By Bill Rausch, Executive Director of Got Your 6

Bill Rausch

For the past four years, Got Your 6 has led from the front in shifting perceptions of America’s veterans.

The campaign has achieved this primarily by leveraging the vast power of the entertainment industry to shift the narrative of veterans from one that portrays them as “broken heroes” to one that empowers them. We want veterans to be seen as civic assets who are leading a resurgence of community across the country…because they are.

Let’s back up. Last year, Got Your 6 commissioned a study that revealed Americans see mostly extreme depictions of veterans—either heroic or broken—in film and television. These portrayals significantly influence public perception of the entire veteran population, yet they are by no means an accurate representation. Interestingly, the study found that veterans and their families are just as likely to accept this misinformation about themselves as the rest of the general public. Can you blame them? The storyline of the downtrodden veteran has graced our screens for decades. Headlines that read, “Sergeant Psycho: Killer G.I. had suffered traumatic brain injury,” have been splashed across newsstands. Storytelling is the most powerful way human beings consume and process information, and cinematic storytelling is the most powerful of all. So that’s where we begin. Since Got Your 6’s inception, the entertainment industry has been the catalyst for our messaging. With the support of the major studios, networks and talent agencies in Hollywood we have embarked on shifting the perceptions of those who have served. Without their reach, audiences, and willingness to normalize depictions of veterans on film and television—we wouldn’t be successful on this endeavor.

Let’s accept that there is a dueling narrative about veterans. That they are heroic—but broken, too. That they are “damaged leaders.” That poses a major challenge since a majority of Americans today say they support veterans. We can safely say that many of them even sympathize with veterans—which means they might be more susceptible to prevailing false narratives about them. That’s because they may not know a veteran personally. Or they might think they can’t relate to a veteran’s military experience, let alone what a year in Iraq or Afghanistan must have been like. The point is, while most Americans do support veterans, they believe that vets are more likely to be unemployed or homeless, to have posttraumatic stress, and be more likely to die by suicide. For decades, we’ve seen these depictions promulgated in Hollywood films, in headlines splashed across newspapers and websites, and in messaging by (well-intentioned) organizations that claim to help veterans.

The good news is that Got Your 6’s research shows these perceptions are not deeply held. There is real potential here to break through the clutter and to change minds.

That’s why Got Your 6 launched 6 Certified. In January 2015, First Lady Michelle Obama, Bradley Cooper, and other major entertainment industry supporters joined Got Your 6 to launch 6 Certified in Washington, D.C. The program was conceived as a way to recognize film and television projects for their accurate and responsible portrayals of veterans. Every six months, an independent review committee—comprised of entertainment industry executives and veteran thought leaders—evaluates and awards 6 certification to deserving projects. The committee has already certified 13 film and television projects. Each project—from BoJack Horseman, Gotham, Lone Target, Amira & Sam, to Dancing with the Stars—has challenged the stereotypical portrayal of veterans we see in the media. They highlight their multi-dimensional attributes and challenge misconceptions. It’s because of projects like these that we are seeing a shift in the perceptions of today’s veterans.

A great example (and a perennial winner) is ABC’s Modern Family. The show’s lead character, Jay Pritchett, is a family man, a small business owner, an ordinary Joe…who also happens to have served in the U.S. Navy. The show’s episodes are peppered with Jay’s proud, but often self-deprecating, references to his time as a sailor. This depiction leaves viewers with a remarkably true-to-life illustration of how most vets actually view their service. That is, military service elicits powerful memories, deep meaning and opportunities for personal growth among all veterans. Still most vets are hesitant to allow their years in uniform to define the course of their lives. More often than not, the most empowering act a veteran can take is to move on.

The challenge for Got Your 6 isn’t convincing people to support veterans—it’s persuading the American public that veterans are indeed civic assets, that we have obtained unique and valuable skills—kindly paid for by U.S. taxpayers—that make us an opportunity. Therein lies the core reason Got Your 6 exists: to change perceptions and create a narrative that veterans are leaders, problem solvers and team builders. At a time when our country is as disconnected as ever, this critical narrative is necessary to empower and inspire the hundreds of thousands of veterans leaving the military every year to lead a resurgence of community in small towns and big cities across the nation. And that’s why it’s imperative for leaders in the entertainment industry and Got Your 6 to work together. Through “roadshows” and meetings, Got Your 6 can be a resource for content creators. We challenge those who want to tell the veteran story to take a nuanced approach—invite Got Your 6 and veterans in your writer’s room and tell a more representative portrayal of the veteran population.

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