{"id":71529,"date":"2025-01-10T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/01\/10\/trump-picks-senate-candidate-sam-brown-to-head-va-memorial-affairs\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:47:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:47:35","slug":"trump-picks-senate-candidate-sam-brown-to-head-va-memorial-affairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2025\/01\/10\/trump-picks-senate-candidate-sam-brown-to-head-va-memorial-affairs\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump picks Senate candidate Sam Brown to head VA memorial affairs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday tapped former Nevada Senate candidate Sam Brown to serve as the head of cemetery and memorial affairs for the Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>, putting a combat-wounded veteran in charge of the key post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement on social media<\/a>, Trump called Brown \u201can American hero\u201d who will work \u201cto ensure we put America\u2019s veterans first and remember all who served.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown, 41, is a West Point alumnus who served in the Army for five years after graduation. During a deployment to Afghanistan in 2008, he was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He suffered burns on nearly a third of his body, including his face and neck, and lost part of his hand in the attack. After his medical retirement from the military, he founded a firm that provided medications to veterans whose government benefits did not provide all the care they needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement on social media, Brown thanked Trump for the opportunity to work in the new administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI look forward to working with incoming Secretary Doug Collins<\/a>, a true servant leader, to improve the VA and ensure all who have served are honored with the dignity they have earned,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump<\/a> , for your leadership and trust. I am grateful and accept this opportunity to put Duty First and continue my service to America.

I look forward to working with incoming Secretary @RepDougCollins<\/a> , a true servant leader, to improve the VA\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/my1QFxrth8<\/a><\/p>— Sam Brown (@SamBrownUSA) January 10, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>