Capt. Damon was chief of staff for former House Speaker Patrick Colwell and well-known at the Statehouse. He had become administrative director with the Public Utilities Commission several months before being called to serve overseas. He was brought up as a Quaker, converted to Roman Catholicism as an adult and had a passion for social justice. He grew up in Wiscasset and New Castle and after graduating from Hyde School in Bath, he hitchhiked to Washington, D.C., to enter American University with only enough money to get him through a semester. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Economics from American University in Washington, D.C., and a Master's Degree from the Muskie School of Public Policy at the University of Southern Maine. Pat had served in the Army National Guard for twenty years, earning the rank of captain. His wife met him then and was immediately attracted to his self confidence and resourcefulness. They married in 1986 while Damon was still a student at American. They worked in Washington for a few years after graduation and then moved back to Maine, where Damon got involved in politics. He served in many state posts, joining the House majority office in 1994. He later moved to the Speaker's office and eventually joined the state Department of Administrative and Financial Services. He had a very positive outlook and a very strong sense of duty. He knew a lot about everything. Some friends called him 'Funk & Wagnall' because he had an encyclopedic response to everything from car repair to home construction to the inner workings of the Legislature and the state budget process. You could often get as much information about something as you could reading a technical manual. Damon joined the National Guard in 1986 and had served deployments in Guatemala and Panama, Halley said. In October he would have completed his 20th year of service and could have retired. Pat had a distinguished career in Maine State Government, including serving as Chief of Staff in both the House Speaker's Office and House Majority Office. Prior to his deployment to Afghanistan, he was serving as Administrative Director of the Maine Public Utilities Commission. Pat was widely respected and admired by his colleagues for his extraordinary work ethic, positive attitude, and unparalleled command of public policy issues and strategies. He brought an unusual compassion and enthusiasm to his work and found great satisfaction in finding creative solutions to problems faced by ordinary Maine people. He was a gifted problem solver, and considered public service a privilege and his true calling. He was the son of Ellsworth Damon and Barbara Damon Day.

Army
National Guard
240th Engineer Group
Augusta, Maine