Mesa Police officer honors soldiers killed in action with long walk challenge

MESA, Ariz. - A Mesa police officer wanted to honor his fellow soldiers who were killed in action. So, he came up with a unique challenge that involved walking more than 400 miles.

Officer Shawn Patterson just completed the trek and FOX 10 caught up with him.

The faces of these two young men are always in the thoughts of Patterson.

"Those are two gentlemen I had the tremendous pleasure of serving with when I was in the United States Army in the Second Ranger Battalion in 2011," Patterson said.

Sergeant Tyler Holtz and Specialist Ricardo Cerros, Jr. were fellow soldiers, but also dear friends.

Holtz was killed in action on September 24th, 2011. Cerros, Jr. lost his life two weeks later.

Mesa police officer remembers fellow soldiers

In 2011, Officer Shawn Patterson lost two of his fellow soldiers and best friends while they were in action. Recently, Officer Patterson finished a 425-mile trek that honored the two fallen soldiers. FOX 10's Ellen McNamara reports.

"Ever since then, I've wanted to do something that would honor them and that’s why I chose to do this challenge," Patterson said.

The 425-mile trek started in Sergeant Holtz’s hometown of Dana Point, California. It ended in the hometown of Sergeant Cerros, Jr.

He averaged about 20 miles a day.

Legacies Alive, which supports Gold Star Families, funded the entire trip. Along the way, Patterson met several of them.

"The entire time, I thought of the sacrifice Tyler and Ricardo and all the rest of our other service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice have made for our freedoms," Patterson said. "So I didn't feel too sorry for myself when I was getting a little tired."