The Not So
Saintly Patrick
My name is Patrick Raatz, which I recently changed to Patric Raatz
Alexander Ryan. I am a
better-late-than-never student at UGA. After high school, I joined the US Army.
I was a combat engineer paratrooper. My job specialty was demolitions,
installing obstacles, and the removal of land mines. The best time I had in the
Army was at Airborne School (yes, that means I jumped out of airplanes). I was
stationed in Germany for my first two years. While I was in Europe, I visited
London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. I had to go awol (absent without leave)
to visit Italy. I was smart enough not to get in trouble, but that is another
story. I saw the Vatican, Rome, Pisa, Florence, Naples, and the Isle of Capri.
I almost stayed on the Isle of Capri, but that's also another story. My unit
was sent to Desert Storm to fight in the Gulf war. We were there nine months.
Eight other guys and I lived out of an APC (armored personnel carrier - a mini
tank). In the vast nothing of the Middle East desert (at least the parts I
saw), my job was to blow up all the equipment the Iraqi's left behind,
which was really fun. I was in Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. I worked in real
estate after the army and managed several apartment complexes in the Atlanta
area. I also worked as a UGA police officer as a means to return to school. My
first police call was a derailed train on South Milledge Ave, and my last
police call was loose cattle on South Milledge Ave where I faced down and won
against an 1800-pound limousine bull, but they also are other stories. I am now, after much delay, finally
back to school. It was either now or never.
Majors: I am seeking dual majors in Drama and Telecommunications. Why
Drama you might ask? I was originally working towards Political Science and
Marketing. I made the UGA Model United Nations Team in 2001 and competed in New
York City. I even scored the whole team tickets to The Late Show, but that is
yet another story. How did a military veteran and ex-police officer (emphasis
on the ex) get interested in Drama? If you had asked me to go to a play a
couple of years ago I probably would have laughed at you and had only been to a
few in my whole life at that time. Through an add/drop error I ended up in a
Drama 2000 class. My instructor, Dr. Farley Richmond, announced that they would
be holding auditions for a play called Playboy of the Western World. It is a
play set in a bar in 18th century Ireland. I was allowed into the
play and was bitten by the drama bug. My next role cast me as none other than
the Godfather in a film spoof that placed second at the UGA telecom film
festival in 2002. Since then I have been in several plays and film projects.
There is no turning back now.
Favorite Hobby: Scuba
The Sport I'm Good At: Fencing
This was a sport I was forced into but for some reason I have excelled. I went to the Junior Olympics several times as a teenager and quit when I turned eighteen because I didn't have to listen to my parents any more. In 2001, after more then a decade, I competed once again and to everyone's surprise, I won first place, undefeated in a state held competition.