Major Diggs Brown: A Life of Service, Leadership, and Purpose

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If you met Diggs Brown in Fort Collins, you might assume he was a businessman, a civic volunteer, or the neighbor who always seems to be organizing the next community project. You would be right. You would also be meeting a retired U.S. Army Special Forces major whose career carried him from Afghanistan to Africa and across much of the world.

Brown spent thirty-four years in the Army, rising from an enlisted Green Beret on a Special Forces A-Team to a major commanding and planning special operations. His assignments took him to Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Central America, where leadership was measured less by rank than by judgment under pressure.

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Called to active duty after September 11, he helped train the new Afghan National Army while conducting operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Between missions, he and an Army chaplain taught English in a village school that had been reduced to rubble. Letters home describing the children's needs prompted Americans to send thousands of pounds of books and school supplies. The school was eventually rebuilt, becoming one of the first in the area where girls could once again receive an education. Brown has often said that victories like these are how wars are truly won.

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His life has never followed a single path. He earned a bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University, built a successful career in finance, worked in film and television, later completed an MBA at Colorado State University, served on the Fort Collins City Council, authored Your Neighbor Went to War, and appeared as a military analyst for radio and television. Each chapter added another perspective on leadership, service, and responsibility.

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After retiring from the military in 2013, Brown devoted much of his energy to veterans and his community. He founded the Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado, a place dedicated not only to honoring military service but also to educating future generations and supporting veterans in need. The plaza has become a gathering place where stories are preserved, sacrifices remembered, and service continues long after the uniform has been folded away.

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Today, Brown speaks to audiences ranging from students to corporate executives. His presentations are built on stories rather than slogans, drawing lessons from combat, business, public service, and everyday life. Leadership, resilience, teamwork, and perspective are recurring themes, but so is the conviction that ordinary people possess an uncommon ability to improve the lives of others.

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His military decorations—including the Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantry Badge, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Jumpmaster Badge, and numerous U.S. and allied awards—reflect a distinguished career. They are achievements he acknowledges with gratitude rather than emphasis. Brown would rather talk about the people beside him than the medals on his uniform.

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In the end, his story is less about war than about service. It is the story of a man who has spent a lifetime answering the same question in different ways: How can one person make a difference? His answer has always been the same—step forward, serve others, and leave every place a little better than you found it.