IAVA Unites with Hollywood and Veterans Service Organizations to Launch Groundbreaking ‘Got Your 6’ Campaign

IAVA Unites with Hollywood and Veterans Service Organizations to Launch Groundbreaking ‘Got Your 6’ Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 10th, 2012
[1]CONTACT: Michelle McCarthy, (212) 982-9699 or michelle@iava.org
[2]
Follow IAVA on Twitter.com/IAVAPressRoom [3]
[2]

Powerful Campaign Stars Actors Tom Hanks, Bradley Cooper, Minka Kelly, Rob Riggle, JR Martinez and NBC’s Brian Williams to Raise Awareness and Resources for New Veterans

NEW YORK—Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation’s first and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, united with Hollywood and Veterans Service Organizations to launch Got Your 6 [4]™, a groundbreaking awareness and activation campaign to support returning veterans and their families. This innovative year-long effort partners the entertainment industry with the nation’s leading VSOs and nonprofit organizations, including IAVA, ServiceNation, Team Rubicon, The USO, The Clinton Global Initiative, Give an Hour, The Mission Continues, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more, to encourage Americans to support and invest in veterans and military families as leaders for our country and local communities.



“Our ethos in the military is that we’re all in this together. IAVA is proud to unite with Hollywood and our partners in the veterans’ community to show the 2.4 million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan that we’ve ‘Got Your 6.’ The surge home from these wars is underway, and more than one million troops will re-enter civilian life in the next five years. ‘Got Your 6’ is an innovative example of how the public and private sectors, as well as ordinary Americans, can work together to support these veterans and deliver impactful programs and resources for their transition home,” said IAVA Executive Director and Founder Paul Rieckhoff.

“IAVA and the Ad Council laid critical groundwork for this effort back in 2008 with the historic launch of ‘We’ve Got Your Back,’ a national veteran outreach campaign to show returning veterans they’re not alone no matter the challenges they face. ‘Got Your 6’ builds on that momentum. It’s another watershed moment to change the conversation in America about what it means to support the troops. IAVA is inspired and grateful for the leadership of Tom Hanks, Brian Williams and so many others in entertainment, government and media who are lending their voices and support to this movement. Every American has a responsibility to invest in this New Greatest Generation and their families. For ten years, these brave men and women have carried our country through war. With all Americans united behind them, they can continue their service and leadership for decades to come as our nation’s future doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and perhaps even President.”

Through Got Your 6 [4], IAVA serves as a strategic partner to major Hollywood entertainment studios, broadcast and cable networks, talent agencies, and guilds to change the conversation in America about innovative ways to support veterans and military families. To help new veterans transition from combat to civilian life, Got Your 6 will focus on key pillars of reintegration, complementing IAVA’s Community of Veterans [5], Combat to Career [6], and New GI Bill [7] programs. The campaign will be anchored by a national publicity effort across television, print, radio, outdoor and social media platforms. To learn more about Got Your 6 and watch the Public Service Announcements starring IAVA supporters Minka Kelly, Rob Riggle and JR Martinez, IAVA’s 2009 Veteran Leadership Honoree, visit: www.GotYour6.org [8].

Originally launched on Veterans Day 2008, IAVA and Ad Council's national veteran outreach campaign also encourages veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to connect with one another online at Community of Veterans, the first social networking site exclusively for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The companion television, radio, print, online and outdoor PSAs empower veterans by directing them to critical mental health, employment and education resources for their transition to civilian life. To learn more about IAVA and the Ad Council’s Veteran Outreach Campaign, click here [9].

To arrange an interview with IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff, Deputy Policy Director Tom Tarantino, or an IAVA Member Veteran about Got Your 6, please contact Michelle McCarthy, 212.982.9699, michelle@iava.org [10].

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org [11]) is the country's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has more than 200,000 Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide. Its mission is to improve the lives of this country's newest generation of veterans and their families.