The Simpsonville Sentinel is proud to introduce our Veteran of the Month, U.S. Army Veteran Karlee Patrikis. Karlee is a two-time veteran, as she currently serves with the Simpsonville Police Department.

Karlee served 10 years in the U.S. Army Reserves based right here in Greenwood, SC. Serving as a 74 Delta Chemical/Hazmat Specialist, she was deployed twice to Kuwait supporting combat operations in the Middle East. The DECON unit she served with was responsible for clean-up operations of both personnel and equipment. Karlee was selected as a lead instructor for training other countries in our hazardous material operations, which included the armies of Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. She was assigned an interpreter for each of these assignments, and she thoroughly enjoyed her military career.  Regretfully, Karlee was combat medically discharged after suffering a training injury.

Following her military service, Karlee joined the Simpsonville Police Department as a Patrol Officer and met her Fire-Fighter husband during an arrest in front of the Simpsonville Fire Department! As she celebrates her 7th year on the police force, she is now a Sergeant Patrol Supervisor focused on training younger officers in the department. Her teaching skills in the military helped her develop the problem-solving skills she uses daily as a law enforcement officer. Karlee also acts as a liaison for Hazmat issues in the department, but thankfully there have not been many local threats to deal with. Karlee was selected as the South Carolina winner of the Gregory Alia award for excellence in 2019, and recognized by Governor McMaster for her service in law enforcement.

Living in the Simpsonville area with her husband and two young children, Karlee enjoys reading and cooking, with shrimp and grits being her specialty. She’s a fan of Grey’s Anatomy and often shares this advice for young women thinking about getting into law enforcement:

Be confident and driven to achieve your goals, and you can reach them and even more than you ever expected. Having passion for what you do every day is the key to success.

Thank you for your service to our country and our community! Salute!■