Joe “Tiger” Patrick stops at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1083 in Crothersville Tuesday afternoon during his honor walk across the state to recognize those who lost their lives in the Global War Against Terrorism since the attacks on 9/11.
Erika Malone | The Tribune
Joe “Tiger” Patrick carries a memorial panel he made featuring more than 7,000 service men and women who lost their lives since 9/11.
Erika Malone | The Tribune
Joe “Tiger” Patrick has been carrying a cloth weighing more than 50 pounds on his back as he walks from northern Indianapolis to his destination in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday.
The memorial panel displays the names and faces of the 7,103 servicemen and servicewomen killed in the Global War Against Terrorism since the earth-shattering Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Patrick, an U.S. army veteran, made a stop Tuesday at the Crothersville Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 1083 for a quick rest and to meet the community — and eat one of the biggest tenderloin sandwiches he’s ever seen.
“I love it here,” he said. “Everyone here is very friendly and patriotic. I enjoy seeing the patriotic signs and flagpoles so it’s hard not to fall in love with areas like this.”
Patrick, who lives in Peace Dale, Rhode Island, plans to carry the memorial panel to the Veteran of Foreign Wars National Convention being held in Louisville today. It will be on display through the end of the convention Thursday at the International Convention Center in Louisville.
“This is a labor of love, and it keeps me up at night that I still don’t have all the faces on here,” he said.
A veteran of Operation Desert Storm, Patrick volunteered for three weeks at the World Trade Center on New York City after the 9/11 attacks, also known as “Ground Zero.”
In 2011, Patrick completed a memorial walk to honor the families, loved ones lost and first responders in the 9/11 attacks.
In 2013, Patrick walked across the United State to increase awareness of the U.S. service member causalities resulting from the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The journey took him six months.
“There are 152 sons and daughters from Indiana who lost their lives to this war,” he said.
Patrick said it’s cathartic for him when he meets families who find their loved one on the panel.
“It’s important for them to know that they don’t have to mourn by themselves,” he said.
As a commander for a VFW Post in Rhode Island and a coach for Special Olympics, Patrick is no stranger to physical activity and determination.
“I just wanted to do something so, these people are not forgotten,” he said. “It’s easy to picture a number in your head of how many were lost, but to see their faces is a whole other feeling. It’s important for the public to be aware and acknowledge the sacrifice these young people made for our country.”
Patrick left VFW Post 10003 in Carmel on July 13 for Louisville.
“It was important to start my walk to honor the fallen in Indianapolis as the city is home to the most veteran monuments in one city in the county, outside of DC. I love this area,” Patrick said in a news release issued by the Carmel Post at that time. Patrick also plans to hike with the memorial panel to all three 9/11 crash sites in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, this summer.