The DGA joined together with AFTRA, PGA, SAG and WGAW earlier this year in an Inter-Guild Task Force to bring awareness to First Lady Michelle Obama’s and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative. Activities including hosting the First Lady at an entertainment community event in June and creating several PSAs to highlight the stories of military families living and working in communities across the nation. The First Lady recently sent us a message to share with our membership, below.
Bobby Jarman and his wife wanted to retire together. After his 22-year Army career ended, however, his wife was redeployed to Iraq. And Bobby became a full-time dad for his four daughters.
Arnita Brigham Moore can relate. When her husband joined the Marines, she soon realized that she would be asked to serve our country, as well. Deployments meant Arnita had to play the role of mother and father for their four children, serving as counselor, disciplinarian, and everything else.
But neither Arnita nor Bobby ever complained. They kept moving forward, doing what they needed to do for their family and for our country. And every single day, veterans and military families all across America demonstrate that same commitment, honor, and resilience.
One of my greatest blessings as First Lady has been hearing so many of these inspiring stories. I’ve heard from military spouses who balance work, family, and school all while dealing with the emotions of a deployment. I’ve spent time with military children who bounce from school to school while stepping up around the house when dad or mom is overseas. And I’ve been inspired by veterans who keep serving their country long after they’ve taken off a military uniform, survivors of our fallen who stand tall as pillars of their communities, and wounded warriors who don’t let anything get in the way of their dreams.
But as much as these stories are a part of my life now, they weren’t always on my radar. For many years, even though I followed the news of the day and kept up on most issues, I simply didn’t know much about the experiences of military families. That’s probably the case for most Americans.
But as I’ve learned more and more about the unique strength and courage of our military families, I’ve become driven to do whatever I can to make sure that these stories are heard. That’s why I launched the Joining Forces initiative with Dr. Jill Biden earlier this year to honor, appreciate, and support our nation’s veterans and military families. We’re asking all Americans – businesses, nonprofits, government, and citizens of all kinds – to keep doing what they do best, and direct some of their efforts toward military families.
That’s why I’m writing to you today – because all of you are our storytellers. You capture our imaginations. You open our eyes. You touch our hearts. And you help us understand who we are as individuals – and as Americans.
So I’m asking you to make these brave, strong military families a part of what you do every day. You might build an episode around a military family’s experience. You might add a character that is going through a deployment or explore the challenges veterans face when they return home. You don’t have to create a full-length screenplay or a pitch the networks on a brand-new series. Simply work it in to what you’re already doing. Be creative. Be compelling. Be funny.
We’ve already seen how your industry can make an impact, and I’m thankful for all those who have led the way. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition dedicated an episode to an amazing veteran in North Carolina. Your guilds organized a symposium on military families and produced a powerful series of public service announcements seen by millions all across the country. And I even ended up dancing on the set of iCarly after they built an episode around the emotions military children feel while a parent is deployed.
I’ll bet if you asked any of the actors, directors, or producers involved with any of these projects, they’d say they got as much out of the experience than any of the families they were hoping to highlight. That’s been my experience every step of the way. Every time I’ve spoken with a family member or worked on a project with them, I’ve come away refreshed, inspired, and ready to do more. I think you’ll have the same feeling, too.
So I hope you’ll take advantage of the opportunities you have to make a difference for our nation’s veterans and military families. Share their stories. Help America feel their emotions and understand their challenges.
If we can do this, we’ll help unleash even more of the compassion and goodwill that exists throughout America for these families. We’ll see even more creative, meaningful ways that Americans are showing their support. We’ll see more people getting involved. And when we all do that – when we all join forces – we can be sure that we’re serving them as well as they’ve served us.
For more information about First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s
Joining Forces initiative visit the website at www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces
