"It goes back to what my mother had said, "Nothing’s going to change unless you do it." (Audio interview, 25:22)

Vincent William Patton, III

Vincent Patton III in uniform War: Cold War; Persian Gulf War Era, 1990-2001 Branch: Coast Guard Unit: Joint Task Force Service Location: Cape May, New Jersey; Petaluma, California; New York City, New York; Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington, DC; Portsmouth, Virginia; Port au Prince, Haiti; Auckland, New Zealand Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer

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.