Richard H. Patterson (original) (raw)

Richard H. Patterson (November 6, 1931 – April 12, 2010) was a chief petty officer in the United States Coast Guard, decorated for saving the crew of his vessel, USCGC Point Welcome after the skipper and executive officer became casualties during a 1966 friendly fire attack, in Vietnam. Patterson was born in 1931 and grew up in Florida. He enlisted in the Coast Guard as a young man, and by the mid-1960s he was a chief boatswain's mate.