Soldier-Statesman
Patrick is committed to being an ambassador for veterans.
First Iraq War Vet in Congress
In 2007, Patrick became the nation's first Iraq War Veteran elected to Congress, representing Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district. He authored several groundbreaking pieces of legislation into law including the 21st Century GI Bill, the Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, and the raising of the federal minimum wage. Continuing public service today, he was appointed to the National US Cyberspace Solarium Commission, as well as Distinguished Chair of Innovation at West Point, and supports fellow veterans entering political public service through Kennedy Democrats and Taking the Hill.
Co-founder of Kennedy Democrats
Co-founded by the Honorable Patrick J. Murphy and former congressional candidate Scott Wallace, Kennedy Democrats draws inspiration from the legacy of Kennedy family Democrats. Through candidate mentorship, young voter engagement, extensive communications work, and contributions to targeted races across the state, Kennedy Democrats seeks to amplify the efforts of the democratic party throughout Pennsylvania and to inspire the next generation to get involved in political service.
ACTING SECRETARY OF THE ARMY
Patrick led the U.S. Army – a Fortune 2-sized workforce of 1.3 million, with a $148 billion budget, and the nation's largest employer of millenials. He led the expansion of the Soldier for Life initiative, was instrumental in achieving recruitment goals for the first time in five years, and generated over $250 million in public-private partnerships. He initiated opening up over 2,500 AAFES retail stores for the first-ever, tax-free online shopping which has increased annual sales to over $6.7 billion.
History of Service
Patrick was born into a family of veterans. His father Jack served in the Navy, his uncles Joe and Bill served in Vietnam, and his brother J.J. served in the Air Force, with two post-9/11 overseas deployments.
Patrick continued this tradition, enlisting in the United States Army ROTC program at age 19. He would serve two deployments following September 11th—the first to Bosnia in 2002 and the second to Iraq from 2003 through 2004 as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He received a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq, which included leading a Brigade Operational Law Team and successfully prosecuting two high-level terrorists in the Supreme Court of Iraq.