Burton DeWayne Patrick (born October 11, 1935) is a retired

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He is a former commander of the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, he was Special Forces Advisor to the 42nd Vietnamese Ranger Battalion.

Early life and education

The son of Walter and Ruby McElreath Patrick, Patrick was born in Fickling, Georgia on October 11, 1935. Patrick graduated from North Georgia College, now part of the

University of North Georgia The University of North Georgia (UNG) is a public senior military college with multiple campuses in Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia. The university was established on January 8, 2013 by a merger of North Georgia College ...

, at which time he received his Army commission through the

Reserve Officer Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

(ROTC). He also received his master's degree from

Shippensburg University Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Ship or SU) is a public university in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, it later became the first teachers college in Pennsylvania. ...

. He married Patricia (Compton) Patrick and they had one son, Burton DeWayne Patrick, Jr, and one granddaughter, Caitlin Patrick.

Career

A Vietnam combat veteran, from 1972 to 1973 Patrick served at

Fort Campbell Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee, Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). F ...

, Kentucky as deputy Brigade Commander of the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigrade and later advanced to Commander of the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry. He also served as assistant division commander for the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea. After serving as chief of the Legislative Liaison Office of the

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

in Washington, D.C., Patrick returned to Fort Campbell to begin his tenure as the 32nd commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division on June 18, 1985, replacing outgoing Major General

James E. Thompson Jr. James Edward Thompson Jr. (October 13, 1935 – June 8, 2017) was a United States Army officer. He attained the rank of Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general and was a commander of the 101st Airborne Division and First United St ...

Patrick held command on December 12, 1985 when 248 soldiers of the 101st Division and 8 air crew members died in a plane crash at

Gander, Newfoundland Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately south of Gander Bay, south of Twillingate and east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on the no ...

, International Airport, one of the worst accidents in aviation. Serving at Fort Campbell until May 20, 1987, Patrick moved to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

to become commanding general of the Combined Field Army between the United States and South Korea. He was also nominated for promotion to lieutenant general.

Post-military

Upon his retirement from the army in 1988, Patrick served as the city administrator of

Thomson, Georgia Thomson (originally called Slashes) is a city in McDuffie County, Georgia, McDuffie County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 6,778 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of McDuffie County. Thomson's nicknam ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick, Burton D. 1935 births Living people United States Army generals United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War People from Thomson, Georgia Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)