Brandon Friedman Brandon Friedman is a writer , veteran , and civil servant . He is the author of the combat memoir " The War I Always Wanted " and currently serves as the Director of Online Communications for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs . Friedman is a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project . Early life and education . Friedman was born and raised in Shreveport , Louisiana 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 an MPA in Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas ( 2006 ) . Military , politics , and government service . 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 . From 2007 to 2009 , Friedman served as the Vice Chairman of VoteVets . org , 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 . In 2009 , Friedman accepted a role as the Director of Online Communications at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington , D . C . In that position , he became " responsible for devising , implementing , and overseeing the Department ' s emerging media strategy " or , as " FierceHealthIT " described it in 2011 , VA ' s " burgeoning social media empire . " Additionally in 2011 , " AOL Government " noted that VA was " becoming a model for other agencies . " Friedman ' s office and staff have been the subject of cover story profiles in " The Washington Post " , " The Federal Times " , " Stars and Stripes " , and other publications . 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 0 - 7603 - 3150 - 2 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 " Media . Friedman ' s writing has been featured by media outlets including " The New York Times " , " The Guardian " , " The Huffington Post " , the " White House Blog " , " Military . com " , " Daily Kos " , " Time magazine " magazine and " VetVoice " — a blog on politics and the military which he edited from 2007 to 2009 . In the media . Friedman has been interviewed by ABC 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 . " Media appearances . Some media appearances :