Got Your 6 today announced five new projects have received its 6 Certified designation, a program that recognizes film, television, theatrical, or digital content that accurately portrays veterans as leaders and civic assets.
The projects range from FOX’s new drama, “The Gifted,” Amazon’s “Last Flag Flying,” and National Geographic’s historical drama, “The Long Road Home,” about the 1st Cavalry Division in Sadr City, Baghdad on “Black Sunday.”
The national veteran empowerment organization Got Your 6 launched the 6 Certified initiative in early 2015 as part of its mission to change the veteran “broken/hero” stereotype held by 80 percent of U.S. civilians. The program challenges entertainment industry executives and content creators to craft more thoughtful narratives around veterans and military families.
Got Your 6 announced the following projects were awarded with 6 Certified status:
“Disjointed” — Cannabis legend Ruth Whitefeather Feldman (Kathy Bates) employs her newly graduated son and a team of young “budtenders” to help run her Los Angeles marijuana dispensary. The security guard, Carter, is a U.S. Army veteran focusing on successfully reintegrating into civilian society, while grappling with survivor’s guilt and PTSD. Carter is written with great humor, creativity, and care, particularly when it comes to his animated, introspective spoken-word poetry pieces. Chuck Lorre Productions, Warner Bros. Television, Netflix
“The Gifted” — Set in the “X-Men” universe, family adventure series “The Gifted” tells the story of a suburban couple whose lives are rocked by the sudden discovery that their teenage children possess mutant powers. Forced to go on the run, the family seeks help from an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive. Writer Melinda Hsu Taylor attended Got Your 6’s Vetfronts event in 2013 and has written veteran characters into her shows ever since. In one of the series’ flashback scenes, the character “Thunderbird,” a U.S. Marine Corps veteran (and mutant), utilizes the skills he learned in the Corps to protect other mutants from a pipe bomb thrown at them while raising funds for Team Rubicon, a Got Your 6 partner and veteran-led disaster relief organization. 20th Century Fox Television, Marvel Television
“Last Flag Flying” — Thirty years after they served together in Vietnam, former Navy Corpsman Larry “Doc” Shepherd re-unites with his old buddies, Marine Corps veterans Sal Nealon and Reverend Richard Mueller, to bury his son, a young Marine killed in the Iraq War. The film follows the men on their journey, realizing along the way the enormity of their shared experience in Vietnam and grappling with its consequences. These veterans are represented as diverse and human, neither heroes nor broken. Amazon Studios, Lionsgate, Big Indie Pictures, Cinetic Media, Detour Filmproduction
“The Long Road Home” — Based on Martha Raddatz’s bestseller, “The Long Road Home,” is an eight-part mini-series that chronicles the events of April 4, 2004, when a platoon was ambushed in Sadr City, Baghdad, in an attack that came to be known as “Black Sunday.” The series follows the lives of those affected by the events of that day, telling their varied and human stories with kindness and care. Phoenix Pictures, Finngate Television, Fuzzy Door, National Geographic
“Returning the Favor” — Host Mike Rowe travels the country in search of remarkable people making a difference in their communities, and gives back to those who pay it forward. In the pilot episode, he visits a garage in Indiana to surprise Jason, a former Army engineer, who runs a therapeutic motorcycle-building program for veterans. The episode showcases Jason and his efforts, along with those veterans making use of the program. The veterans profiled are strong and impressive, thoughtful, and, most importantly, human. mikeroweWORKS Productions, Hudsun Media
Since the launch of the 6 Certified program, 65 projects have been certified, including Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Sully,” Lionsgate’s “Hacksaw Ridge,” and Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World,” as well as episodes and seasons of Netflix’s “Marvel’s Luke Cage,” FX’s “Justified,” FOX’s “Gotham,” FX’s “Fargo,” and ABC’s “Modern Family.”
To become 6 Certified, a project must contain a representative and balanced depiction of veterans and fulfill at least one of the following pledges:
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Research or consult with real veterans, family members, or subject matter experts in an effort to create accurate representations
CAST A VETERAN
Hire a veteran actor to play a substantial role
HIRE A VETERAN WRITER
Employ a veteran writer to contribute to the narrative
PORTRAY A VETERAN CHARACTER
Develop a multi-dimensional veteran character
TELL A VETERAN STORY
Develop a narrative with meaningful and accurate veteran themes
USE VETERANS AS RESOURCES ON SET OR IN WRITERS’ ROOMS
Have veterans present for consultation throughout the filmmaking process
After the project has met the requirements for certification, it may be submitted by a studio or production company once the project enters post-production. After the submission is complete, the project is evaluated by the 6 Certified Review Committee, an independent group of subject matter experts who review all submissions and grant 6 Certified status.
The current members of the 6 Certified Review Committee include: Bruce Cohen, producer of “American Beauty” and “Silver Linings Playbook”; Charlie Ebersol, Chairman and Founder, The Company; Dr. Kimberly Gilmore, senior historian and Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, HISTORY®/A+E Networks; Rory Brosius, Vice President, ScoutComms; Bonnie Carroll, President and Founder, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS); Tim Norman, Director of Human Resources, DreamWorks Animation; Marjorie Williams, Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs, Endemol Shine North America; Matt Mabe, Director of Strategic Operations, TAPS Red Team; and Bill Rausch, Executive Director, Got Your 6.
Additional information on certification is available at gotyour6.org/6-certified.
The 6 Certified program is operated by Got Your 6, the national veteran organization that empowers veterans to lead a resurgence of community across the nation. The organization believes veterans return home as leaders and team builders and is named after the military term meaning “I’ve got your back.”
