Our eleventh recipient, Colonel (Ret) Christopher D. Patton, completed the AMP at Harvard Business School in May 2015.   Chris is an attack helicopter pilot and unmanned aircraft mission commander who retired from the Marine Corps after 28 years of service and is now working with Lockheed Martin in Arlington, VA.  Chris also operates a farm in Virginia growing a variety of crops.  After receiving his commission in 1992, Chris served as a Field Artillery Officer with 1st Battalion 12th Marine Regiment.  After serving one tour in artillery he transitioned to aviation and earned his Naval Aviator wings in 1997.  His aviation fleet assignments include tours with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269 and Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2 in North Carolina.  Additionally, he served as the Commanding Officer of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 in Camp Pendleton, CA, and Marine Aircraft Group 24 in Kaneohe Bay, HI.  He has deployed overseas six times, four of which were combat tours, where he flew over 100 combat missions in the Cobra and served as the mission commander on over 200 unmanned aircraft (UAV) combat missions.  Chris’ staff assignments include serving as the UAV Requirements Officer in the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, UAV Cell Leader in Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation, and the UAV Action Officer on the Joint Staff J-8, the Assault Support Branch Head in Headquarters Marine Corps 9HQMC) Department of Aviation in the Pentagon, and the Chief of Staff for the HQMC Department of Aviation.  His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit with two gold stars, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two gold stars, two Individual Action Air Medals with V and strike/flight numeral 6, the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal with V, the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with silver star.  He is a graduate of the Marine Corps War College where he earned a Masters of Strategic Studies degree.  Additional degrees include a BA in psychology from Eckerd College and an MBA.

Chris and his wife, Tami, have three children.