Thomas Brennan awarded prize from Military Reporters & Editors
WASHINGTON — During its annual conference for journalists who cover the military, Military Reporters & Editors presented awards to winners of its 2025 MRE Journalism Contest. Thomas Brennan earns MRE’s TV/Video Documentary Division 2 award for his reporting on Operation Phantom Fury in a video documentary produced and directed by Brennan and TJ Cooney, published online by The War Horse.
Award Summary
Story: “Shadows of Fallujah – My Platoon’s Fight Through The Bloodiest Battle of The Iraq War”, The War Horse 11/10/2024
Prize Category: Best TV/Video Documentary Division 2, Journalism content broadcast via television or video published by online media.
Best documentary or docuseries designed around a single topic related to the military with coverage by a local station, designed primarily for local or regional audience.
Additional Credits: Sunjae Smith, Shane Yeager, Claude Robinson, John Napolitano, Tim Holbert (AVC), Greg Corombos (AVC), Dan Taksas (AVC), Peter Trahan (AVC), Vallen King (AVC), Rich McFadden (AVC), Nick Schifrin (PBS Newshour), Paul Wood (BBC Embedded Footage), Robbie Wright (BBC Embedded Footage)
Judges’ Comments:
Shadows of Fallujah follows reporter Thomas Brennan’s platoon of Marines through Operation Phantom Fury, and showcases the experiences of thousands of U.S. service members ordered to fight—and heal from—the bloodiest battle of the war in Iraq. The interviews drive the narrative. Photos placed in the sand enhance memories and footage in a striking way. A mother of a fallen platoon member in the documentary who is still connected to the group is a poignant addition.
Watch the Winning Documentary
Journalist Biography
Thomas Brennan
Thomas Brennan is the founder and executive director of The War Horse. He served as an infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan before studying investigative reporting at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. His reporting has appeared in Vanity Fair, Center for Investigative Reporting, and on the front page of The New York Times. Thomas has held fellowships at the Center for a New American Security, The Atlantic Council, and The George W. Bush Institute. Thomas’s feature writing has been awarded by the Society for Features Journalism and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. His investigative reporting has earned him both a national and regional Edward R. Murrow, two Fourth Estate Awards, and the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award.