Tuberville Honors Pat Downing of Mobile as January “Veteran of the Month”

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) released a video honoring U.S. Army Colonel Patrick Downing as the January "Veteran of the Month."

Excerpts of Sen. Tuberville's remarks can be found below, and complete remarks can be found here.

"The military will take you all over the world, but Sweet Home Alabama has a way of bringing people back. That's true for Mobile native Colonel Patrick Downing, who found his way back to the Bay after 36 years of military service.

The son of a World War II Marine, Pat enlisted in the Army at just 17 years old. In 1961, he signed up to be a part of the Special Forces unit, where he'd serve for the next three decades-including two tours in Vietnam. Before he left, Pat married his high school sweetheart, Patricia, in a chapel at Fort Bragg. Upon arriving, Pat and his team were met with a mortar attack and told their unit had a bounty on their heads just for being in the country. But Pat wasn't deterred from his mission.

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After retiring in 1996, Pat and Patricia knew that it was time to bring their family back to the Yellowhammer state for good after 19 moves over the years. He then used his passion for education to give back to his hometown, working at the University of South Alabama for more than 20 years until his retirement in 2015. He directed one of South's satellite campuses for 15 years and wrapped up his time directing transportation for the main campus and the Springhill campus.

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He and his wife are proud grandparents to 7 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. After traveling far and wide to protect our freedoms, I am glad Pat planted his roots down in Mobile.

It is my honor to recognize him as the January 'Veteran of the Month.'"

Constituents can nominate an Alabama veteran and submit their information to Sen. Tuberville's office for consideration in the 2026 "Veteran of the Month" series by emailing [email protected].

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans' Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

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