How an Iraq War veteran coped with PTSD by using taste mindfulness and bourbon

U.S. Army veteran Fred Minnick became a world-renowned bourbon expert following his tour in Iraq. Minnick returned home to the U.S. with PTSD and trauma — and used mindfulness to heal.

When Fred Minnick was stationed in Iraq on June 24, 2004, as part of a team known as Task Force Olympia, his role in situational and combative defense was to document civil affairs missions as an Army photojournalist. "I knew the air smelled different, people were different. I didn't enjoy what I used to enjoy." Practicing mindfulness was his preferred method of coping, and it led him to a successful career in the spirits industry. The reminders of June 24, 2004, have less of a hold on him today because of mindfulness. "It's a community that cares about America, and it cares about the people who served this incredible country." Gabriele Regalbuto is an SEO editor at Fox News Digital. Gabriele has a Journalism and Communications degree from West Virginia University. She has worked to produce content for newspapers, magazines, and digital platforms. At Fox, she has assisted in coverage of breaking news events including the 2024 presidential cycle, 2022 midterm elections, Queen Elizabeth II's death, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

With a weapon swung around one arm and a camera around the other, Minnick would set out with a team after the Iraqi insurgency bombed several police stations in northern Iraq.