Charles Duane 'Charlie' Brown (born December 13, 1949) is a retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel and was the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 2006 election and the 2008 election for California's 4th congressional district. Brown was born in Grinnell, Iowa and grew up in small Midwestern farm towns. He received his commission after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1972 and served 26 years in the military. He retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1998, having served in every armed conflict from Vietnam to the Gulf War. During the Vietnam War, Brown flew rescue helicopter missions in Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia and participated in the evacuations of Saigon, Phnom Penh, and the Mayagüez incident, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.