Moving to DAV's national office in Washington, D.C., he began taking classes at The Catholic University of America.

In January 1993, Brown was selected by President Bill Clinton to the post of Secretary of Veterans Affairs,[3] serving until July 1997.

He is also the first former enlisted member of the United States Armed Forces named Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 1998, philanthropist Lois Pope realized there was no memorial to disabled veterans in the nation's capital.

[7] Brown introduced Pope to Art Wilson,[5] the National Adjutant (e.g., chief executive officer) of DAV.

The three individuals and their supporters began lobbying Congress to win passage of the necessary federal legislation.

[12] Brown died in Warrenton, Virginia on August 15, 2002, of lower motor neuron syndrome.

He had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, since 1999.