Rep. Anthony Brown assigned to Armed Services Committee

WASHINGTON — Maryland Rep. Anthony Brown, one of the state's two new members of Congress, was appointed Tuesday to the House Armed Services Committee -- underscoring his three-decade history with the military.

A colonel in the Army Reserve, Brown was awarded the Bronze Star after nine months in Iraq working as a senior consultant to the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration. After graduating from college, Brown was stationed in Germany as a helicopter pilot and served five years on active duty.

Brown, who had requested the committee assignment, has noted that his Prince George's County-based district is home to Joint Base Andrews and many workers at Fort Meade.

A lawyer and former lieutenant governor, Brown captured former Rep. Donna F. Edwards' seat in Maryland's 4th Congressional District. Edwards ran an unsuccessful campaign for Senate this year.