BLUF: /blef/ Bottom Line Up Front; 1) the practice of beginning a message with the key information so the reader has the important information first; 2) an acronym frequently used in military correspondence to cover the main points.

The BLUF: A weekly, short segment show about how veterans can thrive as a result of their VA benefits and health care, found at: youtube.com/@ForwardVA.

See what we did there? We took BLUF, added a “the” to the beginning, and voila! Each week, in three minutes or less, the veteran community can watch an episode of “The BLUF” and learn about topics of importance to them.

Do you want to know about the GI Bill Comparison Tool, expanded presumptive disabilities for Vietnam War veterans, or the latest VA apps for your smartphone? It’s all right there and more in each episode posted every Monday morning.

Do yourself and your fellow veterans a favor and subscribe to the ForwardVA YouTube channel, where “The BLUF” resides. Then, if you see something you like, share it with friends and family.

Here’s a sneak preview of the segments for the episode about to drop on Monday: how veterans can conveniently manage their VA appointments, refill prescriptions, and securely communicate with their providers through My HealtheVet, as well as information about the VA Podcast Network, which offers a diverse selection of top-quality podcasts made with the veteran community in mind.

You might be asking: Why do we need “The BLUF?”

Short answer: My team needs to get the most accurate VA health and benefits information to the veteran community, in a timely manner, on a regular basis, and “The BLUF” is a great way to accomplish that goal.

I’m going to be candid with you. I’m done with boring government videos, featuring talking heads with the personality of a small soap dish, going on and on about the programs and services offered by their agency or department. They’re painful to watch and not very engaging for their audience.

This is where Shawn Spitler, “The BLUF” producer-director, comes into the scene. Shawn began making movies at 15 years old, and then served in Marine Corps Combat Camera (COMCAM) from 2005 to 2010. For the first three years of his enlistment, he served in Twentynine Palms, Calif., then joined the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, (MEU) in Camp Pendleton, Calif.

During his career, he deployed to the South Pacific aboard the USS Cleveland and USS Bonhomme-Richard, documenting an infantry platoon across seven countries and telling their stories. Fast-forward 18 years, and in that time, Shawn earned a master’s degree in fine arts from New York University, started his own video production company, and won an Emmy Award, as well as a best director award at the Canada International Film Festival. Today, Shawn and Matthew Murray produce and direct “The BLUF.”

“I want to get the best information to veterans in a way they want to watch it,” Shawn shared with me. “Matt and I have a passion to fuse education and entertainment into something that is really fun to watch.”

Shawn, Matt and host Sarah Kallassy deliver great content on a weekly basis that is accurate, entertaining, and easily viewed. “The BLUF” is a terrific platform to take VA programs and services and make them easily understandable and hopefully fun to watch.

So, if you’re reading this column on Sunday morning, actually holding a newspaper and getting some faint ink smudges on your fingers, then you obviously like to get your information in that manner. I’ll call you “old skool.”

I’m not trying to stereotype anyone, just laying out my case. For the record, I’m a little bit old skool (Gen X); I still have the paper delivered to my home seven days a week. Head over to youtube.com/@ForwardVA, watch “The BLUF,” and let me know what you think by sending an email (not snail mail) to [email protected].

If you’re reading this online at gazette.com or denvergazette.com, then you’re more contemporary; perhaps Gen Y or Gen Z. You can zip across the World Wide Web, consuming information at a rapid pace. You, too, should navigate your way over to “The BLUF” and check it out for yourselves.

No matter how you acquire your information, give “The BLUF” a chance. I think you’ll be better educated about veteran concerns — and adequately entertained!

Thanks for allowing me to walk alongside you behind friendly lines.

Victory!

Jason T. Strickland, MPA, is chief communications officer for the VA Rocky Mountain Network (VISN 19) and director of CreaTF (VISN 19 Creative Task Force).