Mark Patronsky was born on August 15, 1948 in Columbus, Ohio. His family moved to Waukesha, Wisconsin when he was a child, then relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana when he was a teenager. Patronsky enrolled at the University of Indiana in 1966 and attended the school for two years before transferring to the University of Chicago. Concerns over being drafted after graduation led Patronsky to try and claim ineligibly, which included attempts not to graduate, claiming to be a conscientious objector, and being declared mentally incompetent. Those attempts failed and he was inducted in January 1971, and went for basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. After basic training, he was send to Fort Hood, Texas for artillery training with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery. Patronsky was eventually sent to Germany to serve in the fire direction center of the 2nd Battalion, 92nd Field Artillery, which was a nuclear-capable unit intended to hold back Soviet tank units in the event of an invasion. He served in Germany for a year, and was discharged in 1973. After his service, Patronsky obtained a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and served as a Senior Staff Attorney for the Legislative Council of the Wisconsin State Legislature in Madison, Wisconsin.
