Unvarnished Truths About War From a Combat-Wounded Marine Turned Award-Winning Journalist.

Thomas J. Brennan is a U.S. Marine who fought during the Second Battle of Fallujah and suffered a traumatic brain injury on a foot patrol in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province. Throughout his recovery, Brennan wrote honestly and publicly about his mental health and moral injury in a series of award-winning reflections for The New York Times. After being medically retired, he pursued his dream of becoming an investigative reporter and founded The War Horse, a renowned nonprofit newsroom exploring the human impact of military service -- and through the stories of others, began his recovery and has inspired others to do the same.

Brennan’s story is one of overcoming hardship, and helping others to do so, through storytelling, reporting and advocacy. Under Brennan’s bold and mission-driven leadership, The War Horse has published groundbreaking reporting, forged partnerships with Ivy League universities and Fortune 50 corporations, and has become a renowned distribution portal considered not just important to the veterans and their families, but vital by prominent journalists and military officials. 

Brennan’s exclusive investigations into government sequestration and sexual exploitation in uniform have resulted in nearly-immediate changes to federal policy and law, and have been highlighted on the front page of The New York Times and Esquire. He has participated in national and international media coverage, ranging from collaborative projects to live interviews. His feature writing has been awarded by the Society for Features Journalism and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, and Brennan’s investigative reporting has earned him the Edward R. Murrow and two Fourth Estate Awards. In 2021, Brennan was awarded the Military Reporters and Editors Award and testified to the DOD’s Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military where he proposed radical changes to federal policy on accountability and transparency. He was also recognized with the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award for his reporting on the rape and prosecution of a Marine battling mental illness. 

Brennan’s is a creative and pragmatic problem-solver who shares deeply personal lessons forged under fire that takes you on a grueling journey from the battlefield injury to nonprofit newsroom leader while exploring the nuances of military service, war, and its impact.