This color film is a 1974 public service announcement regarding The National Association of Mental Health. It opens with Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin candidly speaking to the camera about his much-publicized struggles with mental health issues after returning from his 1969 moon walk. He stands with some of the artifacts representing his life, including his astronaut suits (:09-:31). Buzz describes his depression and associated alcoholism. Those factors ultimately led to his decision to get profession help, regardless of the effect on his career and the stigma attached to mental illness (:32-1:59). In 1972, Buzz walked into The National Association for Mental Health as a fact-gathering mission. They asked him to serve on the board that year, and in 1973, to serve as the National Association of Mental Health Chairman (2:00-3:00). A closeup is shown of a medallion necklace on his tie of the Association’s symbol (3:04). Highlights of the Association’s 1973 activities are spoken to a table of members. These include renewal of the Community Mental Health Act; participation in the court action to require the administration to release $52 million to the Association already approved by Congress; participation in the court action to require the administration to release the millions already approved by Congress for research to alcoholism and manpower programs; and the Association successfully sued the government to require minimum wage laws be applied to patients working in institutions (3:24-6:13). Buzz continues discussing the organization and important changes needed to mental health services (6:14-8:00).
Buzz Aldrin (born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American engineer, former astronaut, and Command Pilot in the United States Air Force. As Lunar Module Pilot on the Apollo 11 mission, he and mission commander Neil Armstrong were the first two humans to land on the Moon. Aldrin set foot on the Moon at 03:15:16 on July 21, 1969 (UTC), 9 minutes after Armstrong first touched the surface. One of his first missions was on Gemini 12 where he successfully proved that extravehicular activity (EVA) could be performed by astronauts, spending over 5 hours outside the craft, thus achieving the goals of the Gemini program and paving the way for the Apollo program.
His autobiographies Return to Earth, published in 1973, and Magnificent Desolation, published in June 2009, both recount his struggles with clinical depression and alcoholism in the years after his NASA career.
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