Photo By Staff Sgt. Bob Yarbrough | U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Johnathan Patterson, Watch NCO at U.S Army Central’s...... read more read more
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Sgt. 1st Class Johnathan Patterson began his post-high school education in 2003, playing division one football with Southern Illinois University. “I had an injury,” Said the Port Saint Lucie, Fla. native. “so I joined the military. I finished my undergrad in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Management.”
Over the course of the next 18 years, Patterson rose through the ranks of the U.S. Army Reserve, working as a drill sergeant for basic training Soldiers. He also balanced a civilian career in law enforcement, and a family. During this time, he also continued working on his education.
“There were sacrifices,” said Patterson. “I missed football games, I missed birthdays, I missed family outings. I missed out on money; I felt that I wasn’t prepared to take the next step in my professional career only because I was still studying and bettering myself on the educational side. But overall, I would say it was worth it.”
Patterson recently completed his Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Financing and accounting at Grantham University. “It’s almost 100 percent online. It’s definitely geared toward the military,” said Patterson. “I believe the numbers are about 75 percent are military affiliated with Grantham University.”
Due to COVID-19 issues, and the fact that a majority of their students are online based, Grantham held a virtual graduation ceremony on July 31, 2021. Patterson invited some friends and colleagues to join him, as well as video conferencing with his wife back in Florida.
This degree is helpful to him in both the military, where his primary specialty is logistics, and his civilian career where he is a Financial Services Investigations Lieutenant in the Florida Department of Financial Services.
Looking forward, Patterson is still unsure whether he’s going to stay enlisted. “I’m still debating,” he said. “I’m weighing my options whether I want to be a Master Sergeant, First Sergeant, or a Warrant Officer. There’s a big need for that.”
Although he’s achieved his current educational goal, Patterson is still hungry for knowledge. “To be honest, I guess you’re never done.” He explained. “I’ll be figuring out, over the next couple of months, if I want to go to law school or go towards my PHD.”
In the meantime, Patterson is serving as the night watch NCO for U.S. Army Central’s Operations Center – Kuwait, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. He’s looking forward to successfully completing his mission there, and returning to his family in Florida while he determines the next chapters in his military and educational future.
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.18.2021 16:44 |
| Story ID: | 402600 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Hometown: | PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Camp Arifjan
Kuwait
