Military Families Seek Hollywood's Help

When was the last time you saw a movie about the struggles of military families? If the First Lady has her way, we should be seeing a lot more movies and television shows that spot light military families.  This month the first lady spoke with 500 Hollywood producers, actors and writers during a panel discussion hosted by the entertainment guilds in Los Angeles.

Michelle Obama spoke of her “Joining Forces” military-support campaign and urged these Hollywood industry leaders to play a role in shining a light on military families and raising awareness and support for military families

According to press accounts of the discussion, the panel moderator, writer-director J.J. Abrams, opened the discussion by asking Obama about her passion for military family support and what prompted her to start Joining Forces campaign. Her answer was simple. She said that if she didn’t know about the struggles of these families until she started hearing their voices during her husband’s campaign, then it made sense that most civilian Americans do not understand the military family. She went on to say that because military families are strong and depend on each other they do very little complaining about their struggles and are reluctant to ask for help.

The First Lady encouraged Hollywood producers and writers to use research the already compelling stories that are being told by military families and to use their talents to move the nation to support them.  She told the panelist that they have an important vehicle to influence people and bring awareness to these families by showcasing their strength and sacrifice.

Mrs. Obama applauded those in the entertainment industry that are already spotlighting military families. Using Nickelodeon’s TV series iCarly as an example, Mrs. Obama told the panelist that she would be appearing in an upcoming episode. The show’s star hosts an internet show and her father is deployed.

I am excited to see what Hollywood does with the First Lady’s challenge. I would love to see the stories of military families being told on the big screen and also in following in the footsteps of Army Wives and developing television series around military families.  I know that we are an amazing group of families and our stories are both interesting and inspiring. Come on Hollywood, show us what you’ve got!