Sgt. Nicholas J. Patterson
United States Army
KIA 10 Sept 2007
24, of Rochester, Ind.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat
Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Sept. 10 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a
non-combat-related vehicle rollover. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Yance T. Gray, Staff Sgt. Gregory
Rivera-Santiago, Sgt. Michael C. Hardegree, Sgt. Omar L. Mora, Spc. Ari D. Brown-Weeks and Spc.
Steven R. Elrod.

Tributes

This Memorial Page Established by-Ashley
In Honor Of Sgt Nicholas "Nick" James Patterson

Sgt. Nick Patterson's second tour of duty in Iraq was
nearly done.  It was supposed to be over on Veterans Day, November 11.
But his 5-ton truck veered off a highway ramp and fell 40 feet.  Seven
soldiers and two detainees they had bagged that night died.  Eleven
soldiers were injured.  The truck hit cement debris in the road, which
caused the truck to lose control and go over the side of the overpass.

Killed were:

Staff Sergeant Yance T. Gray, 26, of Ismay, Montana
Staff Sergeant Gregory Rivera-Santiago, 26, of St. Croix, Virgin
Islands
Sergeant Michael C. Hardegree, 21, of Villa Rica, Georgia
Sergeamt Omar L. Mora, 28, of Texas City, Texas
Sergeant Nicholas J. Patterson, 24, of Rochester, Indiana
Specialist Ari D. Brown-Weeks, 23, of Abingdon, Maryland
Specialist Steven R. Elrod, 20, of Hope Mills, North Carolina

Sgt. Nicholas "Nick" Patterson joined the Army on May 18, 2004.  After
basic training, he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, where he
served with 3505th Parachute Infantry Battalion and 1-73 Cavalry as a
scout in support of Hurricane Katrina an deployed twice in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He had been married just shy of nine months. When he was called away to
war for the second time, he quickly married his high school
sweetheart, Jayme Saner.  On January 4, 2007 he deployed again to Iraq.  They
shared a son, whom Nick adored, Reilley Caden Patterson.  

He and his father, Jim Patterson, shared their love of the Chicago
Cubs, Indianapolis Colts, Indiana University basketball and fishing in
Nyona Lake.

Nick is survived by his loving wife, Jayme (Saner) Patterson and his
son, Reilley, both of Fayettesville, NC; his father and stepmother James
and Virginia Patterson, Rochester, IN; his mother and stepfather Jane
and Scott Holmes of Warsaw; a stepbrother and his fiancee, Kyle
McLochlin and Meghan Mitchell, Rochester, IN; and a sister and neice, Tai and
Taya Johnson of Mishawaka, IN.

Also surviving are his "brothers" of 1-325 C-Troop with whom he took
great pride in serving next to.
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