Episode #35
"I Just Tamed a Lion": Surviving a Ranger Father's Abuse | Leland Holgate | Therapy Was Full
Leland Holgate grew up under a father from the 75th Ranger Regiment who trained him in Krav Maga and combatives starting at age five — using violent, abusive punishment for ordinary childhood mistakes while presenting a loving family-man image to the outside world. Dustin Hayes and Terrence Davis sit down with Leland to unpack what it meant to survive that childhood, why boot camp felt easier than home, and how a chokehold confrontation at 17 became the turning point that sent him into the Air Force as a C-130 loadmaster. Leland shares his path through Operation Northern Watch, the Kenya embassy bombing response, and Operation Allied Force in Kosovo, and opens up about his complicated relationship with his mother, an Army nurse who couldn't protect him, and the devastating text he received from his father on his own birthday in 2016. This episode covers generational trauma, victim mentality versus true accountability, and what real healing looks like when the wound never fully closes. This episode contains detailed discussion of child abuse and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7: dial 988, then press 1.
