Paulette "Pat" Sweeney was born in February 1942 in Pembroke, North Carolina, and moved to Cary, North Carolina at an early age. She attended Cary Elementary School, and was involved with the Methodist Youth Fellowship, as well as the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, a Masonic youth service organization. Later in high school, Sweeney participated in Future Teachers of America and the National Beta Club. During her final semester at Women's College of North Carolina Sweeney learned about the Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas Program (SRAO) of the American Red Cross and decided she'd join after graduation. She graduated in 1964 with a degree in Child Development and Family Relations. After interviewing with the American Red Cross in Atlanta, Sweeney made a commitment to spend thirteen months in South Korea, and spent two weeks in Washington D.C. for training. Sweeney was then sent to Army Support Command, or ASCOM, in Seoul, South Korea, where she traveled throughout the country participating in American Red Cross SRAO programs, which included holding coffee and doughnut stops for various United States military units, and generally being a morale booster for the troops. Following her time at ASCOM, Sweeney traveled to Osan Air Base in Daegu, South Korea, and then to Camp John C. Pelham near the Demilitarized Zone. When her thirteen month commitment in South Korea was fulfilled, Sweeney worked for another year in public relations with the American Red Cross at Walson Army Hospital at Fort Dix, New Jersey. There she started dating her future husband. In September 1965, Sweeney assisted with a disaster assignment in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Betsy, working to secure reimbursement information for affected families. Sweeney's next undertaking was with the Montgomery County School System in Maryland, where she was appointed to organize and implement the first child development high school course. In 1966, she worked for a year with the Junior Red Cross in the Washington, D.C. public school system.
