Steps for service Dunkirk native plans walk to honor fallen soldiers
Submitted Photos In picture at left, Dunkirk native Shawn Patterson, front, is pictured with fellow soldiers during one of his two deployments as a U.S. Army Ranger. Patterson, pictured at right, is a graduate of Dunkirk High School, and served two deployments in the U.S. Army. On his first deployment, within weeks of arriving overseas, two men serving alongside him were killed in action.
Submitted Photos In picture at left, Dunkirk native Shawn Patterson, front, is pictured with fellow soldiers during one of his two deployments as a U.S. Army Ranger. Patterson, pictured at right, is a graduate of Dunkirk High School, and served two deployments in the U.S. Army. On his first deployment, within weeks of arriving overseas, two men serving alongside him were killed in action.
Submitted Photos In picture at left, Dunkirk native Shawn Patterson, front, is pictured with fellow soldiers during one of his two deployments as a U.S. Army Ranger. Patterson, pictured at right, is a graduate of Dunkirk High School, and served two deployments in the U.S. Army. On his first deployment, within weeks of arriving overseas, two men serving alongside him were killed in action.
Submitted Photos In picture at left, Dunkirk native Shawn Patterson, front, is pictured with fellow soldiers during one of his two deployments as a U.S. Army Ranger. Patterson, pictured at right, is a graduate of Dunkirk High School, and served two deployments in the U.S. Army. On his first deployment, within weeks of arriving overseas, two men serving alongside him were killed in action.
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Before his life now as a police officer in Mesa, Arizona, Shawn Patterson called Dunkirk home. He grew up playing baseball for Frank Jagoda on the Dunkirk Marauders before graduating from Dunkirk High School and moving on to Jamestown Community College.
Then, Patterson was inspired by a book titled "Lone Survivor", written by Marcus Luttrell, which chronicled the journey of a group of Navy SEALs in Afghanistan. Patterson promptly enlisted in the military as a member of the U.S. Army. Patterson was "a poor college student," so once he was inspired to serve, it seemed like the perfect path to take.
But a book could only prepare him so much for what it was really like to serve the U.S. in times of war. Nothing could have properly prepared him for what happened once he was deployed.
After joining the military in 2010, Patterson completed the Ranger Assessment and Selection program and was stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington in the Second Ranger Battalion. Patterson was later deployed to Afghanistan, where in the fall of 2011, two of the men he served alongside – Sergeant Tyler Holtz, of Dana Point, California and Specialist Ricardo Cerros Jr., of Salinas, California – were killed in action.
Holtz was killed Sept. 24 when he led the charge through a door and was killed by a concealed enemy soldier upon entry. Then, less than a month later, Cerros was killed on Oct. 8 by an enemy grenade. Cerros shielded his platoon sergeant from the blast.
As the "new guy" in the group, Patterson didn't know Holtz or Cerros too well, but the few interactions he did have with them stick with him to this day.
Patterson recalls how Holtz was "very kind and very respectful," even as his superior. "He always treated me with respect and dignity," Patterson said.
He remembers Cerros as someone who "always had a smile on his face." Of Cerros, Patterson said, "He always was happy about pretty much everything. Even during the long training weeks, when everybody else was tired, Ricardo always had a cheerful attitude and always had a smile on his face."
After the loss of not one, but two brothers in arms within months of his first deployment, Patterson said "it was very tough" to move forward with his duties.
"I remember being very stressed out and sad, but I didn't have anything to compare it to. The guys who had been in Ranger Battalion for 10-15 years and this was the first time they saw one of their buddies killed, I think they struggled with it a lot more than me," Patterson said. "I was able to compartmentalize it, but obviously I still carry Tyler and Ricardo's memory with me."
Now, to honor his fallen friends, Patterson has a new inspired mission.
Beginning on Sept. 24, on the anniversary of Holtz's death 12 years to the date, Patterson will walk from Holtz's hometown of Dana Point through the state of California until he reaches Cerros' hometown of Salinas. He seeks to raise awareness of the legacy of his fallen brothers in arms, while also encouraging donations to build monuments to honor them in their hometowns.
To coordinate his mission, Patterson reached out to Legacies Alive, a nonprofit organization that supports Gold Star Families – immediate family members of fallen soldiers. Legacies Alive was founded in 2014 by Mark Faldowski, who Patterson served with. Its mission is to "bring national awareness to the life and character of the service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice."
In a statement, Legacies Alive said, "We are proud to partner with Shawn to honor Sergeant Tyler Holtz and Specialist Ricardo Cerros Jr., and to help build memorials to their lives and sacrifices in their hometowns. We hope that you share our passion and excitement to help these Gold Star families memorialize their fallen service members."
Patterson expects to have support from others at different stretches of the journey, including two of Holtz's brothers for the first day of the journey. He also hopes to stop and meet any Gold Star Families along his route.
"I've always wanted to do something to honor them. It's going on 12 years since it happened. I just never really knew what to do," Patterson said. He then thought of the idea about a year ago to walk from one hometown to the other through California – a journey of roughly 425 miles.
After Patterson mapped out the route, he then asked his wife for her permission to take the trip. Once she supported his decision, Patterson then called his dad, Bob Patterson, to ask for his help as a support driver along the route with him over the duration of the journey.
"Going 425 miles, if I do 15-20 miles a day, that puts me at about four weeks. I knew I'd need somebody to be there with me," Patterson said.
Though not surprised, Bob Patterson was touched by his son's decision to honor his fellow veterans.
"We're very extremely proud he wants to do something for these families," Bob Patterson said of his son's journey. "The fact that he's touched enough to want to commit to something like this is obviously a very proud moment for me as a parent."
Shawn Patterson said of his father, "Once I got him involved, I got my driver. ... It's definitely nice to have that family support."
Rather than feeling the intimidation of such a daunting task, Patterson looks forward to the day his arduous journey commences.
"The excitement is already starting for me because I get to tell the incredible story of Tyler Holtz and Ricardo Cerros Jr. to anyone who will hear it. I get to tell people of Tyler's incredible bravery in the face of insurmountable odds, his kindness and conviction for always doing the right thing, and making those around him better people just for knowing him," Patterson said. "Likewise, I can tell the amazing story of Ricardo Cerros Jr., an incredibly smart and bright young man who graduated from college near the top of his class, who could have done anything he put his mind to. His positive attitude – no matter how difficult times got – and his vibrant smile will be something I remember the rest of my life."
Through the tragedies of losing his fellow soldiers, Patterson has tried to honor their legacies by living his life to the fullest.
"It definitely made me very appreciative, first, just being alive. It makes me appreciate all the small things. I have a beautiful wife, and a beautiful daughter, and a job I absolutely love right now," Patterson said. "An experience like that, however tragic it was, I feel like it made me a better person – a stronger person."
Patterson hopes that sharing the stories of his friends will help others appreciate their lives like he does in their memory.
"I simply want every American to appreciate the sacrifices men and women like Tyler and Ricardo have made so that we can enjoy the freedoms of living in the greatest country on earth," Patterson said.
To donate to support the cause, visit legaciesalive.com/trek-to-tribute/