Torque & Trauma: Fixing More Than Machines

In this raw and revealing non-fiction work, Chad Calahan delves into the lasting echoes of childhood trauma and its profound impact on adult life, with a lens on his 20-year career in the Air Force. Blending personal experience with hard-earned insight, the book explores how post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) shapes the mind and body, often in ways that remain hidden until the pressure builds beyond breaking points. With a focus on men—who are too often taught to bury their pain—this narrative offers a roadmap to understanding, confronting, and healing from the torque of trauma. Written in a direct, unflinching voice, “Torque and Trauma” is both a memoir of resilience and a call to action for those ready to face the past to reclaim their future.

Chad Calahan is a 20-year United States Air Force Veteran who served as a Crew Chief for F-15 and F-22 fighter jets, maintaining the backbone of America’s air superiority through multiple deployments to Afghanistan and other austere locations. Shaped by the loss of his father as a young adult and the lingering scars of childhood trauma, he confronts PTSD with the same tenacity he brought to the flightline. A survivor and advocate, he brings a raw, hard-earned perspective to “Torque and Trauma,” blending the grit of a serviceman with the insight of a man determined to heal. Focused on helping men confront their pain and find strength in vulnerability.