James Patnode of Rochelle served in the U.S. Marines from 1965 to 1969, including two years in Vietnam.

Patnode grew up in Milwaukee. He received his draft notice in 1965, decided to talk to a Marines recruiter and was guaranteed duty as an auto mechanic due to being in a mechanic apprenticeship for a railroad at the time. Patnode then enlisted in the Marines.

Patnode was sent to Camp Pendleton in California until mid-1966. He went through boot camp, infantry training, auto mechanic school and advanced infantry training before being sent to Vietnam for two years, returning in July 1968. He then served at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, for six months and served his last months in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

“My work was mostly auto mechanic,” Patnode said. “When I was in Vietnam, I was an auto mechanic and in a reactionary platoon to provide backup if any units needed it. Being in Vietnam was two years of living in fear. You didn’t know friend from foe.”

Patnode said he didn’t see the negative response to his Vietnam service upon returning home the way other veterans did. But his service changed him, and made it hard for him to make friends. About seven years ago, Patnode was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I have a lot of acquaintances, but I find it hard to make friends,” Patnode said. “When we were over in Vietnam, you would make friends, and then they’d be gone. And not just from getting rotated back to the states.”

During his service in Puerto Rico, Patnode served as a truck mechanic as the U.S. worked on a military air strip there. Stateside duty bored him after two years in Vietnam, and he volunteered to go to Puerto Rico, which he enjoyed.

Patnode’s service made him more detail-oriented, which helped him in his civilian life and career afterward. He went to work for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway in Nebraska and was transferred to Illinois, which eventually brought him to Rochelle. He also served as a Milwaukee police officer for five years until 1975. He retired from the railroad in 2010.

Patnode is a member of Rochelle VFW Post 3878 and Rochelle American Legion Post 403. He enjoys interacting with other veterans, as well as being in parades and giving back. He takes pride in being a Marine.

“It’s a brotherhood,” Patnode said. “Unless you’ve been in it, you wouldn’t understand it. Once you’re a Marine, you’re always a Marine. It’s like one giant brotherhood. The training was tough. You got off the bus, and you were scared to death.

“For the first 24 hours, we had maybe an hour of sleep. Nobody talked in a normal tone. They all hollered right in your face. That was boot camp. It makes me proud that I made it through that.”

After growing up in the Midwest, Patnode enjoyed the travel his service resulted in.

“Vietnam, outside of the fear and unknowns, is a beautiful country,” Patnode said. “When I extended over there, I was able to go to Australia, and I loved that. I went to Okinawa, Japan. My service took me to Puerto Rico. It was cool to go to all of those places. I saw places I never thought I’d see.”