Army Ranger honors fallen Salinas soldier with Trek to Tribute

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) - U.S. Army Ranger Shawn Patterson honored two of his fellow soldiers with a Trek to Tribute on Sunday afternoon.

Patterson walked over 450 miles to honor Salinas native Ricardo Cerros Jr., and Tyler Holtz who were both killed in action.

Patterson served with both fallen rangers in Afghanistan.

He started his trek on Sept. 24 in Dana Point and finished his trek at Central Park in Salinas.

"I walked the last few miles with his entire family," Patterson said. "For them to finish here right next to the photo of Ricardo behind me, it's very powerful."

His walk was followed by a ceremony at the park with speeches and an honorary roll call.

Patterson told KION that the entire experience allowed him to meet with the families of fallen soldiers along the way.

The trek was made possible by Legacies Alive which is a non-profit group working to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.