He joined in the United States Marine Corps in 1963, and served as a Marine in the Vietnam War, where he was seriously injured in 1965 near Da Nang – his right arm shattered and partially paralyzed.
Veterans service
DAV
In 1967, Brown joined the staff of Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a service and advocacy organization. He served in many different supervisory roles with the DAV in the 1970s and 1980s:
1973 – supervisor of National Service Office in Washington, D.C.
1976 – supervisor of National Appeals Office
1981 – Chief of Claims, National Service and Legislative Headquarters
1983 – Deputy National Service Director
In 1989, Brown became the DAV's first African-American director, serving until 1993.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
In January 1993, Brown was picked by President Bill Clinton to the position of Secretary of Veterans Affairs,[1]
serving until 1997. He was the first African American to hold that post. During his time as Secretary, Brown offered more services to female veterans, homeless veterans and veterans who were sick because of chemical exposures in Vietnam or the Gulf War. After he resigned as Secretary, Brown founded a consulting firm, Brown and Associates.[2]