By George Dominguez

May 4, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) --Daunting as it may seem, Joe “Tiger” Patrick II is walking across America to honor the fallen heroes of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.  This week, his journey took him through East County, where he met with local firefighters and paramedics.

"I felt a compelling need to do something to honor to our fallen heroes, to give people a close up view of those we lost.   This isn't a political statement, but an expression of love and respect for those who volunteered to put themselves in harm’s way to protect us here at home," said Tiger.  He honors the fallen by carrying a memorial mosaic panel which contains a picture of every fallen warrior.