128 Years of Family Serving Family: Sgt. Jeremy Patterson, Fort Cavazos Exchange

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 128 years of family serving family.

Who he is: Sgt. Jeremy Patterson-Louallen, softlines sales area manager, Fort Cavazos PX.

Years with the Exchange: Four years.

What brought him to the Exchange: Patterson, an Army Reservist, was first introduced to the Exchange when he moved to Hawaii in 2019 to live with his family.

“My stepdad, Sgt. Michael Curtis, was deployed, and my mom was pregnant with small children at the time, so I moved on base to support her and be closer to family from Georgia,” he said.

What he did at first: He began his Exchange journey at Schofield Barracks PX as a customer service associate. He worked in the furniture store, Sunset Express, and the Class Six before becoming a sales area manager at Hickam Air Force Base Exchange.

“I was a cashier and helped with Snack Avenue at the Express, and it was a very fast-paced job,” Patterson said. “I realized how many Soldiers depend on the Exchange, whether it’s getting food on their lunch break or getting little necessities. Something as simple as making sure shaving cream was on the shelf was so important and made a huge difference in supporting our shoppers.”

His military career: Patterson witnessed how the military changed his family’s life and wanted to give back by serving the country. “Working at the Exchange exposed me to Soldiers, and I was interested in their experiences,” he said. “Their stories inspired me to join myself.”

Patterson is a human resources professional in the Army Reserve and completes his drill duties each month in Hawaii. He processes and maintains records for Soldiers to ensure contents are up to date for readiness if they deploy.

“I enjoy the administrative part of my job and the Soldier side, too,” he said. “I find it very exciting to be part of something that’s bigger than me.”

What he does now: Patterson PCS’d with his husband, Sgt. Lamont Louallen, to Fort Cavazos in June 2022 and began working at the PX as a sales area manager.

“This is the largest store I’ve worked at, and it has been a great challenge,” he said. “This community here at Fort Cavazos impresses me by how engaging they are.”

As a manager, Patterson stocks merchandise, writes schedules, plans events and provides support where needed, including reminding his team that what they do to serve those who serve matters, too.

“We go through life with a job to do, but sometimes we don’t realize the impact it can have on our Soldiers and the community,” he said. “I always remind my team that they have purpose and whatever challenge or obstacle they face, it’s not them alone. We’ll get through it together as a team.”

Memorable moments: In August, Patterson’s team hosted a fashion show for military children in celebration of Rookie USA’s launch in-store. As emcee of the event, he encouraged participants as they walked down the runway in apparel from Rookie USA brands.

“For some of those kids, the back-to-school event was their first experience with getting out of their comfort zone and trying something new,” he said. “If they remember that moment at the Exchange for the rest of their lives, I feel like I did my part in giving back to the community and I made a difference… that means everything to me.”

Family serving family: As a Soldier and Exchange associate, Patterson feels a strong bond to the military and the Exchange.

“Family serving family means that our communities come together and overcome whatever obstacle is put in front of us,” he said. “Being able to empathize and understand what the military community needs from me is ‘family serving family,’ and when we look at it that way, we can best support one another.”