Ben Patton - Patton Veterans Project
The Eddy Network Podcast Episode 292
We often find ourselves saying to a military veteran, “Thank you for your service.”
We are sincere when say the words, but the words don’t really address the sacrifice that accompanies the service.
Many veterans come home and find that the world they left to go to war is not the same one they return to. My son, Troop Brenegar’s first novel, Victory Ruins, is about a young North Carolina farm boy who returns home from fighting in Europe to discover, he cannot talk about his experience with his family.
It was not until the last year of my father’s life that I heard him talk about his experience as a B-29 turret gunner in the Pacific during the Second World War. I only heard these stories because we were at a reunion of US Army Air Corps and US Air Force veterans.
Benjamin Patton, son and grandson of decorated US Army generals, has taken his teaching and filmmaking skills into the world of the veteran. The Patton Veterans Project provides military veterans a vehicle for telling their stories and as a result, work through some of the pain and trauma of their battlefield experience.
I am honored to have Ben on the podcast. I have included three veteran produced videos after our conversation.
Benjamin Patton
Founder & Exec. Director @ The Patton Veterans Project
Storytelling with purpose | Empowering veterans through film | Meritorious Service Medal Recipient
Patton Veterans Project
Website - pattonvets.org
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@pattonveteransproject
“We help veterans process trauma and rediscover purpose and through stories only they can tell.
Since 2011, our I Was There Film Workshops have helped over 1,500 veterans reclaim their voice, rebuild trust, and reconnect with their purpose. We’ve run more than 100 workshops across the U.S. and Israel, at military bases, VA hospitals, and universities, with measurable results in reducing PTSD symptoms and improving reintegration.
I come from a long line of soldiers:
→ My grandfather, General George S. Patton Jr, led the Third Army in WWII.
→ My father, Major General George S. Patton IV, was a Regimental Commander in Vietnam and later CO of the 2nd Armored Division.
→ Six generations of West Pointers on my mom’s side, including a Medal of Honor recipient and 2 Chiefs of Cavalry.
→ I grew up surrounded by uniforms, war stories, and expectations.
But I took a different path:
📺 Over 30+ years in film and TV in NY.
🎓 M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Columbia.
📽 Time working at a Benedictine abbey, and assisting in the production and marketing of a Gregorian Chant album.
🎖 Awarded the U.S. Army’s Meritorious Public Service Medal in 2024.
I didn’t wear the uniform, but I’ve spent my life serving those who did.
Not with rank, but with story.
If you’re a veteran, a civilian, a prospective donor, or simply someone who believes as I do that stories can change lives, I’d love to talk.
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/benjamin-patton-pvp
Email - ben@pattonveteransproject.org