Brown has said the rescue efforts of Army National Guard during the Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 impressed him. He joined the Massachusetts Army National Guard when he was 19, receiving his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey,[14] and attending Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) classes at the campus of Northeastern University.[19] He has been active in the Guard for about 30 years and has risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Presently serving as the Army Guard's head defense attorney in New England, Brown defends Guard members who have disciplinary difficulties such as positive drug tests,[2] and provides estate planning and real estate advice to those who are about to deploy to war zones.[19] Expressing regret that he will soon be forced to retire from the Guard,[20] Brown has said: "I'm probably one of the most qualified soldiers in the entire Massachusetts [Guard].... I have enlisted service, I have infantry, quartermaster, JAG, I'm airborne qualified, I've been to all the courses."[14]
He has not served in Iraq or Afghanistan, but Brown said he was prepared to go if called. "I go where they order me to go... I'm just proud to serve and be part of the team."[2] He spent ten days to two weeks with the Guard in Kazakhstan and a week in Paraguay.[2]