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2021 SPECIAL SESSION I


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 508
Commending Lieutenant Colonel Eric Patterson, ANG.
 
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 2021
 

WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Eric Patterson, ANG, distinguished commander and conductor of the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest, will retire in 2021; and

WHEREAS, Eric Patterson has led the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest in two iterations since 1998, first as the 562nd Air National Guard Band of California and later as the 531st Air National Guard Band of Texas; and

WHEREAS, composed of 40 service members, the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest is one of the United States military’s elite performance ensembles and has been featured at a plethora of official events and ceremonies to boost morale and bring honor to America’s armed forces; and

WHEREAS, for several years under Eric Patterson’s leadership, the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest accounted for nearly half of the performances conducted by Air National Guard bands in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Eric Patterson has shared his talents as a guest conductor and clinician with the Air National Guard Bands of Tennessee and Pennsylvania, the Air National Guard Honor Band at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago, several active duty United States Air Force and United States Army bands, and numerous high school and college ensembles; and

WHEREAS, Eric Patterson was deployed in 2011 to serve as officer-in-charge of Blue Hawk, a pop rock ensemble composed of members of the 531st Air National Guard Band, while the group performed throughout Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, and Kyrgyzstan; he was then deployed again in 2017 with the full band in support of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts; and

WHEREAS, Eric Patterson’s recruitment endeavors with the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest brought the group to over 100 percent strength during his tenure, contributing greatly to its success and longevity; and

WHEREAS, from 2017 to 2020, Eric Patterson served on the Chief of the National Guard Bureau’s National Guard Innovation Team, utilizing his civilian expertise in higher education and management to advise on critical issues; and

WHEREAS, Eric Patterson has conducted military concert bands in hundreds of live and televised performances and supervised ensembles and soloists in thousands more, inspiring patriotism in millions of spectators over the course of his career; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Lieutenant Colonel Eric Patterson, ANG, commander and conductor of the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest, hereby be commended on the occasion of his retirement; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Lieutenant Colonel Eric Patterson, ANG, as an expression of the House of Delegates’ high esteem and admiration for his accomplished career and best wishes for a long and fulfilling retirement.