36 USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

Actor Ed O’Neill, stand- ing, plays a Navy vet- eran on the Emmy-winning comedy Modern Family, hailed by Got Your 6 as a show with a well-rounded perspective on veterans.

PETER “HOPPER” STONE/ABC CHANGING THE CHANNEL Veterans group Got Your 6 uses Hollywood to shatter stereotypes

By Matt Alderton returns, he’s exonerated — saving the day promoting accurate portrayals of veterans by testifying against the actual assailants in in media and entertainment. N A 2013 EPISODE of NBC’s Law & Order: court. “Because it reaches millions of people of Special Victims Unit, actor Eion Bailey The character portrayal is typical of all ages across the country, we believe that stars as Frank Patterson, an Iraq War veterans: In films and on TV, they almost the entertainment industry plays a vital veteran who has post-traumatic stress exclusively are either villains who do bad role in America by shaping perceptions that disorder (PTSD). Titled “Traumatic things because of PTSD or heroes who do can then shape and affect behavior,” said IWound,” the episode follows Patterson good things in spite of it. In the course of Gordon, president of Be The Change Inc., as he attempts to recall the sexual assault one 60-minute episode, Patterson is both. the non-profit organization that created of a teenage girl at the club where he’s a Such black-and-white portraits make Got Your 6. “We want to get across that our security guard. Pyrotechnics triggered his Army veteran Rob Gordon cringe. That’s veterans are not broken heroes, but rather PTSD on the night of the assault, causing why he helped establish Got Your 6, a civic assets. The entertainment industry him to suppress the memory. Patterson coalition of partners working to bridge initially is a suspect, but after his memory the gap between veterans and civilians by CONTINUED 38 USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

can help to great effect to get that done.” made it difficult for veterans to establish Got Your 6 traces its roots to 2009, when relationships, find jobs and otherwise Be the Change launched “ServiceNation: reintegrate into civilian life. Mission Serve,” an initiative connecting “There were 22 million people watching civilian and military communities through Will & Grace at the height of that show,” shared volunteerism. That initiative Ebersol continued. “What else has that became Got Your 6 — “I’ve got your back” kind of reach?” in military slang — in So far, Got Your 6 has 2011, when it convened certified six projects — major Hollywood the films American Sniper studios, networks, talent and Amira & Sam; Season agencies and guilds for GOT YOUR 6 20 of Dancing with the a yearlong discussion of Stars (the spring 2015 veterans’ issues. CERTIFIED edition featured disabled “Roughly one Army vet Noah Galloway, percent of the American Projects must com- who came in third); and public has served in the plete at least one of episodes of the TV shows military; 99 percent these six actions to Hawaii Five-O, The Night have not,” Gordon said. become certified: Shift and Modern Family. “As we wind down from Each completed one of the Iraq and Afghanistan  Pre-production the following six actions wars, we want to to become certified: pre- ensure that there is some research with production research with authenticity in terms of veterans veterans, portraying a the 99 percent under- veteran character, casting standing not only what  Portraying a a veteran actor, hiring a veterans went through, veteran character veteran writer, telling a but also the skillsets they veteran story and using have developed that can  Casting a veteran veterans as consultants be beneficial in strength- actor on set or in writers’ ening our communities.” rooms. Certified projects NORMAN SHAPIRO/CBS After attending a Got receive formal recogni- CBS’s Hawaii Five-0 features the character of former Navy SEAL Steve McGarrett, played by Your 6 summit, film  Hiring a veteran tion, as well as public Alex O'Loughlin, with co-star Grace Park. Got Your 6 certified this television show because and TV producer and writer relations and marketing its veteran characters are shown to be “leaders and problem-solvers.” director Charlie Ebersol support within the was inspired to help the  Telling a veteran veteran community. coalition launch a new story Ed O’Neill’s character signature program: 6 in Modern Family, Jay Certified. Informed in  Using veterans Pritchett, is characteristic part by a 2014 survey of the bunch. commissioned by Got as consultants on “The fact that he’s a Your 6 showing that set or in writers’ (Navy) veteran enhances Americans believe post- rooms his character,” Ebersol 9/11 veterans are more said of Pritchett, who is likely than civilians to portrayed not only as a suffer from mental health veteran, but also a father, issues (82 percent believe this, according husband and business owner. “He’s got a to the survey), suicide (75 percent), addic- sense of duty and honor that the military tion (61 percent) and unemployment (60 bestowed on him, but it’s not his defining percent), it recognizes and rewards films characteristic.” and TV shows that contain a “representa- Seeing more characters like Jay Pritchett tive and balanced” depiction of veterans. — and fewer like Frank Patterson — will “Veterans are highly trained men and make Americans more likely to support women whose experience and education veterans like him, said Army veteran we’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars Spencer Kympton, president of The Mission investing in, and yet Americans when Continues, a nonprofit that helps veterans polled … think of them as being either find post-military purpose by leveraging heroes or victims,” said Ebersol, whose their skills in community service projects. firm, The Company, is executive producer “Got Your 6 has changed how veterans of USA Network’s NFL Characters Unite are seen and portrayed in mainstream and co-producer of CNBC’s The Profit. media in a way that’s more asset-driven, “When you think about it, that’s the most as opposed to liability-driven,” explained ludicrous, bipolar description of soldiers.” Kympton, whose organization is a member Ebersol had seen programs like Will of the Got Your 6 coalition. “It’s helping us & Grace and NBC’s TODAY change public tell the positive story of this generation perception of homosexuality and cancer of veterans — the story of their continued screening, respectively, by normalizing gay service in their communities despite the characters and colonoscopies. He hypoth- challenges they face coming home. esized that Hollywood could similarly “The more of those stories we can tell, RICH FURY/INVISION FOR PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA/AP IMAGES shape public perception of veterans and the more effective we as veterans’ service Producer/director Charlie Ebersol helped create the 6 Certified program after seeing change negative stereotypes that have organizations can be.” how Hollywood helped to influence the image of other misunderstood groups.