This Deceased Coast Guard Profile is not currently maintained by any Member.
If you would like to take responsibility for researching and maintaining this Deceased profile please click
HERE
Contact Info
Home Town Miami, Florida
Last Address Gainsville, Florida
Date of Passing Apr 12, 2010
Location of Interment Buried at Sea, North Atlantic Ocean
Wall/Plot Coordinates Scattered from the deck of the Cutter Tiger Shark
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
BMC Richard Patterson served on board the cutter Point Welcome when the cutter came under attack by friendly aircraft in August, 1965 just south of the demilitarized zone in South Vietnam. The first attack caused a blazing gasoline fire on the fantail of the cutter that threatened to engulf the entire after section of the vessel. Chief Patterson, displaying the finest qualities of bravery and leadership, took charge of the situation and using a fire hose, forced the flaming liquid over the side, thus extinguishing the fire. Even as he was accomplishing this task, he saw the second aircraft attack rip through the pilot house killing the cutter's commanding officer and seriously wounding the executive officer and the helmsman. Unhesitatingly, and with complete disregard for his personal safety, Chief Patterson climbed to the bridge and took command. He ordered the crew to carry the wounded to the comparative safety of the below decks area. Alone on the bridge, he then maneuvered the cutter at high speed to avoid subsequent attacks. When it became apparent that he could not successfully evade the attacking aircraft, he ran the cutter close ashore, and directed the crew to abandon ship. Under his composed leadership, the wounded were wrapped in life jackets and paired with the able bodied before going over the side. Chief Patterson kept his crew calm and organized while they were in the water and until they were picked up by rescue craft. The Navy Department awarded him the bronze star with the combat "V" device for his actions.
This past Monday BMC Richard "Pat" Patterson passed away. Thanks to Mac McKenney for the below info. I've also attached the write up by MCPO Bill Wells (ret) off the Coast Guard Combat Veteran's Association website at http://www.coastguardcombatvets.com/
MCPOCG Bowen
From: BMCM Mark D. "Mac" McKenney USCG Ret.
To: All
Subject: Passing of BMC Richard H. Patterson USCG Ret.
In reference to the inquiries received concerning Chief Patterson, I am submitting the following for dissemination as necessary.
On 5 April I received a call from Joan Patterson that he was being discharged from Gainsville VA Hospital with Hospice and not long to live. He was stricken with an incurable type of cancer labeled MDS. Fortunately I was close enough and able to be with him for a couple of days before he died.
Beneath his Bronze Star and Purple Heart exist one of the most humble and charitable man I ever knew. For the past 17 years he and his wife Joan provided Thanksgiving meals and Christmas meals to the poor. Additionally they provided Christmas gifts to all the children in the surrounding area.
Chief Pat was born on 6 Nov. 1931 in Berea, Ohio (just outside Cleveland), and was raised by his mother in Miami FL. Besides Viet Nam he served at several units in Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and Florida. He is survived by his wife Joan, 2 daughters, 2 sons, several grandchildren and great grandchildren.
His wishes were to be cremated and scattered at sea. Joan and I discussed this and agreed that the Chatham Bar off Cape Cod would be appropriate. BMCS Dave Jonason (OINC Sta. Chatham) and I have provided for and scheduled a memorial service on Cape Cod as follows:Wed. 16 June 2010 @ 1030, location CG - Viet Nam - Iraq Memorial at 44 Smith Street, West Harwich, MA and at 1200 USCG Sta. Chatham for a short service, transportation and scattering of cremains followed by a collation.
On behalf of the Patterson Family contrabutions or donations directly to Joan Patterson @ PO Box 768 Old Town, FL 32680 would be most helpful in assisting them and very much appreciated.
Had it not been for the heroic and masterful actions by Chief Patterson on 11 Aug. 1966 I would more than likely have not been here today along with the rest of the crew.
As I left him , I thanked him for the many additional years he gave us. "God has seen what you did for us, have no fear, it is time for your reward."
BMCM Mark D. "Mac" McKenney USCG Ret.
SENDS
The below is from the Coast Guard Combat Veteran's Association website:
We have been notified of the death of BMC Richard Patterson, USCG (ret). He died on April 12, 2010.
Many will recall Chief Patterson's heroism on August 11, 1966, when the USCGC Point Welcome came under attack by U. S. Air Force aircraft near the Demilitarized Zone in South Vietnam.
Patterson served on board the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Point Welcome (WPB 82329) when the cutter came under attack by friendly aircraft about 3 a. m., on August 11, 1966 just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in South Vietnam.
The first attack caused a blazing gasoline fire on the fantail of the cutter that threatened to engulf the entire after section of the vessel. Chief Patterson, displaying the finest qualities of bravery and leadership, took charge of the situation and using a fire hose, forced the flaming liquid over the side, thus extinguishing the fire. Even as he was accomplishing this task, he saw the second aircraft attack rip through the pilot house killing the cutter's commanding officer, Ltjg David C. Brostrom, and seriously wounding the executive officer, Ltjg Ross Bell, and the helmsman.
Unhesitatingly, and with complete disregard for his personal safety, Chief Patterson climbed to the bridge and took command. He ordered the crew to carry the wounded to the comparative safety of the below decks area. Alone on the bridge, he then maneuvered the cutter at high speed without helm control, that had been put out of commission by gunfire, to avoid subsequent attacks.
When it became apparent that he could not successfully evade the attacking aircraft, he ran the cutter close to a friendly base and directed the crew to abandon ship. However, this base thought Point Welcome was an enemy vessel and began firing at her too. Under his composed leadership, the wounded were wrapped in life jackets and paired with the able bodied before going over the side. Chief Patterson kept his crew calm and organized while they were in the water and until they were picked up by rescue craft. The Navy Department awarded him the Bronze Star Medal with the combat "V" device for his actions.
http://www.pointdeception.com/Announcements.html
Vietnam War
From Month/Year
January / 1955
To Month/Year
September / 1973
Description
Overview of the Vietnam War
Vietnam was the longest war in American history and the most unpopular American war of the 20th century. It resulted in nearly 60,000 American deaths and in an estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths. Even today, many Americans still ask whether the American effort in Vietnam was a sin, a blunder, a necessary war, or whether it was a noble cause, or an idealistic, if failed, effort to protect the South Vietnamese from totalitarian government.
Summary:
Between 1945 and 1954, the Vietnamese waged an anti-colonial war against France, which received $2.6 billion in financial support from the United States. The French defeat at the Dien Bien Phu was followed by a peace conference in Geneva. As a result of the conference, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam received their independence, and Vietnam was temporarily divided between an anti-Communist South and a Communist North. In 1956, South Vietnam, with American backing, refused to hold unification elections. By 1958, Communist-led guerrillas, known as the Viet Cong, had begun to battle the South Vietnamese government.
To support the South's government, the United States sent in 2,000 military advisors--a number that grew to 16,300 in 1963. The military condition deteriorated, and by 1963, South Vietnam had lost the fertile Mekong Delta to the Viet Cong. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson escalated the war, commencing air strikes on North Vietnam and committing ground forces--which numbered 536,000 in 1968. The 1968 Tet Offensive by the North Vietnamese turned many Americans against the war.
The next president, Richard Nixon, advocated Vietnamization, withdrawing American troops and giving South Vietnam greater responsibility for fighting the war. In 1970, Nixon attempted to slow the flow of North Vietnamese soldiers and supplies into South Vietnam by sending American forces to destroy Communist supply bases in Cambodia. This act violated Cambodian neutrality and provoked antiwar protests on the nation's college campuses.
From 1968 to 1973, efforts were made to end the conflict through diplomacy. In January 1973, an agreement was reached; U.S. forces were withdrawn from Vietnam, and U.S. prisoners of war were released. In April 1975, South Vietnam surrendered to the North, and Vietnam was reunited.
Consequences
1. The Vietnam War cost the United States 58,000 lives and 350,000 casualties. It also resulted in between one and two million Vietnamese deaths.
2. Congress enacted the War Powers Act in 1973, requiring the president to receive explicit Congressional approval before committing American forces overseas.
