FORT LEE, Va. (Aug. 3, 2017) -- During the awards ceremony that preceded the 23rd Quartermaster Brigade Change of Command Friday, Col. Tamatha Patterson stood to the left of Brig. Gen. Rodney Fogg just before he presented her with the Legion of Merit.
As the Quartermaster General praised her performance, Patterson smiled often, directing a transcendent, affectionate gaze toward Benjamin Cody Patterson, her teenage son.
“I love the Army, but I will tell you the best thing that ever happened to me are my two sons,” she said of Cody and Clifford III (not present), following the change of command. “They keep me grounded and focused.”
Patterson, a 27-year Soldier, has been a single mother for nearly 16 years after losing her husband in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. Although she is not alone in arguably a difficult endeavor (roughly 11 percent of DOD’s active force are single parents), she did not shrink from the demands of either motherhood or her military obligations, said a longtime friend.
“I think it is hard work finding that balance, but knowing the person she is and her standard of excellence, I think she accepts it as a challenge to be a good mother and serve in the military,” said Melanie Crim, who has known Patterson since the two were ROTC cadets.
As a mother with young children, Patterson served as the battalion commander of a unit that eventually deployed to Kuwait as well as a staff officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. How did she accomplish those feats? Patterson might have been a single mom, but she had help.
“It takes a village,” she proclaimed. “I have a lot of friends in the Army; a lot from my church; and a friend from college I’ve known for 30 years who helped out. Anytime I’ve needed help with my boys, this village of friends was always ready to step up and help.”
Patterson conceded she was not always receptive toward helping hands. She has this message for those who could use some help but are uncomfortable with accepting it:
“Let those who want to help, help,” she said. “For a long time, that was hard for me – ‘My boys, my responsibility.’ Folks offered to help, and a lot of times, I was like ‘No.’ Then I got to the point of, ‘You know what, I can’t do it all by myself.’’’
Patterson’s reluctance to receive help can be chalked up to her sense of commitment to whatever she does, said Lt. Gen. Gwen Bingham, the former QM general who has known her for years.
“She is absolutely just as passionate about taking care of her family as she is about taking care of these Soldiers,” said Bingham, the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management. “These Soldiers have been blessed for two years under her leadership. She’s selfless, she’s caring and she’s passionate about what she does. You see that in her words, deeds and actions every single day, and I’m proud to know her.”
Cody is equally proud of his mother. He said she deserves all the kudos for all she does to support him while simultaneously supporting the Army to her fullest.
“She has done a marvelous job,” said the budding basketball player and rising high school junior. “It’s unbelievable how she did what she was able to do. She attended all my games; when I had a bad injury and needed surgery and couldn’t walk for six months, she was right there … to cook dinner, breakfast and drive me to school. She’s been a great mom.”