Veteran’s faith saves him from death of despair 

Marine Corporal Dave Smith nearly took his life during his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, but God saved him when he cried out, he says.

“I was in the bedroom of my college apartment,” Smith said in an interview with Fox and Friends in 2017. “I drank every bottle of alcohol in the house and decided to put a shotgun barrel in my mouth because I just numbed myself instead of trying to deal with things, and I wanted to feel something again.”

Fox News Senior Medical Analyst Marc Siegel records Smith’s story in his upcoming book, The Miracles Among Us: How God’s Grace Plays a Role in Healing Us, detailing how Smith rediscovered his faith.  

“Faith becomes very important to him again, after losing touch with it in Iraq,” Siegel writes. “Every day, he has one simple prayer: ‘God, I am so sorry. Please help me be a good man.’ Smith says that this prayer leads to his becoming the best version of himself that he can be.” 

Smith served in Iraq in 2004, where he accidentally shot a friend in the foot, thinking he was the enemy. Although his friend recovered, Smith could never shake that memory and continually struggled with depression from PTSD. 

Years later, Smith met another veteran named Clay, who shared a similar experience to Smith’s. Clay introduced Smith to various veterans programs and groups offering everything from mountain biking to serving with Team Rubicon – a veteran-led humanitarian organization.  

Tragically, Clay took his own life. But Smith said God used Clay to stop him from doing the same.  

“God sent Clay’s ghost to Dave Smith. He saw him, and it saved him,” Siegel explained in a recent interview with Fox and Friends. “That was the miracle, and that miracle was straight from God, and he’s been praying for forgiveness ever since then.” 

Siegel said Smith also participated in veteran mountain biking, including two trips with Former President George W. Bush, which Siegel joined. 

“We can be sympathetic, but we can’t possibly relate to what it’s like to see a friend killed in combat. And yet, there are others who can,” Bush told Siegel in an older interview. “Here in this group, people have progressed from severe depression, severe case of PTS, to moderate cases, and in some cases, a light case of it, and they can share with their pal what it took. 

“And so it’s logical, and it works. Helping vets transition from military life to civilian life is going to be a huge contribution to the country.” 

Smith said his progress has brought him closer to God and strengthened his endurance.  

“Post traumatic growth is that, as a result of these traumatic experiences, you can also learn to be more affectionate in relationships closer to God and overachieving and never giving up as well,” he said.  

Siegel said Smith is “doing great,” living in Norway, “happily married” and a father of four. 

Siegel’s book, which is set to release Nov. 18, records numerous stories similar to Smith’s, all of which display “a miracle,” he said.  

The percentage of veterans who struggle with PTSD is much higher than the recorded 10%, Siegel notes. PTSD can manifest itself in various forms, from mild sleep apnea to relationship struggles to suicidal thoughts or actions.  

“All of this needs to be looked at, and you have to come forward, and you can’t be embarrassed about it, and then you have to pray to God for forgiveness and to God for guidance,” Siegel said. “When you decide that there’s a greater force that will guide you, it takes a lot of pressure off of you, and that’s what you and I both believe.”