Every veteran has unique stories from their military experience that shape the person they become afterward. Patrick Locke endured the horrors of war, earned three Purple Heart medals from combat wounds, and came out the other side more of a patriot than when he started.

Drafted in December 1968 during the height of the Vietnam War, and just nine months after getting married, Locke completed basic and advanced training at Fort Polk before deploying to Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division.

He had only been there for three weeks the first time he got shot. He was putting injured soldiers on a helicopter when he was hit by a bullet and was put on the same chopper heading out for medical treatment.

After treatment, he recalls being terrified as he was returning to action. Peering from the helicopter down to the landing zone with active shooting going on below, he had to put on a brave face for his direct reports, despite his personal feelings.

In that moment, he knew he had to “leave the little boy” behind and step into his role.

After just under a year in Vietnam, he was medevac’d from Vietnam to Japan and treated at an Army hospital there. After release, his journey home became a challenge in itself. Given just 48 hours to report to Oakland Army Base, he navigated his way through military bases and airports during a time when wearing a uniform in public often invited hostility. As he puts it, “San Francisco in September of 1970 is not a place where you want to be alone in a military uniform. It wasn’t a good experience.”

After finally making it home to Chicago, one of his dad’s first questions was, “Are you going to be at work on Monday?” And so to work he went!

He ended up serving a three-year stint again a few years later, doing a tour of duty in Korea and being stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco—his favorite post—seeing a different and improved side of SF than his journey through there a few years earlier.

Following military service, Patrick continued a successful career in construction (he had achieved journeyman carpenter at age 18, working with his dad). His expertise led to oversight of major commercial projects, high-rise buildings, and historical rehabilitation.

Patrick and his wife Karen were reunited in 2010 after being separated for many years. He was in San Diego, and she was in Chicago. They restarted their lives together in Woodland before moving to a farm in N. Clark County.

Today, he channels his passion for service through extensive volunteer work. He serves as Chef de Train (Vice President) for the 40et8 military fraternity in Vancouver and handles sound engineering for the Community Military Appreciation Committee (CMAC).

Beyond his volunteer work, Locke remains dedicated to constitutional principles. "My overriding passion is returning this Republic to what our Forefathers envisioned—where 'We The People' collectively exercise our constitutional authority and civic duty in overseeing our government."

Despite life's challenges, Locke maintains a positive outlook and deep gratitude for his experiences.

“I cherish my military experience," Locke shares. Having returned home from Vietnam in one piece, I know of at least three times when I came close to being killed. But I have no idea how often I came close and never knew it."

"I have a purpose, mission, and strategy to see it through," he says. "Freedom is not free. Those who paid the full measure shall not have died in vain. It is our duty to take increased devotion to the task of reestablishing the authority of 'We The People' collectively."