Stigma
De Oppresso Liber
To Free the Oppressed
The motto of the Green Berets.
What if the one who needs to be freed is the person everyone counts on to never break?
In war zones, boardrooms, and operating rooms, high performers fight battles out of sight. A panic attack in a meeting. The sleepless night before a life or death decision. That moment alone when disappearing feels easier than being exposed.
Lives are not lost because of a lack of strength, but from the belief that asking for help will destroy everything.
This book breaks the code of silence and shatters that belief.
Written by a retired U.S. Army Green Beret and Black Hawk pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), it shows that even the strongest can struggle. And that the struggle is not weakness.
Learn to spot hidden battles in yourself and others, recognize the warning signs early, and avoid the isolation that turns struggle into disasters.
Redefine strength and end the silence before more lives are lost.
Silence kills. Strength speaks.
For fans of Can’t Hurt Me, Extreme Ownership, and When Breath Becomes Air.
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Veterans Crisis Line – Free, confidential support available 24/7 for veterans, service members, and their families. Dial 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online.
https://www.veteranscrisisline.net
https://www.militaryonesource.mil/crisis-support
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Available to everyone in the U.S.—civilian, military, or first responder. Call or text 988 to connect instantly with trained crisis counselors.
https://988lifeline.org
https://safecallnowusa.org
Military & Veterans
ARK Health Foundation – Helping veterans heal from trauma and reach their highest potential through advanced human optimization programming, while simultaneously breaking barriers to care.
https://arkhealthfoundation.com/
https://thefund.org
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) – Provides peer-based support and grief resources for families grieving the death of a service member. Offers mentoring, camps for kids, and survivor retreats.
https://www.taps.org
Bob Woodruff Foundation / Got Your 6 Network – Funds and connects over 100 vetted nonprofits serving veterans. Strong resource hub if you’re looking for trustworthy local programs in mental health, housing, and reintegration.
https://bobwoodrufffoundation.org
Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB) – Builds community and resilience through fitness, outdoor events, and local chapters.
https://www.teamrwb.org
First Responders
Code Green Campaign – Education, peer support, and mental health advocacy for first responders.
https://codegreencampaign.org
First Responder Support Network (FRSN) – Provides peer and clinical retreats to help first responders recover from traumatic stress.
https://www.frsn.org
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation – Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives – Peer and family support programs designed to help firefighters cope with loss and trauma.
https://www.firehero.org
Civilians
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – Nationwide nonprofit with support groups, education, and advocacy for anyone living with mental health conditions (and their families).
https://www.nami.org
Mental Health America (MHA) – Offers screening tools, education, and local affiliate connections for affordable, community-based mental health support.
https://www.mhanational.org
Inspiration from the Trenches
On Trauma and Recovery
On Family and Relationships
retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Three who served 13 years in the United States Army. He holds the rare distinction of being both a Green Beret and a Night Stalker helicopter pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Over the course of his career, he completed multiple combat and operational deployments worldwide, often working alongside America’s most elite units.
After years of performing at an elite level, Nick faced a different kind of war. He battled depression, panic attacks, and suicidal thoughts, and those experiences revealed the destructive stigmas surrounding mental health, especially in the veteran and first responder communities. His journey from combat to collapse, and eventually to healing, became the foundation of Stigma. Through raw personal stories and a call for cultural change, he challenges the belief that struggle equals weakness and shows that real strength is found in vulnerability.
Today, Nick is committed to destroying the stigmas that keep high performers silent and suffering. He uses his story to fight for a culture where honesty and connection end isolation and shame. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Ark Health Foundation and as an ambassador for Give an Hour, two nonprofit organizations dedicated to veteran mental health and dismantling stigma.
Description
Green Beret. Pilot. Speaker. Survivor.
Nick O’Kelly is a retired U.S. Army Green Beret and Blackhawk pilot from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, commonly known as the Night Stalkers. He spent years performing at the highest levels, flying missions in some of the world’s most demanding environments. On the outside, he looked rock solid. On the inside, he was quietly battling depression, identity loss, and suicidal thoughts.
Now, as a speaker and author, Nick shares his story to help others break the silence. He’s not here to lecture, he’s here to be real. Vulnerability saved his life. If sharing what he went through helps someone else feel seen, understood, or encouraged to speak up, then this mission is working.
Green Beret. Pilot. Speaker. Survivor.
Nick O’Kelly is a retired U.S. Army Green Beret and Blackhawk pilot from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, commonly known as the Night Stalkers. He spent years performing at the highest levels, flying missions in some of the world’s most demanding environments. On the outside, he looked rock solid. On the inside, he was quietly battling depression, identity loss, and suicidal thoughts.
Now, as a speaker and author, Nick shares his story to help others break the silence. He’s not here to lecture, he’s here to be real. Vulnerability saved his life. If sharing what he went through helps someone else feel seen, understood, or encouraged to speak up, then this mission is working.
Additional information
| Weight | N/A |
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| Format | Audiobook, E-book, Hardcover, Hardcover – Signed, Paperback |
David R Lunow –
A brutally honest accounting of an elite warrior’s battle with suicide while at the pinnacle of his career. Stigma is apply named as this is the great struggle so many of our military have yet are loath to face or seek help. This stigma could derail a career, lose a marriage, lead to loss of purpose and any number of other barriers that lead to silent suffering. They are not winning this battle as the number of suicides continue unabated. The author’s wife provides a chapter that outlines a spouse’s perspective showing that the battle is not a solitary affair. As a medical doctor who runs two Men’s Health clinics, I see this battle daily in my vet and active duty population. Nick O’Kelly opens the door for other’s suffering similar mental issues to face their battles honestly and out in the open. Seeking help is the only way forward. Stigma is a much needed memoir that may, in time, be mis titled. At least that is the hope. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for those struggling and for those who have family members struggling. It is a ray of hope in an otherwise bleak landscape.
David R Lunow, MD
Fort Worth, TX
Jeremiah Jares –
Stigma is one of the most powerful and necessary books I’ve read in a long time. It dives headfirst into the mental health struggles so many in the military face, yet few are willing to talk about. The honesty and vulnerability in these pages are rare — and that’s exactly what makes this book so impactful.
Knowing the author personally, I can say his courage in writing Stigma reflects the same strength he’s shown in uniform. This book isn’t about statistics or theory — it’s about the real, human cost of silence, and the hope that can emerge when we finally start to talk.
Stigma should be required reading for every service member, veteran, and anyone who wants to understand the battles that don’t make headlines. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s a reminder that none of us are fighting alone.
Richard Deaton –
“STIGMA” is a great book written by an accomplished Special Forces Operator and 160th Blackhawk pilot. But even more than that he’s a man that struggled with a battle that a lot of us struggle with yet cannot find the strength to come forward and face it. He did! Personally I believe this should be required reading in the military, mental illness from chronic stress is no different than a broken bone, it takes time to mend. Great book written by a great man and I highly recommend it.