Established by the widow of Robert P. Patterson, the Patterson Award is given annually to the most outstanding Infantry officer graduate based on qualities of leadership, academic efficiency, aptitude and character. Each cycle, the Infantry commandant will select from each OCS class the Infantry officer rated at the top of the class based on the above criterion. Prior to end of the annual period, the highest-rated officer will be the recipient of the Patterson Award.

Judge ROBERT P. PATTERSON was born in Glenn Falls, New York, 12 February 1891. He attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1912 and then a Bachelor of Law in 1915 from Harvard University. He enlisted in the New York National Guard in 1915 and was mustered into federal service for border patrol duty on 26 June 1916 as a private. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry at the Officers Training Camp, Plattsburg Barracks, New York. This was the World War I equivalent of what is today known as Officer Candidate School.

Patterson was promoted to Captain in August 1917 and transferred to the 306th Infantry in January of 1918. His unit left the U.S. for service in France on 13 April 1918, where he served in the Baccarat, Vesle, and Foret-d' Argonne defensive sectors, and the Oise-Aisne and Meuse-Argonne offensives. For extraordinary heroism in action on 14 August 1918, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross with the following citation: Captain Patterson, accompanied by two noncommissioned officers, made a daring daylight reconnaissance into the enemy lines. He surprised an enemy outpost of superior numbers and personally destroyed the outpost. Later, he again had an encounter with another outpost, during which several of the enemy were killed or wounded and one member of his patrol wounded. The enemy advanced their outposts, and Captain Patterson covered the retreat of his patrol, during which he dropped into a depression and feigned being killed in in order to escape capture. Here he lay until he was able to escape to his lines under cover of darkness. For Gallantry in action on 26 September 1918, he was again cited and awarded the Silver Star and he was later awarded the Purple Heart. Judge Patterson was promoted to Major in March of 1919 and assigned to command the 2nd Battalion, 306th Infantry.

Judge Paterson returned to the U.S. on 27 May 1919 and was honorably discharged from military service. In 1920, he married Margaret T. Winchester and they had four children. He practiced law in New York City and served as a Judge of the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Circuit of Appeals of the Second Circuit. He was appointed the first Under Secretary of War upon creation of the post on 12 December 1940. President Harry S. Truman appointed Patterson as Secretary of War in 1945. Patterson advocated for unifying the armed services (army and navy) and having a single chief of staff. Steps to this effect were initiated by the National Security Act of 1947, revised several times, and finally passed by the Coldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. Patterson participated in the desegregation of the armed forces, specifically during late stages of World War II with regard to creating an African-American fighter group, known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

Judge Patterson returned to his law practice in 1947. President Truman reportedly offered to reappoint Patterson to his former judgeship on the Second Circuit, but Patterson declined, instead opting to return to private practice. The preeminent New York law firm, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler still carries his name. He later served as the President of the New York City Bar and as President of the Council of Foreign Relations.

Robert P. Patterson was returning from a meeting with a client and died 22 January 1952 aboard American Airlines Flight 6780 as it crashed on its approach to Newark Liberty International Airport in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was 60 years old.

Recipients

  • 1953 – PERRIN, JR, HERBERT T.
  • 1954 – GENIESSE, ROBERT J.
  • 1955 – MALONE, DANDRIDGE M.HOF
  • 1956 – HERNDON, JR, JOHN JOYCE C.
  • 1957 – MATHESON, ROBERT G.
  • 1958 – BARBER, JAMES J.
  • 1959 – WARNBERG, HARRY E.
  • 1960 – BAYHA, WILLIAM T.HOF
  • 1961 – MOSLEY, HOWARD R.HOF
  • 1962 – HAYES, JOHN H.
  • 1963 – SCOOLER, ALBERT G.
  • 1964 – BAKER, ROBERT J.
  • 1965 – BRANDKAMP, JR, ROBERT L.
  • 1966 – KASZER, ROBERT W.
  • 1967 – WILLIAMS, III, HERBERT D.HOF
  • 1968 – CORDON, JR, MARCO A.
  • 1969 – FABIAN, AUGUSTIN
  • 1970 – DAVIS, EDMUND L.HOF
  • 1971 – HERSHEY, CHARLES O.
  • 1972 – FERGUSON, THOMAS L.
  • 1973 – MESSANO, GARY D.
  • 1974 – BUTLER, WILLIAM G.
  • 1975 – BURTON, CHRISTOPHER F.
  • 1976 – DAMOTH, JOHN A.
  • 1977 – FOSTER, IV, THOMAS G.
  • 1978 – THYNE, JR, JAMES G.
  • 1979 – BENNER, RICHARD K.
  • 1980 – EMMERSON, JOHN S.
  • 1981 – BLACKWELL, BILLY M.
  • 1982 – ROGERS, JACK B.
  • 1983 – HANLEY, MICHAEL D.
  • 1984 – HARGROVE, ARTHUR K.
  • 1985 – LIGHT, JR, FLOYD Z.
  • 1986 – MEADE, BRIAN
  • 1987 – LIPINSKI, MICHAEL J.
  • 1988 – FOLEY, DANA J.
  • 1989 – MORSE, DOUGLAS J.
  • 1990 – MCMAHON, DARREN L.
  • 1991 – JOY, WILLIAM J.
  • 1992 – JACKSON, MARK A.
  • 1993 – WITMIRE, DAVID W.
  • 1994 – KINDER, ROBERT W.
  • 1995 – SAELI, JEFFREY A.
  • 1996 – STOBBE, PATRICK P.
  • 1997 – MALONE, SCOTT J.
  • 1998 – TERRY, DENNIS W.
  • 1999 – BURKE, KEVIN
  • 2000 – TAYLOR, DOUGLAS A.
  • 2001 – ANDERT, RONALD J.
  • 2002 – BERRY, DENNIS R.
  • 2003 – CLARK, JAMES A.
  • 2004 – MARSH, ADAM M.
  • 2005 – RAY, DOUGLAS W.
  • 2006 – RAMSEY, KWESI A.
  • 2007 – RECIPIENT, NO
  • 2008 – KANE, NICHOLAS
  • 2009 – ZANDERS, JR, KERRY L.
  • 2010 – SOLER, KYLE P.
  • 2011 – KELLUM, JR, JOHN A.
  • 2012 – GLASS, CHIP
  • 2013 – GOODROE, KYLE A.
  • 2014 – WRIGHT, ROBERT L.
  • 2015 – TEXEIRA, MICHAEL J.
  • 2016 – FAGLIE, CHARLESTON H.
  • 2017 – JANSSEN, ROB J.
  • 2018 – MCGUIRE, BENNETT L.
  • 2019 – GUANILL, XIOVANI
  • 2020 – GETCHIE, BILLIE
  • 2021 – WELLENDORF, BRENDON E.