Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Audio Recording Vincent William Patton, III Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Persian Gulf War, 1991; Cold War
- Branch of Service: Coast Guard
- Unit of Service: Joint Task Force
- Location of Service:
- Highest Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/43230
Inspired by his older brother, Vincent William Patton III attempted to enlist in the Navy in 1972--only to mistakenly walk into the Coast Guard recruiting office. Following a discussion with his parents, he committed whole-heartedly to the Coast Guard, despite the racist treatment he received aboard ship during the earliest years of his career. Rising in the ranks, he was chosen as a senior enlisted advisor on a joint task force to send troops into Haiti--the first person from the Coast Guard to ever serve in such a capacity. From 1998 to 2002, he served as Master Chief of the Coast Guard, and focused his tenure on developing a branch-wide culture of diversity and support for Coast Guards of all races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.
Vincent William Patton, III Collection
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayMistaking Coast Guard recruiter's office for Navy recruiter's office; too embarrassed to walk out; conversation with white recruiter; deciding to join Coast Guard in order to bring change to a majority white service branch. 00:02:33.0 - 00:09:11.0
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PlaySkill at Morse code; transferred to a high endurance cutter doing fisheries patrols in the North Atlantic; listening in on Morse code traffic from Soviet trawlers. 00:16:09.0 - 00:19:38.0
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PlayAssigned to recruiting duty; lone Coast Guard recruiter in Chicago; difficulty of job. 00:22:49.0 - 00:27:04.0
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PlayServing with a racist chief aboard ship; taking correspondence courses; doing well in school was the best revenge. 00:28:40.0 - 00:34:43.0
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PlayCoordinating one of the largest drug seizures on the Pacific Coast. 00:47:50.0 - 00:51:39.0
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PlaySelected as the senior enlisted advisor on a joint task force to coordinate sending troops to Haiti; first person in the Coast Guard to ever hold such a position; approach to service in Haiti. 00:51:52.0 - 00:59:03.0
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PlayBecoming Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard; developing a platform of diversity and inclusion; challenges in shifting the culture; perspective on military discrimination against LGBT service members. 01:02:08.0 - 01:09:39.0
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About this Item
Title
- Vincent William Patton, III Collection
Names
- American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER)
- Estes, Steve
- Patton III, Vincent William
- Ballard, Lara
Home State
- Virginia
Headings
- - Patton III, Vincent William
- - Cold War -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Coast Guard.
- - Persian Gulf War, 1991 -- Personal Narratives
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- Black or African American
Status
- veteran
Service History
-
Cold War
- Branch of Service: Coast Guard
- Unit of Service: Joint Task Force
- Location of Service:
- Highest Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
- Dates of Service: 1972-2002
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
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Persian Gulf War, 1991
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-04-23)
- Manuscript: Printed matter [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Clippings [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 2000-2002)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2004-04-23)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/43230
Cite as
- Vincent William Patton, III Collection (AFC/2001/001/43230), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- image
- online text
Additional Metadata Formats
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Cape May, New Jersey
- Chicago, Illinois
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Detroit, Michigan
- New York City, New York
- Petaluma, California
- Port Au Prince, Haiti
- Portsmouth, Virginia
- Washington, DC