Navy SEAL Howard Wasdin, "Rock Star to Rock Bottom" in PTSD Battle

Former Navy SEAL Team 6 Sniper Reveals How He Rediscovered His Faith After Hitting Rock Bottom
The Blaze
Billy Hallowell
Nov. 4, 2014

Upon his return, he faced both PTSD and survivors’ guilt, wondering, “Why were these guys taken and why was I allowed to live?”

The Last Rescue by Howard Wasdin

Howard Wasdin, a former top sniper with Navy SEAL Team 6, is hoping that his story of overcoming intense personal struggles will inspire others who are faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Wasdin recently told TheBlaze about the issues he faced after sustaining injuries during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu (also known as Black Hawk Down) in Somalia.

The incident took a physical toll on Wasdin, forcing him to leave the military and assimilate back into civilian life.

The former military fighter, who is now an author and a chiropractor, said that he initially hit rock bottom after leaving the service, forcing himself to crawl his way out of a world filled with pain and despair — an experience he recaps in his newly released book “The Last Rescue.”

“It’s a powerful redemption story that will hit home to anyone who has found him or herself in a dark place,” Wasdin said of the book.

The decorated former Navy SEAL said that after being wounded and “on the verge of death,” leaving the military was intensely difficult. Struggling to adjust, he ended up divorcing, turning to alcohol and finding himself profoundly confused about his destiny.

“I got a divorce right after getting out of the SEAL Team — a lot of bad things snowballing for me there,” he said, noting that he also became a single dad tasked with caring for his son. “After that, I jumped into the bottle and became best friends with Jack for a while, last name Daniels.”

Considering that the military was the only thing Wasdin truly knew and the only real job he had ever had, he said he was left distraught and disconnected.

Over time, though, Wasdin said that he was able to overcome these struggles through counseling and a return to his Christian roots — ideals he had previously abandoned in his adult life, placing his sole focus on his career.
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