where Boone shared his family’s rich military tradition. Later we heard Boone’s miraculous, autobiographical story, recorded at his kitchen table, where we truly got to know the man behind those distinctive black sunglasses. The experiences he shared, would eventually be heard by Congress, and trigger the VA to address the over-prescribing of pills- an issue Cutler dubbed, “The Combat Cocktail”. He powerfully described the pharmaceutical link to the suicide epidemic and illustrated through his own difficult memories, how veterans can consider ending their life. Cutler’s story also revealed how he was one of the first vets to reveal the second order effects that stem from TBIs and blast injuries. He further shared fierce advocacy for cannabis, and offered vivid examples of how it effectively replaced the pain killers and heavy psychoactive drugs, which are still prescribed too often today. We finally dove into his love for his wife, family, veteran brothers and sisters, and how The Spartan Pledge, was forged as a battle plan to save veteran lives. There will never be another vet like Boone Cutler. I am honored to have known Boone and called him a friend. Till Valhalla my brother. More on Boone Cutler- his advocacy, and award winning books here: https://boonecutler.com/home/