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Brandon Friedman

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Brandon Friedman
Brandon Friedman
Born
Shreveport, Louisiana
Occupation(s)Founder, Rakkasan Tea Company
WebsiteRakkasan Tea Company
AllegianceUnited States United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service2000–2004
Rank Captain
Unit101st Airborne Division
Battles / warsOperation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom
Awards Bronze Star (2)
Other workBusinessman, writer, government official

Brandon Friedman is a writer, entrepreneur and former Obama administration official. He was CEO of the McPherson Square Group[1][2] before co-founding Rakkasan Tea Company in 2017.[3] Previously, he served as the deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.[4] His memoir, The War I Always Wanted, was named by a reviewer for Military Times in 2010 as one of best military books of the decade.[5]

Early life and education

Friedman was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. He has a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas (2006) and a BA in history from Louisiana State University in Shreveport (2000).[6][7][8]

Career

Friedman began his career as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division. In March 2002, he led a rifle platoon into Afghanistan's Shah-e-Kot Valley 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 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 spending the latter portion of his Iraq tour as a rifle company executive officer. He was awarded two Bronze Stars for his service in Afghanistan and Iraq.[9][10]

From 2007 to 2009, Friedman was a vice chairman and spokesperson for VoteVets.org, a political action committee and non-profit 501(c)(4) with a mission of getting veterans elected to public office.[11]

In 2009, Friedman accepted a role as the first director of digital media at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. According to Stars and Stripes, his job was to "revolutionize how the VA interacts with veterans on the Internet"[12] and oversee VA's "burgeoning social media empire".[according to whom?] In 2011, AOL Government noted that VA was "becoming a model for other agencies" in the area of social media communication.[13] Friedman's office and staff were the subject of cover story profiles in The Washington Post, Federal Times, Stars and Stripes, and other publications.[14][15][16]

After leaving VA in 2012, Friedman joined the global public relations firm FleishmanHillard as a vice president.[17]

In March 2014, Friedman was appointed by the Obama administration as the deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.[18]

Friedman left HUD in July 2015 and launched the McPherson Square Group, a public relations firm.[2]

In 2017 Friedman and Terrence Kamauf founded Rakkasan Tea Company to sell loose leaf teas from post-conflict areas.[19]

Publications

Book

The War I Always Wanted is a non-fiction memoir that details Friedman's experiences in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. The book was released in July 2007 to generally positive reviews.[citation needed] While Publishers Weekly gave The War I Always Wanted only faint praise (calling the book "cynical but appealing"), other reviews were more favorable.[citation needed] 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."[20] Steven Pressfield called Friedman's work "outstanding non-fiction" and described it as "ris[ing] at numerous points to the level of literature."[citation needed]

Newspapers and journals reacted in similar fashion. The Baltimore Sun stated, "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."[citation needed]

The War I Always Wanted was recognized in 2010 by the Military Times as one of "The Best Military Books of the Decade"[5] and by Daily Kos as one of "The Best Books of the Decade".[citation needed]

In the media

Friedman has been profiled by The Washington Post, PR Week, Stars and Stripes, and Government Executive magazine and he has been quoted in the media hundreds of times since 2007.[12][21][22]

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."[23]

References

  1. ^ "Mike Allen's must-read briefing on what's driving the day in Washington". Politico. July 6, 2015. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Obama administration alum launches firm". PRWeek. July 7, 2015. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  3. ^ "These Dallas-based combat veterans want to change the way Americans look at tea". The Dallas Morning News. April 30, 2018. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "Mike Allen's must-read briefing on what's driving the day in Washington". Politico. April 1, 2014. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "The Best Military Books of the Decade". Military Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  6. ^ "Local Soldier Writes About The War He Always Wanted". KTBS-TV. July 2007. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  7. ^ "Alumni Profiles - School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas". University of Texas at Dallas. September 2014. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  8. ^ "Distinguished Alumni Award, Louisiana State University in Shreveport". Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  9. ^ Wood, David (October 21, 2007). "A soldier's look at the real war in Afghanistan and Iraq". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  10. ^ McMorris-Santoro, Evan (June 5, 2014). "Exclusive: HUD Official Apologizes For Tweets Critical Of Bergdahl's Unit". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  11. ^ "Brandon Friedman". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  12. ^ a b Murphy, Bill (March 24, 2011). "VA enlists harsh critics as it belatedly embraces the Web". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  13. ^ Hasson, Judi (August 17, 2011). "Veterans Affairs Department Emerges As Social Media Model In Government". AOL Government. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  14. ^ Terry, Ken (August 23, 2011). "VA social media policy outlines interaction, patient privacy protection practices". FierceHealthIT. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  15. ^ Rein, Lisa (May 9, 2011). "At VA, a blogger criticizes from the inside". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  16. ^ Reilly, Sean (May 14, 2011). "TVA's riskiest new recruit: its chief critic". Federal Times. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  17. ^ "FleishmanHillard Announces New Military and Veterans Affairs Group". FleishmanHillard.com. June 12, 2013. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  18. ^ "Politico Playbook: Mike Allen's must-read briefing on what's driving the day in Washington". Politico. April 1, 2014. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  19. ^ "Meet the Army Vets Making an Impact Through Tea". Dallas MAgazine. March 1, 2020. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  20. ^ Clark, Wesley (August 25, 2007). "Email from Wes Clark and Votevets.org". Democratic Underground. Retrieved June 21, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ Erickson, Amanda (April 9, 2010). "Department of Veterans Affairs reaching out to vets via blogs and social media – Washington Post". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  22. ^ Brewin, Bob (May 1, 2012). "All About Face Time". Government Executive. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  23. ^ "VoteVets Spokesman Admits Their Attack Is Not About What Rush Said". Rushlimbaugh.com. October 5, 2007. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
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