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Veterans to America: Thank us by Voting

As an Army Captain, I deployed to Baghdad in May 2006, just a few months after the historic December 2005 Iraqi election. During my time in Iraq, I met countless Iraqis who proudly showed me photos of themselves and their family members holding up purple-stained fingers signifying they had voted in that election. These men and women faced down roadside bombs, suicide bombers, and rooftop snipers, all for the chance to participate in a free and open election. Eighty percent of the Iraqi electorate turned out that Election Day. Over the past 100 years, Americans have not even come close to that level of turnout. Lately, it has been even worse. In the 2012 presidential election, of the 235 million eligible voters in America, only 129 million – around 55 percent -- bothered to show up to the polls. That’s without having to dodge sniper bullets. So Election Day 2016, which lands just three days before Veterans Day, those who wore the uniform are issuing Americans a challenge: Don’t...

VCHI Confirms the Civic Strength of our Veterans

If you were one of the 16,000+ people who watched our SiriusXM event on Facebook Live , you know that last week Got Your 6 unveiled the findings of its second annual Veterans Civic Health Index. The report confirms exactly what we already know: that veterans are the civic assets our country has been searching for! Veterans volunteer, engage with local governments and community organizations, vote, and help their neighbors, all at rates higher than their non-veteran counterparts. For more information about the report, visit:  gotyour6.org/impact/veterans-civic-health-index . We released the 2016 VCHI at an event titled  “Veterans: America’s Greatest Assets”  at SiriusXM’s Washington, D.C. studios. The morning kicked off with a panel that included VA Sec. Bob McDonald and Janaia DeShields from Points of Lights. We also used the day to highlight some of our outstanding nonprofit leaders, including Dave Landymore of Baltimore’s The 6th Branch, Heather Boyd of T...

Veteran Transition: Hear from Got Your 6 Executive Director Bill Rausch

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016 8 MINUTE READ Bill Rausch, Executive Director of Got Your 6 This week, the Bush Institute's Military Service Initiative is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative and the United Service Organizations (USO) to host an event that highlights the resources and careers available to transitioning service members, veterans, and their spouses.  As we dive into this important issue, the Bush Institute is publishing a series examining the important role that employers and non-profits play in veteran transition and recommendations on how to leverage a veteran's leadership talent. Today, Bill Rausch, the Executive Director of the non-profit Got Your 6 and a former Army Major, discusses why hiring and investing in veterans isn't simply the right thing to do, it's the smart thing for business leaders and employers to do. Can you give us some background on how/why Got Your Six was formed? In 2012, Got Your 6 wa...
This is how Bill Rausch and the ‘Got Your Six’ team works with movie makers to get it right by  Orvelin Valle   - Aug 19, 2016 Podcast ,   Veterans Subscribe:  iTunes  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  SoundCloud  |  More Subscribe Options The mission of Got Your Six is to normalize the depiction of veterans on film and television and dispel common myths about the veteran population. Together with partners in the entertainment industry, business, and politics, it casts a wide net of influence and social change. In this episode of the We Are The Mighty podcast, Got Your Six executive director Bill Rausch and WATM’s Logan Nye discuss the depiction of veterans in mainstream entertainment. Related:  Here are the Got Your Six chief’s lessons from his first 100 days Hosted by: Logan Nye : Army veteran and associate editor Orvelin Valle (AKA O.V.): Navy veteran and podcast producer Gue...