(no link)
A veteran’s Web site with an attitude
Fayetteville Observer, The (NC) - Thursday, January 17, 2008
Author: Kevin Maurer
EXCERPTS
Iraq veteran Phillip Hunter Gilfus sees VetVoice.com as the modern incarnation of a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall.
Gilfus, a former maintenance officer, believes the site will serve as a common voice for the veteran, a place where veterans and active-duty service members can sound off about issues and concerns.
“No one is listening to the vet’s voice, but we’re the ones that have to execute your orders,” said Gilfus, a member of the site who lives in Fayetteville.
The site was created in November, just in time for primary season. The war in Iraq is a key issue in this year’s presidential campaign, and veterans are not going to be left out of the debate.
Iraq veteran Brandon Friedman helped create the site. He describes it as a pro-troop, pro-military site, although it is critical of the Bush administration.
“The editorial slant is not going to support his message,” Friedman said. “But, we’re not trying to pit the military against the commander in chief.”
Friedman served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division and is the author of “The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War.” The book chronicles his time overseas and the frustrations he experienced.
Gilfus and Friedman said there is room for Bush supporters on the site.
“People in VoteVets are of different opinions,” Gilfus said. “It is not group think.” VoteVets, a political action committee and advocacy group for veterans and their families, is the parent organization of VetVoice.com.
Friedman said the site is a reflection of their frustration with the war and how it’s being carried out.
“They think this whole thing has been bungled,” Friedman said.
(snip)
Brandon Friedman comments
On President Bush’s veto of a bill delaying some extra pay and bonuses for troops: “Like a spoiled brat, President Bush - a known coward - has decided to throw a fit over a provision in th 2008 defense authorization because the Iraqi government objected to it. In doing so, he screwed thousands of troops and their families.”
On Sen. John McCain’s statement in New Hampshire that U.S. troops shoud stay in Iraq for a hundred years: “I imagine this will go over great with all the line units in Diyala right now. Saying something as stupid as this is easy for an old man who gets to sleep in a warm bed with his wife tonight.”
On Gen. David Petraeus’ comment that al-Qaida had turned to “mafia style” rackets to finance it operations: “Can we please stop calling these guys al-Qauda’ now and refer to them by what they really are: gangs of local Iraqi thugs?”
http://mashable.com/2010/11/11/veterans-services-social-media/
How Social Media Is Making Veteran Service Organizations Better
Nov 11, 2010
(snip)
Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have completely changed the way the VA and traditional veterans’ service organizations reach the new generation of veterans home from Iraq and Afghanistan -– and they’re finding that an increasing number of older veterans are connecting through social media, too.
“For years there’s been this stereotype, whether it’s deserved or not, that VA is made up of a bunch of faceless, nameless bureaucrats who sit around and don’t do anything,” said Brandon Friedman, the VA’s director of new media. “So in my view, the way to combat that is to put names and faces on everything. Not just so you can personalize it, but so there’s accountability — and people appreciate that.”
(snip)
VA Builds a Strategy
It’s a challenge that Friedman is well aware of as he monitors the VA’s sites each day and analyzes the statistics. By watching web traffic for the various VA websites, for example, Friedman decided it would be best to create a separate Facebook Page and Twitter feed for each of the 153 VA medical centers around the U.S., since people were searching for information at the local level.
“As a veteran myself, I understand why this is,” Friedman said. “When you live in like Texas or Nebraska or wherever, and you think of VA, you don’t think of VA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. You think of that big building on the other side of town.”
So local centers started joining the popular social networking sites last spring, after proving they had the staff and knowledge to do it properly. It’s Friedman’s goal to get all 153 up within a year, and they’re about a third of the way there with more than 50 on Facebook and nearly 30 on Twitter. Two or three new profiles launch each week, Friedman said. The demand is definitely there — a common complaint posted on the main VA Facebook Page is that a veteran’s local VA center doesn’t yet have a page.
With the main sites he manages, Friedman has been setting the standard for how VA employees can break through the long tradition of bureaucratic anonymity. He signs everything he posts, and each update on Facebook generates dozens of scattershot comments ranging from enthusiastic support to bitter grievances. Many of them are addressed personally to him:
“Thanks Brandon, where do we mail the form to?”
“Ya see how ANGRY so many Vets on here are Brandon?? WHY ya think that is??”
“Brandon, sounds like some good news for a change. Thanks for posting it! :-)”
“Brandon, you’ve taken on a big task …”
Friedman admits having his name out there so prominently is a double-edged sword, and it’s been harder to get other VA employees to identify themselves so personally. “I haven’t pushed it really hard because I can tell they’re very uncomfortable with it,” he said. “But they’re also falling behind, because we’re doing it, and it’s clearly a driver of subscribers and participation.”
Everyone involved says it’s too early to tell how much social media will help the new generation of veterans to get the care they need and benefits they deserve in the long run, but Friedman is confident that social media can create a cycle of accountability and confidence because everyone can see the conversation.
“They feel like they’re being listened to, they’re being responded to,” he said. “So whenever you help somebody, it doesn’t just help that one person — it helps build trust in your organization with everyone else who sees you helping.”
NPR - VA Still Under Pressure To Reduce Disability Claim Backlog
August 21, 2013
EXCERPT
BRANDON FRIEDMAN: The backlog has actually shrunk by over 21 percent since March. It’s very clearly a downward trend.
LAWRENCE: Brandon Friedman is a combat vet and former VA employee.
FRIEDMAN: Now, the problem is not fixed yet, but, you know, there’s no doubt that it’s on the right path. I think the aircraft carrier has really begun to turn itself around.