Join Paula for this special holiday show where she interviews her Dad, Jack Gutman, two days before his 95th birthday!
Jack was born in 1925, back when the world was a very different place. People were lucky if they were making $50 a week, and 10 cents could buy way more than it does today. In his 95 years, Jack has seen a lot of things, including the current pandemic, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since 1918.
As one of nine children, Jack survived the poverty of growing up in New York City. He went on to participate in the Normandy Invasion… D-Day, the Invasion of Okinawa, and then endured 66 years of PTSD before getting help from the VA. He received 3 years of therapy with Dylan Bender, which enabled him to get his life back and get free from self-destructive, addictive behaviors.
Today, Jack is free of flashbacks, fear, and failure. Living from his current state of gratitude, he has one goal… to encourage anyone suffering from PTSD to get help. Too tough to be stopped, and no stranger to miracles, Jack suffered a stroke on October 28 of this year, which left him unable to speak. Fortunately, he was taken to the hospital in time to receive a drug known as the clot-buster, and within an hour, normal speech returned.
Yes, he seems to have much in common with a cat who has 9 lives! Jack’s mission today is to touch lives and help others to find peace and joy. He does this through public speaking, comedy, and through his book, One Veteran’s Journey to Heal the Wounds of War, available on Amazon.
Jack lives in Southern California with his wife of 73 years, Mary Jo Gutman. His three children, Lesley, Paula, and Craig, also reside in Southern California, as do his 5 grandchildren, Jenna, Chris, Patrick, Erin, and Casey. Craig’s wife Marilyn, Jenna’s husband Eric, and Chris’s wife Jaime, as well as Jack’s two great-grandchildren, Giada and Brielle, round out his southern California family.
Although they have chosen not to gather this Holiday Season, there will be Zoom games and songs, and as always, the undeniable and unstoppable love of family!
You don’t want to miss this show. There is much to learn from one who has lived this long, and Jack has wonderful stories to share. Please enjoy this show and share it with everyone you know. Wouldn’t it be a great birthday gift for Jack to get him trending?!
About Jack:
Born in San Francisco in 1925, Jack Gutman grew up in a tough neighborhood of New York City where survival meant belonging to a gang. His gang was the Panthers.
At 17 ½ years old, wanting so desperately to serve his country, Jack convinced his father to sign for him and he enlisted in the Navy.
After training for months as a Medical Corpsman, his first active-duty took him to England to prepare a hospital for the aftermath of the invasion of Europe.
On D Day he landed between Utah and Omaha Beaches in the invasion of Normandy, having the difficult task of caring for those killed and wounded during the attack.
After dealing with undiagnosed PTSD for 66 years, he finally got counseling from the VA and today leads a happy, healthy life.
Today he is one of the last living World War ll Veterans who are healthy, lucid, and able to share with us the realities of D Day,
He is also an active comedian, public speaker, and author who loves speaking to students and touching lives with his story.
Recently he was video interviewed by the Smithsonian World War ll Museum in New Orleans and this interview is now part of the museum’s archives. He has appeared on Martha MacCallum’s Fox News show, The Story, on Ben Shapiro, in countless video interviews, and of course, on his daughter, Paula’s, radio show and Podcast, Change It Up Radio.
Check out the video below to watch our interview:
Resources Mentioned:
- One Veteran’s Journey To Heal the Wounds of War by Jack Gutman
- Let Freedom Ring: D-Day Veterans Return to Normandy–75 Years Later – A documentary by World War II veteran, George Ciampa
- Contact Jack Gutman at jojac777g@aol.com
- Jack Gutman on Twitter
- Get Paula’s FREE GIFT: “20 Things to Say and Not to Say” Guide
- Saying The Right Thing When You Don’t Know What To Say
- The Higher Energy Podcast by the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP)
- Higher Energy: Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy with Dawson Church
- Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy by Dawson Church
- Grief… When Will This Pain Ever End?: A Guide to Finding Your Way Out of the Depths of Despair After Suffering Profound Loss
- Chakras, The Magnificent Seven
- Paula Shaw on Facebook
- Change It Up Radio on Facebook
- If you have any questions or would like to book a session, contact Paula at (626)-864-0756
- Learn More About Host Paula Shaw
- Email Paula at Paula@ChangeItUpRadio.com
- PaulaShawSpeaks.com
- LifeWave.com
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