Ep. 165 - How America Receives Its Heroes Home | Matthew Buckley Jr. and the Weight of the Dignified Transfer
MAX AfterburnerShow Notes
Whiz sits down with his oldest son, Matthew Buckley Jr., to debrief his active-duty tour with Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware — the single port of entry where America’s fallen come home.
Matthew walks through the process and the procedures: what happens from the moment an aircraft touches down, how our heroes are received, and the standard of care that never bends. He debriefs the high-profile dignified transfers he supported, including ones attended by the President, the Secretary of War, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan “Razin” Caine.
He also debriefs his mission to Edwards Air Force Base following the June 15, 2026 crash of a B-52 Stratofortress — call sign Torch 11 — and the eight crew members lost. It is the heaviest part of this conversation and he does not flinch from it.
The two of them close on what comes next. The No Fallen Heroes Foundation was awarded the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant, and Matthew steps into a new role as Veteran Outreach Coordinator — from receiving the fallen to reaching the living before we lose them.
In this episode:
- Inside Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover - How a dignified transfer actually works, start to finish - The Edwards AFB B-52 crash and the eight lives of Torch 1-1 - The SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant and Matthew’s new role with NFHF See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
More from MAX Afterburner
Whiz goes solo this week with a brief from Washington and a hard look at where we stand 25 years after September 11.
On September 11, 2001, John Kostick was working as an electrician on the 39th floor of Tower One. He got out. Then he went back and spent the next 12 to 18 months at Ground Zero doing rescue and recovery.
Aviation has advanced dramatically since Matthew “Whiz” Buckley first entered the cockpit nearly four decades ago. Aircraft are safer, technology is smarter, and training is more sophisticated—but approximately 80% of civilian and military aviation mishaps still involve human error.
August 2026 will be remembered as the month the institutions finally caught up to the warriors who went first. In this episode, Whiz Buckley walks through thirty days that would have been unthinkable five years ago. The VA Secretary reported his department is making real strides on psychedelic therapy for veterans. The Department of War formally recognized Operator Syndrome — the cumulative toll carried by the men and women who spent careers at the tip of the spear. The New York Times ran a piece on Americans facing danger seeking treatment at clinics outside the country. And hours later, a federal report from SAMHSA landed telling states to start preparing now for FDA approval of psychedelics — the clearest signal yet that this is no longer a question of if.
In Episode 160 of the MAX Afterburner Podcast, former Navy TOPGUN fighter pilot, Wall Street executive, and No Fallen Heroes Foundation Founder Matthew "Whiz" Buckley delivers a powerful update on two worlds that are rapidly converging: the evolution of psychedelic medicine and the realities of modern combat.