For Immediate Release....................................................................November 15, 1998

RESERVE COMMANDER FROCKED TO GENERAL OFFICER

SCHWETZINGEN, Germany -- Brig. Gen. Paul D. Patrick, the commander of the European-based 7th U.S. Army Reserve Command (ARCOM), was frocked to brigadier general on Nov. 13, 1998 by Maj. Gen. David D. McKiernan, U.S. Army Europe's Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations. At the ceremony, held at Tompkins Barracks in Schwetzingen, Patrick was also presented with the Ancient Order of St. Barbara and his wife, Inga, with the Molly Pitcher Award (see footnote).

U.S. Army Europe guests at the event included Maj. Gen. B. B. Bell, USAREUR Chief of Staff, and his wife, Katie; Brig. Gen. Mitchell Stevenson, USAREUR Deputy Chief of Staff, Logistics; and Col. Gerald Cross, the deputy commander of the European Regional Medical Command (ERMC), representing ERMC's commander, Brig. Gen. Michael J. Kussman. The ceremony was held at the 7th ARCOM's Headquarters Annex building at Tompkins Barracks, Schwetzingen.

The January 1998 U.S. Army Reserve General Officer Assignment Advisory Board selected Patrick to be the 7th ARCOM's commander. Since assuming command in April 1998, Patrick's focus has been on providing U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) with trained and ready units. As commander of the only forward-deployed reserve command in the U.S. Army, he has made seamless Total Force integration of the command's 24 units with USAREUR his primary objective.

Patrick has over 27 years of Army service, including more than 20 years with the Army Reserve in Germany in the 7th ARCOM and its predecessor organizations. A Field Artillery officer, he has held a range of command and operations staff positions in the Total Army (Active Component, National Guard and Army Reserve).

Patrick's military career includes active service with the 56th Field Artillery Bde. (Pershing Missile) in Heilbronn and Schwaebisch Gmuend (Germany); 42d Infantry Division (Rainbow), the Bronx, New York; and commander of the 7th ARCOM's 280th Support Center providing direct support to V Corps. He served as the 7th ARCOM's Chief of Staff prior to assuming the commander's position.

Patrick is a graduate of the Army's War College and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Boston University. In his civilian occupation, he is the General Manager, RJR Ukraine, for R.J. Reynolds International. Patrick resides in Kiev with his wife, Inga. Their two daughters, Petra and Corinna, reside in Germany.

The European-based 7th ARCOM, headquartered in Tompkins Barracks, Schwetzingen, consists of 900 soldiers and civilians in 24 units throughout Germany and Vicenza, Italy. The command's units provide direct support to USAREUR in conducting deployments, contingency operations, and major training events.

In support of Operation Joint Endeavor/Guard (OJE/G), 19 of the command's units were mobilized and deployed throughout Bosnia, Hungary, Croatia and Germany. Two command units received the Army's prestigious Superior Unit Award for their exceptional contributions in support of OJE/G. In 1998, the 7th ARCOM took first place honors in the Department of the Army Community of Excellence Competition for the Army Reserve category.

* Footnote on Awards Presented: The Ancient Order of Saint Barbara is a high honor accorded to members of the U. S. Army Field Artillery branch and was approved for presentation to Brig. Gen. Patrick by Maj. Gen. Leo J. Baxter, the commander of U.S. Army Field Artillery. Its counterpart - the Molly Pitcher award - was also approved by Maj. Gen. Baxter for presentation to Mrs. Patrick and is given to spouses of field artillerymen in appreciation of exceptional support to the field artillery branch and field artillery soldiers and families.

(For any questions regarding this release, contact Maj. Burt Masters, 7th ARCOM Public Affairs Office, DSN 379-6789/7595 or civilian 06202-80-6789/7595).

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Article Transcript:

'It's a labor of love' for new general
Top reservist commutes to Europe from Ukraine

By Marion Callahan
Heidelberg bureau

SCHWETZINGEN, Germany -- One weekend a month and 14 days a year, more than 900 reservists in Europe are plucked from their civilian lives to support missions that fall under the umbrella of U.S. Army Europe.

In fact, most of these part-time soldiers are so tightly integrated with USAREUR forces that in some cases you would hardly know they were there.

They wear the patches of their parent units. Many work as civilians in the same caserns. And the majority of reservists actively served in the military units they now support.

"It's unique to any reserve command in the Army," said Paul Patrick, who leads the 7th Army Reserve Command headquartered at Tompkins Barracks in Schwetzingen, near Heidelberg.

During an evening ceremony Friday at the headquarters, Patrick was frocked as a brigadier general by the USAREUR deputy chief of staff of operations, Maj. Gen. David D. McKiernan.

The official promotion, which still must be approved by the Senate, would make Patrick the senior Army Reserve commander in Europe.

Unlike many of the reservists under his command, Patrick lives in Kiev, Ukraine, where he works full time as the general manager of R. J. Reynolds\ International and commutes on weekends to Schwetzingen.

"It's a labor of love," said Patrick, describing his 27-year Army career. "I wouldn't necessarily just call it patriotic duty. It's a higher calling."

During the ceremony, Patrick presented his wife, Inga, with a bouquet of flowers.

"As you know, regardless of rank, none of us can do this without the support of the family," said Patrick, also recognizing his two daughters, Petra and Tina, in the audience.

He also thanked several R.J. Reynolds co-workers, who traveled from as far as Russia and the United States to attend the ceremony. Eddie Davis, human resources director for R.J. Reynolds in Moscow worked with Patrick for two years in the Ukraine.

Davis said many of the employees are unaware of his high rank in the Army. "It's a great compliment to him that he could successfully lead two lives," he said.

In April, Patrick took command of the 7th Army Reserve Command. His nomination for brigadier general came in September.

He said the command prides itself on the additional experience gained through its proximity and its close relationship with USAREUR, which creates opportunities for joint training exercises. The 7th is the only forward-deployed Reserve command in the Army. The local command yielded the largest percentage of units deployed from a Reserve component to the Balkans in support of the Bosnia peacekeeping mission. Nineteen of 22 units were deployed to Germany, Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia.

In recognition of the 7th's contribution to the peacekeeping mission, the command was awarded the Army's Superior Unit Award in April.

During the initial deployment, from December 1995 to September 1996, the command was in charge of tracking and providing all personnel support for Army reservists deployed to Bosnia. The award is only given for outstanding performance of a difficult mission under extraordinary circumstances by a unit during peacetime.

Now the majority of USAREUR troops are back in Europe. During the next few months, USAREUR will be taking its first steps to redesign its two divisions.

The 1st Infantry Division, based in Wuerzburg, will be one of the first of the Army's 10 major divisions to initiate the restructuring plan, dubbed Force XXI. Reserve units that support the 1st Infantry Division will be going through the same transformation.

And the role of the Reserves in Europe is likely to increase, Patrick said.

"It's not just a function of the downsizing of Europe, but an increasing recognition of the very important role the Reserve components play as part of a total integrated Army," he said. "And also, it is because our structure is constantly being changed and transforming to stay relevant and to meet USAREUR's need."

Still, the Reserve's ability to grow from its present force structure is limited. As the pool of soldiers and personnel in USAREUR dwindles, so does the Reserves' largest pool of recruitment resources.

The majority of reservists in Europe are Army civilians, of which many are former active-duty soldiers who wanted to stay in Germany. Others include dependents of active-duty soldiers, and Americans who work on the civilian economy.

"Two of the sources are dwindling," said Patrick, referring to USAREUR's gradual reduction of active-duty soldiers and civilians. "We have been able to maintain our force structure over the last five years about what we currently have."

Patrick said by offering more incentives for promotions and expanding its advertising reach, he hopes the Reserve force in Europe will stay at its current level.

"We used to be in a buyers' market, and now we're in a sellers' market," said Patrick. "We have to be more proactive in our recruitment and retention efforts than we were in the past. That is our biggest challenge today."