“Bombs to Booze” documentary highlights local veteran turned distiller & mental health

Watch the official trailer for “Bombs to Booze” in the video player above.

(MONUMENT, Colo.) — September is National Suicide Prevention Month and a documentary highlighting a veteran turned moonshine distiller in Monument, which explores the mental health struggles our veterans face and the resources to help, is now available to watch on Prime Video.

“ Bombs to Booze ” follows the life of Mike Girard, a retired Army Bomb Tech turned owner of 3 Hundred Days Distilling in Monument, whose passion is rooted in helping veterans find the mental health support they need after returning to civilian life.

Director Lauryn Ritchie explained that Girard mastered the art of distilling moonshine while deployed in Afghanistan, and initially, this is what she thought the story’s focus would be.

“He used an old, gutted-out IED [improvised explosive device], and made his first batch of moonshine while he was deployed using that IED as a still, and then he came back and it turned into a business,” added Ritchie.

Ritchie said that while Girard believed that 3 Hundred Days Distilling was his transition back into civilian life, he quickly learned that something was still missing.

“He started to realize that he hadn’t transitioned out of the military as well as he thought he had,” she said. “And that’s when talking to friends and family and reaching out to different resources, that he realized he needed to get help and he did.”

Ritchie said as she spoke more with Girard about his own struggles and what he did to get help, it became apparent that the documentary’s focal point would be on mental health.

“It’s something that I am very passionate about, even prior to going into this documentary, mental health is very close to my heart,” she explained. “I’ve had my own struggles with it, and so, it was something that Mike and I were immediately able to relate on and bond over.”

“Bombs to Booze” goes into Girard’s story before and after treatment and how it “quite literally changed his life and gave him his life back,” Ritchie said.

Ritchie grew up in Colorado Springs and is a Colorado State University Alum, and said her first film post-grad hits especially close to home as her dad is in the Air Force and her parents live in Monument.

“They were so excited. My dad has been so integral in being that look into the veteran community,” she said. “My parents have known Mike for a long time, knew of the story of 3 Hundred Days, and when I graduated, they were like, ‘Hey you should just meet with him,’ and here we are.”

Ritchie said there was always a higher purpose for Girard. “He said, ‘Well, if you’re going to make something, I want it to have a purpose behind it and I don’t want it to be about me, I want it to be about mental health.'”

As Ritchie reflects on the documentary she first began working on in December of 2021, she had these words for veterans who may need help:

“You’re not broken, you’re not damaged,” she said. “There are resources out there that exist purely to help you, and it’s important that you reach out to them.”

As for the documentary, “Bombs to Booze” can be watched now on Prime Video. As for the name, here’s what Ritchie had to say: “I sat down, I was brainstorming and I looked at their website, and in their ‘About Us’ page, the first line is, “Mike Girard, from bombs to booze,” and I texted him and said, ‘Can I steal that?’ And he said, ‘Sure,’ and that was literally it.”

3 Hundred Days Distilling is located at 279 Beacon Lite Road, Suite G in Monument.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. The 988 suicide and crisis lifeline can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone, chat or text. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.