ORLANDO, Fla. — No matter the day, no matter the course, running brings Tom Patti back to where he started and first found himself.
“It’s chasing that structure. There’s a mission before I run,” he said. “I ran in the military for physical fitness tests. When I moved to Germany, (I) got really excited. We got to run through mountains, lot of mountain running.”
Over the years, running has served as therapy of sorts for the veteran, moving him forward after he served his country and needed to work through some issues.
Inspired by his great uncle’s career in the military during World War II, Patti, a shy, quiet kid, joined the service. He found the camaraderie he sought in the Signal Corps and worked with communications, satellites and networks.
After eight years, Patti traded stints in Saudi Arabia for a career in IT at Marriott, where he now serves as vice president of IT Global Field and End User Service Delivery. His impetus was the strain on his new marriage living so far apart, and the desire to start a family.
“Any time we’ve had any type of crisis, my experience being in the military, trying to remain calm, cool and collected, solve the issue at hand, I think that’s what’s made me successful in my role,” he said.
But the transition into civilian life — and moving into a corporate environment — was not easy.
Patti missed his “battle buddies” and worked to stay present for his job and his wife, who he had first met in college.
“There’s obviously certain tells. She can tell when my brain’s ‘clicking’ and she’ll try to guide me in the right direction. She’ll always go back to, ‘You’re not getting fired out right now. This isn’t the end of the world, you’ll figure it out,’” said the father. “There’s definitely a balance there mentally. And one of the things the company has done for me: offered us counseling from a coaching and counseling perspective.”
Per the company, the Employee Assistance Program-offered counseling is free and confidential for employees, connecting veterans with professionally trained staff for support 24/7.
Yet, above all else, Patti said that shifting his focus to physical fitness and specifically running after his service ended was the most beneficial form of therapy for him. He’s tackled marathons up and down Florida to even the Great Wall of China.
“It’s almost a meditation, if you will. I’ve come off of runs super excited, I’ve come off of runs where I’ve broken down,” he said.
And at age 55, Patti’s now training for his ninth marathon.
“I hope as I continue to get older, I hope as I forget things, as things come and go, that I stay true to myself and keep the values I have,” he said, continuing, “Whatever it is in life, work related, home related, personal related, I want to make sure I maintain the values, I had when I was born and fortified in the military.”