Patrick said he was first assigned to the 480th Fighter Squadron in 1991 as an Airman 1st Class, who took care of aircraft scheduling, weather briefings and pilot requirement tracking."The 480th FS was my second duty assignment after only one year at Homestead Air Force Base, Fla.," Patrick said. "I was an Airman 1st Class brought in as a temporary NCO in charge of the shop until an actual NCO could fill the position."It wasn't long before then-airman Patrick went on his first deployment with the 480th to Saudi Arabia, where during his downtime he sought mentorship and guidance from his first sergeant. "I would spend a lot of time with our first sergeant, and I've wanted to be a 'shirt' ever since then," he said. "He showed me it was all about helping people and not constantly yelling or demanding things from those below you in rank." Nearly 20 years later, Patrick has come full circle and is humbled by the fact that he has filled the boots of his first Air Force mentor. "Being chosen as the 480th FS first sergeant for this deployment is a big deal to me, because this is where it all started," Patrick said, "I've been in the Air Force now for 22 years and will test for senior master sergeant this year in the hope of continuing my Air Force career." Patrick talks about the airmen on this deployment with pride, knowing that 20 years after he first served with the 480th FS they are continuing the squadron's historic mission. "The 480th FS is a warfighting squadron which has a long history of greatness," he said, adding he can’t “say enough about our airmen, who are working on these aircraft and supporting our mission." Oct. 18, 2010: By Air Force Maj. Jillian Torango- 52nd Fighter Wing