Department of Veterans Affairs reaching out to vets via blogs and social media
By Amanda Erickson
Friday, April 9, 2010
A little before 8 every morning, Brandon Friedman steps into his cubicle, turns on his computer and tries to single-handedly revolutionize the way the Department of Veterans Affairs talks to vets.
Friedman, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, arrived at VA eight months ago with a mandate: to reach veterans using new media -- and little else. It's no easy mission at a department known for its communication failures and cumbersome bureaucracy.
Friedman has helped overhaul the department's Web site, created a dozen Facebook pages and launched a Twitter account. The goal, he said, is to improve communication between veterans and the department.
Friedman, who served in the 101st Airborne, knows how hard life can be for veterans. "When I got out of the Army, I was done," he said. "I didn't want to deal with anything anymore."
He spent his first months at home drinking and traveling. But after a bout of appendicitis left him bedridden, he began blogging about his experiences. That led to a book deal ("The War I Always Wanted" was published in 2007) and eventually a position with VetVoice, an online forum for progressive veterans.
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Veterans Affairs reaching out to vets via blogs and social media
Showing posts with label VetVoice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VetVoice. Show all posts
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Someone needs to reclaim Army Standards
This goes with what I wrote the other day about problems in the military.
Reclaiming Army Standards
by: Brandon Friedman
Tue Jan 13, 2009 at 18:20:54 PM EST
The fact is, while the Army has been lowering its entrance standards with regard to education, physical fitness, and crime since the end of the Cold War, that process has accelerated since the invasion of Iraq. And this is something that the incoming Army Secretary should address.
The numbers are shocking when you actually see the scope of the issue:
Dr. Andrew Krepinevich, a retired Army officer, points out that in 1992 98 percent of recruits had a high school diploma. By 2004, that number had fallen to 86 percent. In 2007, only 79 percent of Army recruits had completed high school. Whereas nearly everyone in the Army had a diploma 15 years earlier, by 2007, fewer than four out five soldiers did.
Standards
by: Brandon Friedman
Fri May 23, 2008 at 12:54:34 PM EDT
WTF is this?
This is a full-blown, four-alarm, Army-wide emergency as far as I'm concerned. I swear to God somebody needs to answer for this on Capitol Hill. The Defense Department, the Army, the generals. . .I don't care. Just somebody. This is a failure in leadership from top to bottom.
click links for more
Reclaiming Army Standards
by: Brandon Friedman
Tue Jan 13, 2009 at 18:20:54 PM EST
The fact is, while the Army has been lowering its entrance standards with regard to education, physical fitness, and crime since the end of the Cold War, that process has accelerated since the invasion of Iraq. And this is something that the incoming Army Secretary should address.
The numbers are shocking when you actually see the scope of the issue:
Dr. Andrew Krepinevich, a retired Army officer, points out that in 1992 98 percent of recruits had a high school diploma. By 2004, that number had fallen to 86 percent. In 2007, only 79 percent of Army recruits had completed high school. Whereas nearly everyone in the Army had a diploma 15 years earlier, by 2007, fewer than four out five soldiers did.
Standards
by: Brandon Friedman
Fri May 23, 2008 at 12:54:34 PM EDT
WTF is this?
This is a full-blown, four-alarm, Army-wide emergency as far as I'm concerned. I swear to God somebody needs to answer for this on Capitol Hill. The Defense Department, the Army, the generals. . .I don't care. Just somebody. This is a failure in leadership from top to bottom.
click links for more
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