Winning the war against opioids: A military family's personal struggle

Retired Adm. James “Sandy” Winnefeld had barely left the CBS News studio in New York last November when his phone started to blow up.

As a contributor to the network, the retired four-star often appeared to talk about military and homeland security issues. But this time was different. He had shared a deeply personal, recent tragedy and told viewers about a nonprofit that he and his wife, Mary, founded together.

The reaction from viewers was immediate. People cheered him on, others wanted to know how to get involved. Emails poured in from people asking him for help.

Winnefeld had revealed what happened to his son Jonathan, who dealt with anxiety and depression for years and developed an addiction. Jonathan successfully moved into recovery, then died from an accidental opioid overdose in his dorm room at 19. The details of Jonathan’s life appeared in an essay Winnefeld wrote for The Atlantic.

“He knew what he wanted to do,” Winnefeld said of Jonathan in an interview with the Washington Examiner. “He wanted to live. He wanted to help other people and now he can’t. And that’s not fair.”