“The middle ground just isn’t there,” Mr. Marvin said.

Television has not been much better, he said, often depicting veterans as berserk because of post-traumatic stress disorder or as emotionally shaky and struggling with drugs and alcohol.

The portrayals may color the public’s perceptions, causing people to think that veterans are more likely to be unemployed and to commit suicide than their civilian peers, which Mr. Marvin insists is not true.

A number of veterans groups say that some employers are afraid to hire veterans because they fear they could become violent, perhaps as a result of portrayals in the media. “It’s gotten to the point where people think all veterans are ready to snap and could be dangerous,” said John Roberts, an executive vice president at the Wounded Warrior Foundation.

The Hollywood image of combat-scarred veterans struggling to reintegrate into society has some roots in the post-Vietnam era, when veterans pushed for wider recognition of the psychological toll of war. But now that post-traumatic stress disorder is widely accepted, veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are making a more nuanced point: Not all veterans return with psychological wounds, and people with post-traumatic stress disorder can still contribute to their communities.

“People see us as people who have made tremendous sacrifices but now should be pitied,” said Sidney Ellington, a retired member of the Navy SEALs who recruits veterans for Teach for America. In part, public sentiment is a response to veterans’ being ignored and mistreated after Vietnam, he said. “It comes from a good place, but maybe we’ve overcompensated a bit.”

The 6 Certified program will give a seal of approval to movies that do at least one of the following: consult with veterans to ensure accuracy, portray veterans as multidimensional characters, hire veterans as writers or actors, or tell stories with “meaningful and accurate” veteran themes. It gives no guidance on what themes are acceptable. A board of advisers made up of producers and veterans will decide which films are worthy.

After being medically retired from the Army in 2009, Mr. Marvin earned a business degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, then worked for a new organization called The Mission Continues that encourages veterans to do community service.