Honorary Advisory Board of Trustees

Mr. Samuel Prince Patterson graduated from Memphis Univeristy School in 1972 with Board member Paul Tudor Jones and attended and was graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a BS in Bus Admin in 1977. Sam has been in sales and marketing since college, most recently a 19 year career in the Private Investment / Hedge Fund business.

Having not served in the military, but being very patriotic, Sam started The SSF in late 2004, as he felt compelled to take action to Support Our Troops in a unique way. His passionate vision led him to conceive The Bronzes of the Brave ™ project name and expand his vision to a large scale stand-alone foundation to honor the brave men and women of these United States, and their families, who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Sam quickly began enlisting the services, insight, help, and participation of many of today's great military leaders as honorary advisory board members and project consultants. To that end, he has assembled this Honorary Advisory Board that speaks to the honor and credibility of this project.

Due to what he perceived as vendors and service companies trying to grossly profit off of the bronze statue project - even attempting to unscrupulously steal the project and raise funds using the Bronzes of the Brave™ name, Sam canvassed the country for the highest quality bronze artists, statues, and pricing in order to make certain that the Bronzes of the Brave™ funds go where they are intended: to honoring the military men, women, and families that have made the ultimate sacrifice.  To that end, he also conceived, negotiated, and established a special funding mechanism for ongoing "passive giving" with a major U.S. network digital services provider that will most certainly be utilized as a model for many years to come.

Mr. Patterson lives in Memphis, Tennessee, is married to the former Sandra Ranks. They have a fine son, Jack Cantell, and two wonderful daughters, Parker and Perry, who both attend the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

Mr. Roy E. Degan III, (Woody) is himself the son of and United States Air Force Colonel who served as a fighter/bomber in Korea, a Squadron and Military Base Commander, and ultimately, as a Pentagon consultant. As such, Woody intimately knows and understands the sacrifice of military personnel and their families, and brings a passion for service and a myriad of talents to this project. His father, the late Col Roy E. Degan Jr., was also the original project developer who discovered the famed LOST SQUADRON and GLACIER GIRL over 300 feet below the Greenland Icecap.

As The SSF's Operations Director, Woody has been instrumental in securing all necessary Trademarks and other Official Documentation necessary for efficient, legitimate, and legal operations. His timely consultation directly prevented the theft of our project and name by a copycat organization.

For over two decades Woody has served as President and Operations Director of the Wolf River Airport, a private airport outside of Memphis, TN. He is the founder and CEO of Memphis Sound Entertainment and Memphis Sound Records, and has been deeply rooted in the entertainment industry for over 25 years as a Live Event Producer, Recording Artist, Performer, Engineer, and Manager, with live event credits ranging from Ike Turner to Sammy Davis Jr., and Rufus Thomas to Hootie and the Blowfish. In 1999, he co-founded the Consumer First Loyalty Card Program, which was sold in 2004. He has also served as staff writer and featured columnist for regional and national publications.

As an IT Consultant for Consumer First Consulting, Woody - a self-proclaimed computer geek- regularly consults with businesses nationwide in assessing their logistical and ergonomic needs. He is a certified digital technology consultant, software designer/programmer, and an independent agent representing cutting edge digital technologies, including high-density smart cards, compression utilities, and e-commerce applications.

Woody lives in the suburbs of Memphis, Tennessee. He is single with no children.

Chairman/Founder
Tudor Group of companies
Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Robin Hood Foundation

Charles A. Horner was the architect of the air campaign against Iraq in Operation Desert Storm as the Joint Force Air Component Commander. Horner had the responsibility of coordinating 2,000 - 3,000 sorties required per day with control of all aircraft in the theater except those of the Navy in sorties over water, Marines supporting their ground units and helicopters flying below 500 feet.

He was a command pilot with more than 5,300 flying hours in a variety of fighter aircraft. During the Vietnam War he flew 41 combat missions over North Vietnam in the F-105 in his first tour. He later flew more than 70 combat missions as an F-105 Wild Weasel pilot, deliberately drawing anti-aircraft fire to identify and destroy North Vietnamese defenses.

In his last assignment, Horner commanded the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Space Command; and Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

He retired from active duty Sept. 30, 1994. He has written a book with Tom Clancy, Every Man A Tiger (Putnam 1999).

Sources compiled from the Air Force History Support Office and Air Force News Agency.

Mr. Ward assumed his current position within the Office of Family Policy on 16 July 2001, as the Senior Policy Advisor for Casualty, Mortuary, and Military Funeral Honors. In this capacity, he serves as a policy expert on casualty reporting, notification and assistance, survivor death benefits and entitlements, preparation and transportation of remains, handling of personal effects, and arrangements for funerals.

He assumed this position after having served 26 years on active duty with the United States Marine Corps, the last six of which were as the Head, Marine Corps Casualty Branch. In this position, he was responsible for drafting and implementing policies within the Marine Corps on the very issues that he now manages for the Department of Defense.

Mr. Ward entered active duty as an enlisted Marine in 1974. He advanced through the ranks to Staff Sergeant, Chief Warrant Officer-3, and then retired from active duty in July 2000 at the rank of Major.

He is the recipient of multiple personal decorations including the Legion of Merit Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. For his actions following the September 11th terrorist attack on the Pentagon, Mr. Ward was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service.

Mr. Ward is married (32 years) with two children, and four grandchildren.

Bio Coming Soon

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