Brian Thomas Sheehan
August 17, 1934 ~ January 8, 2019
Brian Thomas Sheehan: Air Force Officer, Publisher, Lobbyist, Businessman, Passes in Florida
Brian passed away on January 8, 2019 in Naples, Florida. He was 84 years old. Brian was a former Air Force public affairs officer who, after retirement, ran a Washington legislative firm for nearly 40 years. His clients included many of the largest Defense Contractors in the United States.
Brian Sheehan grew up in San Diego, California, where he graduated from Grossmont High School, played sports, and earned a four-year scholarship to the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, where he majored in journalism and edited the University's weekly newspaper," The Miami Hurricane", monthly "Tempo" magazine, and wrote sports publicity for the school while working at The Miami Herald.
He was elected to the University's highest honor society Iron Arrow, named to "Who's Who In American Colleges and Universities”, and authored the "Nation's Best College Magazine Article" his senior year. He was also a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree. In 1966 he earned master’s degree in mass communication from American University, where he was selected the number one student by the faculty. He also earned a Master of Science degree from Troy State University in 1972. There he was named "the most outstanding graduate student" by his classmates. He was also a 1972 graduate of the Air Force's command and staff college, and later the Air War College, State Department foreign service institute, and the U.S. Marine Corps Atomic biological and chemical warfare school.
Commissioned through Air Force ROTC, he a served as deputy director of public affairs at the 313st Air Division at Kadena, Okinawa from 1957-1959, then worked as a staff writer, and Executive Editor of "Airman" magazine where he interviewed a number of Air Force Chiefs of staff, Air Force Secretaries, and Secretaries of Defense.
After this he became Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the 7th/13th Air Force at Udorn, Thailand from 1967 -68 , followed by the position of Director of Internal Information for the Pacific Air Forces in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1968-1971. While in Thailand in 1968 he was posted to the American team involved in bringing home the first two POW's released by the North Vietnamese through Vietienne, Laos. The Air Force awarded Brian Sheehan the Bronze Star Medal for his Vietnam service.
In 1972 Brian Sheehan was named Deputy Commander of the American Forces Press Service in the Department of Defense at the Pentagon. While assigned to the Defense Department Hq. for eight years he was editor-in-chief of “Commanders Digest" magazine, and created "SSAM" (Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine) newspaper, a cheeky, four-color monthly giving voice to first and second term enlisted troops of all services. It was published longer than "Yank" magazine of WWII. As Brian said, “The Gl's loved it. Some generals wanted to hang me". At the same time Brian wrote a significant number of statements, speeches and testimony for a number of Secretaries of Defense, officials of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Presidents of the United States.
Retiring from the Air Force as a Lt. Colonel after 20 years of service, Brian became Public Affairs Director of the National Association of Counties (NACO) in Washington D.C. There he worked on a daily basis with the White House domestic policy teams of both the Carter and Reagan administrations. He helped successfully orchestrate the re-authorization of federal revenue sharing legislation. He also wrote numerous statements and speeches for both Presidents plus Senators, Congressmen, and Speakers of the House of Representatives.
Following this assignment, he was appointed Deputy Director of Congressional Relations for the Raytheon Company, followed by appointment as Vice President of all Washington Operations for BEl Defense Electronic Systems, a position he held almost two decades. Simultaneously, he founded a number of publishing and legislative companies including Washington National News Reports, Washington Capitol News Reports, Washington Fire News Service, the Defense Document Service, and "Americans for Fair Play", a 501C3 corporation designed to halt the illegal dumping of Japanese-made vehicles into the U. S. automotive market.
He also published a number of well-known, internationally circulated periodicals including “Electronic Warfare Digest", "C3I News", “Fire Control Digest", “EMS Digest”, “The Robotics Report", "The Japan Report", and "Energy Conversion Digest", among others. Meanwhile, Brian founded two highly-regarded federal legislative firms including "Washington Defense Marketing LLC" and "National Defense Marketing LLC". His clients included defense and computer companies including General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, Wharton Econometrics, Oracle Corporation, BEl Defense Systems, The Raytheon Company, Trans Technology Corporation, Delta Defense, and United Engineers among many others. He represented his clients to the White House, State Department, House and Senate Armed Services and Defense Appropriations committees, as well as DARPA and the Homeland Security Department plus House and Senate homeland authorization and appropriations committees. Many of Brian's clients retained his services for more than 20 consecutive years. At the same time Brian authored three hard-cover books.
In 2010, Brian Sheehan was additionally named Chairman of the Board of Lucid Dimensions, a Denver-based defense electronics firm with significant patent holdings and infrared technologies. Brian was deeply involved in taking that company public as well as many other firms through his merger and acquisition practice.
Brian and his business partner and wife, Donna, maintained residences in Leesburg, Virginia, Florida, and California. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Donna Olin Sheehan. and three sons: David, a Marketing Manager for the U.S. Naval Institute, in Fairfax, Virginia: Jeff, a family law and adoption attorney in Boise, Idaho; and Scott, a Commercial Manager for Jacobs Engineers in Broomfield, Colorado. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
The family has requested that contributions in lieu of flowers be sent to the Wounded Warrior project and Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pa. Burial is scheduled for Arlington National Cemetery. The Service will be held Thursday, February 28, 2019 at the Fort Meyer Old Post Chapel located adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. The service will begin at 3:00 PM.
Brian passed away on January 8, 2019 in Naples, Florida. He was 84 years old. Brian was a former Air Force public affairs officer who, after retirement, ran a Washington legislative firm for nearly 40 years. His clients included many of the largest Defense Contractors in the United States.
Brian Sheehan grew up in San Diego, California, where he graduated from Grossmont High School, played sports, and earned a four-year scholarship to the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, where he majored in journalism and edited the University's weekly newspaper," The Miami Hurricane", monthly "Tempo" magazine, and wrote sports publicity for the school while working at The Miami Herald.
He was elected to the University's highest honor society Iron Arrow, named to "Who's Who In American Colleges and Universities”, and authored the "Nation's Best College Magazine Article" his senior year. He was also a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree. In 1966 he earned master’s degree in mass communication from American University, where he was selected the number one student by the faculty. He also earned a Master of Science degree from Troy State University in 1972. There he was named "the most outstanding graduate student" by his classmates. He was also a 1972 graduate of the Air Force's command and staff college, and later the Air War College, State Department foreign service institute, and the U.S. Marine Corps Atomic biological and chemical warfare school.
Commissioned through Air Force ROTC, he a served as deputy director of public affairs at the 313st Air Division at Kadena, Okinawa from 1957-1959, then worked as a staff writer, and Executive Editor of "Airman" magazine where he interviewed a number of Air Force Chiefs of staff, Air Force Secretaries, and Secretaries of Defense.
After this he became Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the 7th/13th Air Force at Udorn, Thailand from 1967 -68 , followed by the position of Director of Internal Information for the Pacific Air Forces in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1968-1971. While in Thailand in 1968 he was posted to the American team involved in bringing home the first two POW's released by the North Vietnamese through Vietienne, Laos. The Air Force awarded Brian Sheehan the Bronze Star Medal for his Vietnam service.
In 1972 Brian Sheehan was named Deputy Commander of the American Forces Press Service in the Department of Defense at the Pentagon. While assigned to the Defense Department Hq. for eight years he was editor-in-chief of “Commanders Digest" magazine, and created "SSAM" (Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine) newspaper, a cheeky, four-color monthly giving voice to first and second term enlisted troops of all services. It was published longer than "Yank" magazine of WWII. As Brian said, “The Gl's loved it. Some generals wanted to hang me". At the same time Brian wrote a significant number of statements, speeches and testimony for a number of Secretaries of Defense, officials of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Presidents of the United States.
Retiring from the Air Force as a Lt. Colonel after 20 years of service, Brian became Public Affairs Director of the National Association of Counties (NACO) in Washington D.C. There he worked on a daily basis with the White House domestic policy teams of both the Carter and Reagan administrations. He helped successfully orchestrate the re-authorization of federal revenue sharing legislation. He also wrote numerous statements and speeches for both Presidents plus Senators, Congressmen, and Speakers of the House of Representatives.
Following this assignment, he was appointed Deputy Director of Congressional Relations for the Raytheon Company, followed by appointment as Vice President of all Washington Operations for BEl Defense Electronic Systems, a position he held almost two decades. Simultaneously, he founded a number of publishing and legislative companies including Washington National News Reports, Washington Capitol News Reports, Washington Fire News Service, the Defense Document Service, and "Americans for Fair Play", a 501C3 corporation designed to halt the illegal dumping of Japanese-made vehicles into the U. S. automotive market.
He also published a number of well-known, internationally circulated periodicals including “Electronic Warfare Digest", "C3I News", “Fire Control Digest", “EMS Digest”, “The Robotics Report", "The Japan Report", and "Energy Conversion Digest", among others. Meanwhile, Brian founded two highly-regarded federal legislative firms including "Washington Defense Marketing LLC" and "National Defense Marketing LLC". His clients included defense and computer companies including General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, Wharton Econometrics, Oracle Corporation, BEl Defense Systems, The Raytheon Company, Trans Technology Corporation, Delta Defense, and United Engineers among many others. He represented his clients to the White House, State Department, House and Senate Armed Services and Defense Appropriations committees, as well as DARPA and the Homeland Security Department plus House and Senate homeland authorization and appropriations committees. Many of Brian's clients retained his services for more than 20 consecutive years. At the same time Brian authored three hard-cover books.
In 2010, Brian Sheehan was additionally named Chairman of the Board of Lucid Dimensions, a Denver-based defense electronics firm with significant patent holdings and infrared technologies. Brian was deeply involved in taking that company public as well as many other firms through his merger and acquisition practice.
Brian and his business partner and wife, Donna, maintained residences in Leesburg, Virginia, Florida, and California. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Donna Olin Sheehan. and three sons: David, a Marketing Manager for the U.S. Naval Institute, in Fairfax, Virginia: Jeff, a family law and adoption attorney in Boise, Idaho; and Scott, a Commercial Manager for Jacobs Engineers in Broomfield, Colorado. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
The family has requested that contributions in lieu of flowers be sent to the Wounded Warrior project and Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pa. Burial is scheduled for Arlington National Cemetery. The Service will be held Thursday, February 28, 2019 at the Fort Meyer Old Post Chapel located adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. The service will begin at 3:00 PM.
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
I remember my husband, Alvin Snyder, speaking of Brian. Both studied journalism
at the U and had lifelong, productive careers in communications. It is good to know
that they were able to do so. Anne Snyder