Correspondent photo / Amanda C. Davis Jerre Patterson, 76, of Canfield, shows on a map of Vietnam where he served while in the Marines.

CANFIELD — Sometimes, the memories from serving in Vietnam surface for Jerre Patterson, who was a young man when he abandoned his plans for college to honorably serve his country.

Patterson, a 34-year veteran of the Boardman police force, wasn’t old enough to buy himself a beer, but wound up in the middle of jungles, thousands of miles away, fighting the enemy.

And, he said, he’d do it all over again.

“I would go again if they needed me,” he said during a recent interview at his Canfield home. “I’m a patriot, and my dad instilled that in me.”

Patterson, 76, graduated from Boardman High School in 1967, the same year his brother, Richard, enlisted in the Marines. Jerre Patterson decided to join him, passing on a scholarship from Bluffton University to play football.

He said he decided to follow his brother because it “sounded like more fun than football.”

Richard Patterson, who is two years older and lives in Austintown, was shipped off to California, while Jerre Patterson headed to Parris Island, South Carolina, for basic training. From there, he went to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and eventually, to Da Nang, Vietnam, where he joined the armed conflict between North Korea, South Korea and their allies.

“My brother talked me into (joining),” Patterson said. “We were babies, and my mother was really upset.”

He was eventually stationed at An Hua and was “eaten up by leeches” and experienced “jungle rot,” a foot infection from continuous exposure to soggy boots in the hot, humid jungle.

“It took me six to eight years to get rid of it,” he said, explaining doctors eventually found the right antibiotic to clear it up. “The soles of my feet were rotting away.”

He said he also lost a lot of weight after a bout with dysentery because of unsanitary conditions and lack of access to clean water.

Patterson achieved the rank of corporal and received a Navy commendation medal with a combat “V,” for valor.

The medal was awarded for Patterson’s efforts on Dec. 7, 1968. His company conducted a search-and-destroy mission in Quang Nam Province when it came under machine gun fire from the North Vietnamese.

His citation says Patterson “fearlessly maneuvered across the fire-swept terrain to an advantageous position from which he skillfully adjusted mortar fire upon the hostile machine gun emplacements.”

He noticed a fellow Marine, wounded, and lying in an exposed area, and Patterson, along with three others, rescued him. The award said Patterson returned to his observation post and directed fire against the North Vietnamese, killing an enemy sniper.

“His daring initiative and heroic efforts inspired all who observed him and contributed significantly to the accomplishment of his unit’s mission,” it reads.

When he came home, Patterson went to Youngstown State University on the G.I. Bill and received a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement administration.

He joined the Boardman Police Department in 1974, where he served as a patrolman, captain and, for a year, chief.

Since retiring in 2008, Patterson and his wife of 47 years, Patty, have enjoyed racing sailboats and staying active at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Boardman. He has run three marathons and used to ski until he was injured when he fell out of the back of a truck while loading up his boat. He said doctors used an experimental procedure to superglue his ribs to metal plates.

One time, while sailing, Patterson was hit in the head by the boat’s boom, knocking him into the lake, where his survival training kicked in. He said he was treading water, hoping to be rescued, when Andy Frost, former Austintown fire chief, sailed by and saved him.

He also had a bout with anaphylactic shock from a prescription he was taking. He said he was off work, at home, and painting when he started having trouble breathing. He called 911 and his wife, who was a dispatcher, sent emergency personnel to their house.

“I’ve been very fortunate, like a cat,” he said. “I’ve got a bunch of lives.”

Patterson experienced hearing loss and has dealt with the lasting effects of Agent Orange exposure. The substance was sprayed heavily during the war to kill off foliage used for enemy cover. It made its way into water and soil, impossible to avoid, he said.

Patterson had skin cancer removed a few times and is checked regularly.

He said his daughters, Tammy and Mary, both suffered infertility, which has been linked to his exposure to the toxin, he said, adding, “We don’t have grandkids but we have a beautiful little dog named Molly.”

He works part time for Fox Funeral Home on Market Street, where on three occasions, he accompanied the deceased to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia for burial. “It’s an honor,” he said. “It gives me chills every time.”

Though he is proud of his service, Patterson said he has no desire to return to Vietnam.

Every once in a while, though, loud noises, certain smells and fireworks take him right back.

“I saw a lot of combat,” he said. “You put (the memories) in a box and you put it away, towards the back of your mind.”