A soldier goes shockingly off the rails

The explosion in Las Vegas has left many questions and conspiracies are filling in the blanks

All the makings of a meme

We all woke up to the shocking news that a terrorist had struck in New Orleans in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day. Even before knowing the details we heard that over 10 people had been killed when a pickup truck sped down the street mowing down revelers before ending in a crash and shootout with the police.

As the day unfolded we found it it was an Army veteran who had turned radical in the last year and turned extreme in his Muslim religion. What appeared to be an Islamic State flag on the back of the truck was found to be one and the entire country wanted to know how a guy from Beaumont, Texas turned to terror?

Then later in the morning we got word of a Tesla Cybertruck on fire in the porte co·chère of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. It was an instant meme. What is more symbolic of the current moment than one of Elon Musk’s rolling dumpsters catching fire outside of one of Trump’s treasured properties?

It was only a short time before we discovered a much darker story. It wasn’t a battery fire but a bizarre explosion of fireworks, camping fuel canisters, and gasoline. We then found out the driver was a U.S. Army soldier who appears to have shot himself before the explosion that caused seven minor injuries to bystanders.

We quickly found out that the perpetrator was Master Sergeant Matthew Livelsberger, an active duty Army Green Beret. He was stationed in Germany supporting drone operations and was home on authorized leave in Colorado. He had only recently had a new child and had served in the Army for almost 19-years and was by all accounts a strong supporter of both Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

You’d be hard pressed to find a less likely “terrorist” attacking a Trump property than Livelsberger.

So, what happens when things don’t clearly add up these days?

The blanks get filled in by conspiracy.

The flood of conspiracies

As it turns out he had sent a number of emails detailing his hatred of Democrats, DEI, ‘weakness,’ and whatever you would expect from an extreme MAGA follower. But, he also allegedly sent emails that detailed his belief that the drones over New Jersey were Chinese with a secret "gravitational propulsion” system and we were being lied to about it. He also accused the U.S. of covering up war crimes in Afghanistan, and that he was being followed by Homeland Security or the CIA.

On the right and among many apparent veterans they latched on to his talk of secret drones and surveillance. He was painted as a good soldier who was a whistleblower or patsy for a larger conspiracy. There are stories of how his Signal avatar changed just before his death and then just after when he was already dead. Discussions of how a real Green Beret would never buy the cheesy Desert Eagle to kill himself. Discussions of how the ‘bomb’ was too unsophisticated to be made by a real operator.

The conclusion by many was that he was clearly a “patsy” or being manipulated by someone else. That his emails were going to terrify the U.S. government and wanted them covered up. There is talk of it not being his body in the vehicle. Clearly, a good guy with valor medals would never do something like this.

A very popular right wing veterans podcast alleges to have received a Proton email from Livelsberger just before his death. I haven’t found a single media story on the email and its authenticity. Here it is but I cannot attest to its authenticity.

To say there are serious doubts about this email would be an understatement from questions of wording to the car not being correct. I will keep an eye on it. The show hosts pushing this narrative have been making the rounds of the podcast circuit too.

But the far right isn’t alone in the spin.

On the left, many have latched on to his talk of of hating Democrats and calling for an uprising against them as proof of this being a “MAGA Terrorist” attack. Some have shaped it as the first shot of MAGA violence in 2025. Much of this based on two notes released by the Las Vegas police found on Livelsberger’s phone in the car on his Notes app.

Neither of these two notes were sent or published by Livelsberger. The only reason we have seen them is because the police released them.

I point out that fact of them being on his phone because many are calling it a “manifesto.” While that is true in one sense, it is belied by the point that he didn’t publish or post this call to arms publicly himself.

Frankly, I question the professionalism of the police for doing so. What did we gain by them doing it?

What do we know?

Matthew Livelsberger was born in Ohio and was 37-years old at the time of his death. He entered the Army originally in 2003. He left the Active Duty in 2007 and joined the Army Reserve before returning to active duty in 2012. He has a total of just over 19 years of active service in the Army and was a Master Sergeant, the second highest pay rank in the Army’s enlisted ranks.

By all measures he had a highly decorated and prestigious career. He was an Army Special Forces soldier, or Green Beret. Livelsberger was a five-time recipient of the Bronze Star, including one with a V device for valor under fire.

His other awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with 'V’ for Valor. Army Commendation Medal (3x), Army Achievement Medal (2x), Army Good Conduct Medal (5x), National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Three Stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (3x), NATO Medal (2x), Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, and Freefall Badge.

In addition to his awards Livelsberger had an exemplary military record that spanned the globe. His nearly 20-year career span in the Army was served in various capacities, including communications, intelligence and operations with the special operations community. During his break in active service he worked as a contractor for 11 months in 2011-2012 at an image analysis tech company in Charlotte, NC.

Livelsberger listed himself as a summa cum laude graduate of Norwich University in 2019.

But all of this seems to cover for an internal struggle the has been dealing with for many years. He was married previously and got divorced around 2011. He appears to have remarried in the last year or so and had a newborn child. Reports have been published that his current wife had broken up with him just days before his violent death over accusations of infidelity on his part.

Livelsberger did multiple tours in Afghanistan with his home unit, the 10th Special Forces Group based in Colorado. His awards point to at least four combat tours if not more in various positions. While he does not have a Purple Heart indicating he was injured in combat we know he had a back injury tied to parachute jumps and was exposed to multiple explosions in combat and training.

According to a former girlfriend he struggled with the mental and physical toll of his service. Physically he was treated for the back but also displayed a host of symptoms associated with Traumatic Brain Injury with her. She worked as a nurse with head injury victims and recognized the signs.

In addition, he told her that he thought he had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his experience in combat both seeing deaths and killing others. He talked about exhaustion and pain, not being able to sleep and reliving the violence of his deployment.

His near final line in the note above hints at his torment, “I needed to cleanse myself of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”

Other reports tell a tale of a mind coming apart. According to the New York Times, in 2021, the Army sent him to its Advanced Special Operations Techniques course near Seattle, but, the former girlfriend, Ms. Arritt said, he failed out of the course and admitted to struggling to concentrate and memory problems.

She went on to say, “after the course, he grew paranoid and believed he was being followed. He had nightmares that persisted long after the course was over.”

After his wife kicked him out, he rented a Cybertruck, as he was a Tesla fan and made his way in a wandering route to Las Vegas. He circled the hotel entrance once then returned later. It appears he took his life with the handgun after lighting the fuse for the mix of fireworks and gas canisters in the back of the truck which exploded 17 seconds later.

Along with his military ID, investigators have recovered several other pieces of charred evidence inside the truck, including his a passport, credit cards in his name, fireworks, an iPhone, a smartwatch, a Desert Eagle .50 pistol and a rifle that authorities said were purchased legally.

Investigators said nothing used in the explosion was commerical grade. Notable about it all from the start was that it was a crude set of explosives as Green Beret’s are literally trained in homemade explosive making. He could have crafted a bomb that would have truly killed many.

He didn’t.

He killed himself in the attention grabbing way mentioned in his notes.

What does it all mean?

We don’t have a lot of answers. It’s disturbing to see either side of the political spectrum trying to spin this. Marjorie Taylor Greene is even jumping into the fray. Everyone pulling pieces of the story for their own benefit or to support their agenda.

The fact is that he did end up seeking some mental health treatment. The Army announced that he had sought care and was being treated for depression.

In this case, I have some experience. When I was in graduate school I sought treatment for my challenges. I was struggling with concentration, self destructive behavior, and general disconnection from my family.

After seeing a couple of different psychiatrists and therapists they decided I was depressed and stressed from the burden of a high pressure school and my impending fourth combat tour. I resisted a formal diagnosis because if I got it and was prescribed medications I would lose my flight status, flight pay, and be non-deployable.

Instead I dedicated myself to working harder at being a better person, seeking ways to alleviate my “sad” moments, and focus on my work. It worked…until it didn’t about 10 years later and the wheels fell off and I finally sought help for my obvious PTSD long after I had retired from the Army.

It’s easy to blame the Army for not providing enough mental healthcare but it appears they did and they have gotten better. In the end though the soldier has to seek help and accept it. It’s not like a broken leg. Many of those who struggle get very good at covering it up until they can’t.

None of this is an excuse

I don’t write this to excuse him or exonerate him for his choice to hurt himself and seven innocent bystanders. It certainly is no excuse for his MAGA hatred for Democrats or racism. I am not aware of TBI or PTSD making you racist.

It’s also terrifying, and enraging, to consider that an active duty Green Beret is calling for violence against Americans and from what I hear through sources, he isn’t remotely alone in his beliefs.

At some point it’s up to an adult to take responsibility for their health. It’s also up to his teammates to recognize clear signs and step in. The fact is that Livelsberger was obviously coming apart as far back as 2021 when he failed his course. That is a big deal in the Army. It would raise a lot of red flags. Yet, he continued serving all the way until this week.

He endangered himself and his teammates by continuing to ignore his struggles and hide his mental injuries. In the end he endangered fellow Americans in his suicide stunt. We are fortunate more weren’t hurt.

But, this isn’t the same as New Orleans. Shamud-Din Jabbar decided at some point that his financial issues and marriage challenges would drive him to radicalization. He then attacked innocent Americans with his truck and killed 14 people. He was a terrorist by every definition.

I am not convinced that Livelsberger intended the same and we will argue about it for years to come. For now, let’s take both of these as lessons in how mental health remains a huge issue for our nation and those who serve. We must remove the stigma. We must remove the fear of not being a “good friend” if you call out or report clearly psychological dysfunction in our friends, family, or teammates.

If you are in crisis you can call 988 everywhere in the country. Veterans can then Press 1 to get the Veterans Crisis Line. You can learn more here: Veterans Crisis Line

In the meantime, let’s focus on the issues at hand. There are elections as early as this week in Virginia and across the country starting this month. Trump’s outrageous nominees will be begin their confirmation process next week as well.

We have work to do. Together.

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