“Dr. Frueh’s contribution to the health and mental health of military special operators is outstanding, timely, and much needed. This work is what every operator, family member, and provider needs to read. This creates a common language and resource that moves the field forward.”

—Gabrielle Lyon, D.O., U.S. Navy SEAL spouse, functional medicine practitioner, author of Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well

“Dr. Frueh provides a framework that gave us hope and a path forward. I am forever grateful for the work he has done for special operators and their families with Operator Syndrome.”

—Andrea Gallagher, U.S. Navy SEAL spouse, co-author of The Man in the Arena, president of The Pipe Hitter Foundation

“Operator Syndrome lays it all out to be understood. I spent twenty-five years in the Army with twenty-one being in Special Operations. Frueh’s work is spot on and describes the issues most of our Special Operations warrior families are facing.”

—Tom Satterly, U.S. Army (Ret.), Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Special Forces, CEO/co-founder of All Secure Foundation, author of All Secure: A Special Operations Soldier’s Fight to Survive on the Battlefield and the Homefront

“For a comprehensive insight into veteran trauma and associated physiological injuries, Dr. Frueh’s work is an invaluable resource. This book is a must-read for anyone adjacent to or in the veteran space.”

—Jesse Gould, former U.S. Army Ranger, founder of Heroic Hearts Project

“If knowledge is power, then Operator Syndrome by Dr. Frueh is an atomic bomb. Much of my frustration, anger, and confusion as a spouse came from a lack of understanding the complexities of the issues my husband faced after serving in an elite Special Operations unit for twenty years. We both felt lost in the fog of PTSD until we were armed with the knowledge that this injury can be healed.”

—Jen Satterly, U.S. Army Special Forces spouse, CEO/co-founder of All Secure Foundation

“Dr. Frueh’s efforts have transformed our understanding of the complex, interrelated medical-psychological injuries faced by military special operators. Every combatant of the Global War on Terrorism, and their family members, should read Operator Syndrome.”

—Mike Sarraille, U.S. Navy SEAL (ret.), former U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper, and CEO of Talent War Group

Chris Frueh, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. He has over thirty years of professional experience working with military veterans, service members, special operators, and private defense contractors. Previously a tenured professor at the Medical University of South Carolina and Baylor College of Medicine, he has coauthored over three hundred scientific publications, including a graduate textbook on adult psychopathology.

Frueh has testified before U.S. Congress and served as a paid consultant for the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, the U.S. State Department, and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He has also published commentaries in National Review, Huffington Post, The New York Times, Time, Men’s Journal, and Special Operations Association of America. Additionally, he has been quoted or cited in The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Washington Post, Scientific American, Stars and Stripes, USA Today, Men’s Health, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Associated Press, and NBC News, among others.

Outside of his purely professional pursuits, Frueh devotes time to SEAL Future Foundation, HunterSeven Foundation, Special Operations Association of America, Boulder Crest Foundation, Military Special Operations Family Collaborative, The Mission Within, VETS, Inc., and Big Country Veterans. He has also published nine historical crime novels, including They Die Alone (2013) and, most recently, A Season Past (2019).