Navy Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Brian M. Patton

Died November 19, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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37, of Freeport, Ill., a member of the Navy Reserve, died Nov. 19 in Kuwait of injuries suffered in a noncombat-related accident.

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Served in AF Reserve between Navy stints

The Associated Press

Brian M. Patton was the kind of man who remembered to wish his wife of nine years a happy anniversary even from overseas.

He called to tell Amy Patton he missed her, and they talked about a trip they were planning to Hawaii. Then he hung up for the final time.

Relatives say the 37-year-old from Freeport, Ill., was killed Nov. 19 in a vehicle crash near a base in Kuwait, where he had volunteered to deploy.

The Gulf War veteran spent time in the Air Force Reserve between stints with the Navy, most recently with a reserve unit based in New York. He had recently worked in Dallas, Pa., as an officer at a correctional facility.

Colleagues and comrades say they could always depend on Patton, a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, to fill several roles: the jokester, the attention-grabber, the life of the party, the go-to guy.

“He was a natural leader,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer David Kinnaird. “People would follow him. Definitely a wonderful sailor, one of my best sailors.”

Patton also is survived by sons Brian and Nicholas; a stepson, Tyler; and two brothers, Robert and Scott.