Brandon Friedman
Encyclopedia
Brandon Friedman is a writer, veteran, and civil servant who has worked on issues concerning America’s military and veterans communities. He is the author of the combat memoir The War I Always Wanted
and works for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
. Friedman is a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project.
by his parents, Steve and Zeldean Friedman. He attended private school through eighth grade, before attending and graduating from C.E. Byrd High School in 1996.
Friedman holds a BA in History
from Louisiana State University in Shreveport
(2000) and received an MPA in Public Affairs
from the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas
(2006).
, a 100,000-member organization dedicated to getting veterans elected to public office. While at VoteVets, Friedman worked throughout the media to communicate defense, foreign policy, and veterans issues on national television, radio, online, and in print. Following his time at VoteVets, Friedman accepted a position as the Director of Online Communications at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
in Washington, D.C.
Prior to his work in government, politics, and the media, Friedman served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division
in Pakistan
, Afghanistan
, Kuwait
, and Iraq
. In March 2002, he led a rifle platoon into Afghanistan's Shah-e-Kot Valley in order to engage Taliban and al Qaeda fighters as part of Operation Anaconda
--a battle later written about by journalist Sean Naylor
in Not a Good Day to Die. A year later, Friedman commanded a heavy weapons platoon during the invasion of Iraq. He led troops during combat and counterinsurgency operations in Hillah, Baghdad
, and Tal Afar
. Friedman left active duty in 2004 after having spent the latter portion of his Iraq tour as an executive officer managing troop movements, security issues, and logistics throughout northern Iraq as the insurgency intensified. He was awarded two Bronze Stars for his service in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Friedman is a Captain in the Individual Ready Reserve. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia
.
The War I Always Wanted
is a non-fiction memoir that details Friedman's experiences in combat in Afghanistan
and Iraq
. The book traces his metamorphosis from a young, eager cadet into a disillusioned—but wiser—adult and veteran. The book was released in July 2007 to positive reviews throughout the media and in the military community. While Publishers Weekly
gave The War I Always Wanted only faint praise (calling the book "cynical but appealing"), subsequent reviewers were more effusive. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General (Ret.) Wesley Clark
called the book "compelling and moving," going on to say that "among the many excellent war memoirs by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, Brandon's stands out as the best." Historian Steven Pressfield
, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Gates of Fire
, called Friedman's work "outstanding non-fiction" and described it as "ris[ing] at numerous points to the level of literature."
Newspapers and journals reacted in similar fashion. The Baltimore Sun proclaimed, "You'll want to read parts aloud," while the Mobile Press-Register described The War I Always Wanted as being "rendered with more literary flair and sophistication than even the accounts by bigwigs," calling it "an elegant meditation on his loss of innocence." In the military community, the Military Times
described Friedman's memoir as "vivid, frank, precise and dramatic," while Military Review, the journal of the United States Army Combined Arms Center, concluded that The War I Always Wanted was "tragically compelling" and that "[Friedman's] work is fresh, angry, cynical, and riveting."
The War I Always Wanted was recognized in 2010 by the Military Times
as one of "The Best Military Books of the Decade" and by Daily Kos
as one of "The Best Books of the Decade."
Reviews of The War I Always Wanted
, The Guardian
, The Huffington Post
, the White House Blog, Military.com
, Daily Kos
, and VetVoice--a blog on politics and the military which he edited from 2007 to 2009.
News, the Associated Press
, McClatchy
, Bloomberg
, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Dallas Morning News, The Guardian
, The Daily Telegraph
, the Military Times, Stars and Stripes, and other news organizations. He has also appeared on ABC
, CNN
, MSNBC
, and C-SPAN
, as well as on NPR, Air America Radio, Newsweek On Air, and dozens of other radio stations across the country.
Additionally, Friedman has been quoted by media outlets—from Hollywood's Defamer to Golf Digest
. However, he has typically been cited by more traditional news sources such as Fox News, Salon
, the New York Daily News
, The Village Voice
, Roll Call
, The Politico
, and The Weekly Standard
.
On July 14, 2007, Friedman delivered the weekly national Democratic radio address. According to the Associated Press
, in the address, Friedman said, "The fact is, the Iraq war has kept us from devoting assets we need to fight terrorists worldwide," Friedman said. "We need an effective offensive strategy that takes the fight to our real enemies abroad. And the best way to do that is to get our troops out of the middle of this civil war in Iraq."
In October 2007, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh
called Friedman a liar on his live national radio show and accused Friedman of "smearing" him and "trying to destroy his character."
The War I Always Wanted
The War I Always Wanted is a nonfiction war memoir by Brandon Friedman. The story details Friedman's experiences in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2004, roughly tracing his metamorphosis from a young, eager cadet into a disillusioned-but-wiser adult and veteran...
and works for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
. Friedman is a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project.
Early life and education
Friedman was born and raised in Shreveport, LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
by his parents, Steve and Zeldean Friedman. He attended private school through eighth grade, before attending and graduating from C.E. Byrd High School in 1996.
Friedman holds a BA in History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
from Louisiana State University in Shreveport
Louisiana State University in Shreveport
Louisiana State University in Shreveport is a branch of the Louisiana State University System in Shreveport, Louisiana. Opened in 1967, LSUS is the only public four-year university in the Shreveport-Bossier metro area....
(2000) and received an MPA in Public Affairs
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
from the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas
University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas, also referred to as UT Dallas or UTD, is a public research university in the University of Texas System. The main campus is in the heart of the Richardson, Texas, Telecom Corridor, north of downtown Dallas...
(2006).
Military, politics, and government service
From 2007 to 2009, Friedman served as the Vice Chairman of VoteVets.orgVoteVets.org
VoteVets.org is organized as a non-partisan political action committee and non-profit 501 status in the United States. It was co-founded in 2006 by Jon Soltz and Jeremy Broussard....
, a 100,000-member organization dedicated to getting veterans elected to public office. While at VoteVets, Friedman worked throughout the media to communicate defense, foreign policy, and veterans issues on national television, radio, online, and in print. Following his time at VoteVets, Friedman accepted a position as the Director of Online Communications at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Prior to his work in government, politics, and the media, Friedman served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. In March 2002, he led a rifle platoon into Afghanistan's Shah-e-Kot Valley in order to engage Taliban and al Qaeda fighters as part of Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda took place in early March 2002 in which the United States military and CIA Paramilitary Officers, working with allied Afghan military forces, and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization and non NATO forces attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shahi-Kot...
--a battle later written about by journalist Sean Naylor
Sean Naylor
Sean Naylor is a senior writer for Army Times, which is owned by Gannett Company. Born in Calgary, Canada to British parents, Naylor earned a master's degree in international relations in 1990 from Boston University. He then joined Army Times....
in Not a Good Day to Die. A year later, Friedman commanded a heavy weapons platoon during the invasion of Iraq. He led troops during combat and counterinsurgency operations in Hillah, Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, and Tal Afar
Tal Afar
Tal Afar is a city and district in northwestern Iraq in the Ninawa Governorate located approximately 30 miles west of Mosul and 120 miles north west of Kirkuk.While no official census data exists, the city which had been...
. Friedman left active duty in 2004 after having spent the latter portion of his Iraq tour as an executive officer managing troop movements, security issues, and logistics throughout northern Iraq as the insurgency intensified. He was awarded two Bronze Stars for his service in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Friedman is a Captain in the Individual Ready Reserve. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Publications
Book
The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War: A Screaming Eagle in Afghanistan and Iraq (Zenith Press, 2007) ISBN 0760331502The War I Always Wanted
The War I Always Wanted
The War I Always Wanted is a nonfiction war memoir by Brandon Friedman. The story details Friedman's experiences in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2004, roughly tracing his metamorphosis from a young, eager cadet into a disillusioned-but-wiser adult and veteran...
is a non-fiction memoir that details Friedman's experiences in combat in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The book traces his metamorphosis from a young, eager cadet into a disillusioned—but wiser—adult and veteran. The book was released in July 2007 to positive reviews throughout the media and in the military community. While Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
gave The War I Always Wanted only faint praise (calling the book "cynical but appealing"), subsequent reviewers were more effusive. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General (Ret.) Wesley Clark
Wesley Clark
Wesley Kanne Clark, Sr., is a retired general of the United States Army. Graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and later graduated from the...
called the book "compelling and moving," going on to say that "among the many excellent war memoirs by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, Brandon's stands out as the best." Historian Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield is an American novelist and author of screenplays, principally of military historical fiction set in classical antiquity...
, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Gates of Fire
Gates of Fire
Gates of Fire is a 1998 historical fiction novel by Steven Pressfield that recounts the Battle of Thermopylae through Xeones, a Spartan Helot and the sole Greek survivor of the battle....
, called Friedman's work "outstanding non-fiction" and described it as "ris[ing] at numerous points to the level of literature."
Newspapers and journals reacted in similar fashion. The Baltimore Sun proclaimed, "You'll want to read parts aloud," while the Mobile Press-Register described The War I Always Wanted as being "rendered with more literary flair and sophistication than even the accounts by bigwigs," calling it "an elegant meditation on his loss of innocence." In the military community, the Military Times
Military Times
Military Times is a monthly military history magazine, published by Current Publishing and the Chelsea Magazine Company.- Overview :Military Times is edited by Dr Neil Faulkner, with George Clode, and published by Luke Bilton. The magazine covers all aspects of military history, from battles of...
described Friedman's memoir as "vivid, frank, precise and dramatic," while Military Review, the journal of the United States Army Combined Arms Center, concluded that The War I Always Wanted was "tragically compelling" and that "[Friedman's] work is fresh, angry, cynical, and riveting."
The War I Always Wanted was recognized in 2010 by the Military Times
Military Times
Military Times is a monthly military history magazine, published by Current Publishing and the Chelsea Magazine Company.- Overview :Military Times is edited by Dr Neil Faulkner, with George Clode, and published by Luke Bilton. The magazine covers all aspects of military history, from battles of...
as one of "The Best Military Books of the Decade" and by Daily Kos
Daily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
as one of "The Best Books of the Decade."
Reviews of The War I Always Wanted
- Publishers Weekly, 25 June 2007
- Daily Kos, 19 August 2007
- Dallas Morning News, 9 September 2007
- Baltimore Sun, 21 October 2007
- Army Times, 26 October 2007
- Shreveport Times, 26 October 2007
- Mobile Press-Register, 1 January 2008
- Military Review, January-February 2008
- Daily Kos, December 13, 2009
- Military Times, January 2010
- On Violence, February 12, 2010
Media
Friedman's writing has been featured by media outlets including The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, the White House Blog, Military.com
Military.com
Military.com is the website created by Military Advantage to be a portal for U.S. military members. In early 2004, Military Advantage was purchased by Monster Worldwide. The company's main revenue streams are advertising, military-themed products and lead generation for military recruiters...
, Daily Kos
Daily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
, and VetVoice--a blog on politics and the military which he edited from 2007 to 2009.
In the media
Friedman has been interviewed by ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
News, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, McClatchy
The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
, Bloomberg
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Dallas Morning News, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, the Military Times, Stars and Stripes, and other news organizations. He has also appeared on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, and C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, as well as on NPR, Air America Radio, Newsweek On Air, and dozens of other radio stations across the country.
Additionally, Friedman has been quoted by media outlets—from Hollywood's Defamer to Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
. However, he has typically been cited by more traditional news sources such as Fox News, Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, Roll Call
Roll Call
Roll Call is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States, from Monday to Thursday when the United States Congress is in session and on Mondays only during recess. Roll Call reports news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of...
, The Politico
The Politico
The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
, and The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard is an American neoconservative opinion magazine published 48 times per year. Its founding publisher, News Corporation, debuted the title September 18, 1995. Currently edited by founder William Kristol and Fred Barnes, the Standard has been described as a "redoubt of...
.
On July 14, 2007, Friedman delivered the weekly national Democratic radio address. According to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, in the address, Friedman said, "The fact is, the Iraq war has kept us from devoting assets we need to fight terrorists worldwide," Friedman said. "We need an effective offensive strategy that takes the fight to our real enemies abroad. And the best way to do that is to get our troops out of the middle of this civil war in Iraq."
In October 2007, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
called Friedman a liar on his live national radio show and accused Friedman of "smearing" him and "trying to destroy his character."
Media appearances
Some media appearances:- "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" interview, 16 August 2007
- "MSNBC's Super Tuesday" with David Shuster, 4 September 2007
- "CNN's This Week at War, 8 September 2007
- "MSNBC Live" with Tamron Hall, 3 October 2007
- "MSNBC Live" with Norah O'Donnell, 3 October 2007
- "MSNBC Live" debate with Joe Watkins, 3 October 2007
- "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" interview, 5 October 2007
- http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=8896&SectionName=&PlayMedia=NoC-SPAN2's BookTV with Marcus Luttrell and James D. HornfischerJames D. HornfischerJames D. Hornfischer is an American literary agent and naval historian.A former editor at the publishing company HarperCollins in New York, Hornfischer is president of Hornfischer Literary Management, a literary agency in Austin, Texas.-Professional Background:Hornfischer, a non-practicing member...
, 3 November 2007] - "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" interview, 11 June 2008
- Friedman introduces General Wesley K. Clark (Ret.) at Netroots Nation, 17 July 2008
- "Russia Today" interview, 4 November 2008
- "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" interview, 7 May 2009