Patterson served 20 years as a pilot on active duty in the United States Air Force and saw tours of duty world-wide including combat operations in Grenada, Bosnia, the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Rwanda, and Haiti.
From 1996 to 1998, Colonel Patterson was Military Aide to President Bill Clinton. During that time, he served at the right hand of President and Mrs. Hillary Clinton and was responsible for the President’s Emergency Satchel, otherwise known as the “Nuclear Football,” the black bag with the nation’s nuclear capability that accompanies the president at all times. As such, Patterson had an office and a bedroom in the White House and accompanied the First Family at all times. In addition, Colonel Patterson was operational commander for all military units assigned to the White House, which included Air Force One, Marine One, Camp David, and the White House Transportation Agency.
It was during these years that Colonel Patterson, disgusted and appalled with what he’d personally witnessed in the Clinton White House, developed his conservative vision. Today, he believes in restoring our nation’s constitutional principles and returning our nation to its rightful place as the “shining city on a hill.”
Among his many military commendations, Patterson received the Defense Superior Service Medal for accomplishments while at the White House and was awarded the Air Force Air Medal for flying combat support missions during the Bosnian War in 1994. He retired in 2001 to pursue a career as a writer, consultant and conservative speaker.
He’s a frequently requested public speaker with appearances at UC-Berkeley, Gonzaga University, the University of North Carolina, St. Louis University, Pepperdine University, UCSB, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library, and the US Congress. He hosts the popular internet TV show, “The Buzz,” on the Your Voice America TV network. He is a frequent guest on talk shows across the country, including television appearances on Sean Hannity, CBS’ Morning Show, Fox and Friends, Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Dennis Miller Show, C-SPAN’s Book Notes, and MSNBC. He’s also been heard on radio shows such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Michael Savage, Lars Larson and Hugh Hewitt.
Patterson was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He is a Distinguished Graduate from the Air Command and Staff College; he has his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Virginia Tech University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. He, his wife and their three children currently reside in California.
