Double-Whammy: PTSD and Substance Abuse

Battleland contributor Bingham Jamison, a Marine who saw action in Iraq and came home the worse for wear, is the subject of a new video by Veterans Healing Initiative. That’s a nonprofit group dedicated to getting veterans treatment for substance abuse and PTSD. “VHI offers support to veterans from all conflicts, of all ages, men and women, regardless of military status or medical insurance coverage,” says Bingham, a member of VHI’s military advisory board.

“The documentary was developed to raise awareness for the stigmatized afflictions of PTSD and substance abuse — and their prevalence amongst veterans — to prove that it’s OK to ask for help, and to let suffering veterans know that help is available through VHI,” he adds. Tom Lennon, who won an Academy Award as producer of The Blood of Yingzhou District, a documentary on China’s AIDS orphans, created the video. “My hope,” Bingham says, “is that people who watch the film are motivated to share its message, energized to donate to its cause, and impassioned to help other veterans in need.”