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, putting a combat-wounded veteran in charge of the key post.
In a statement on social media, Trump called Brown “an American hero” who will work “to ensure we put America’s veterans first and remember all who served.”
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.
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.
In a statement on social media, Brown thanked Trump for the opportunity to work in the new administration.
“I look forward to working with incoming Secretary Doug Collins, a true servant leader, to improve the VA and ensure all who have served are honored with the dignity they have earned,” he wrote.
Brown launched a bid in 2023 to challenge Democratic Sen. Jackie Rosen to represent Nevada in Congress. He received support from Republican party leaders including Trump but lost by about 24,000 votes — less than 2% of the total ballots cast — in last November’s election.
If confirmed by the Senate, Brown would be the permanent replacement for Matthew Quinn, who served as under secretary for memorial affairs from June 2021 to May 2024. Ronald Walters has served as the acting official in charge of the agency since Quinn’s departure.
The memorial affairs post is one of five highest confirmed positions within VA, overseeing maintenance and operations at 155 national cemeteries in 42 states as well as commemorative sites in other locations.
The job also includes acquisition and expansion efforts for memorial services, including department’s Veterans Legacy Memorial project, which has online pages honoring more than 10 million veterans.
No timeline has been set for when Brown will face a confirmation hearing before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. The panel is expected to hold a confirmation hearing on Collins, Trump’s nominee to be VA Secretary, on Jan. 14.
Trump is scheduled to start his second term as president on Jan. 20.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
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