Specialist Ricardo “Rick” Cerros Jr. was born on November 2, 1986, at Fort Ord, California, and grew up in nearby Salinas. His father, Ricardo Sr., had served in the Army, and Rick planned from childhood to join the military. At Everett Alvarez High School he spent four years in Navy Junior ROTC and rose to command the unit, taking it so seriously that classmates sometimes teased him. He wanted to enlist after graduation, but his father and stepmother persuaded him to earn a college degree first.
Rick enrolled at the University of California, Irvine, in 2005 and refused to coast. He majored in chemistry, sometimes carrying 22 credits a semester, and worked as a campus community service officer. He helped found UCI’s competitive taekwondo team and became its first member to earn a black belt. “He would train harder than everyone,” his friend and teammate Mike Clark said. Clark would arrive early to get a head start, only to find Rick already an hour into his workout, sometimes running on a treadmill in a sauna suit. “Everyone around him wanted to work harder too.” After he graduated in 2009, the team created the Rick Cerros award in his honor.
Rick enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 2010. After One Station Unit Training as an infantryman and the Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, he completed the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program and in March 2011 joined 1st Platoon, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. Within months he deployed to Afghanistan on his first combat tour.
On the night of October 7–8, 2011, during a raid in Logar Province, Rick was securing an alleyway as his squad called out the occupants of a compound when the enemy opened fire from inside. His platoon sergeant, Sergeant First Class Nicholas Moore, was hit several times and fell in front of the open breach. Rick exposed himself to automatic weapons fire to pull him behind cover and then helped provide security while a Ranger first responder treated him. When the enemy threw a grenade into the alley, Rick was mortally wounded as he shielded the medic and his platoon sergeant. He was 24. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star; his Silver Star citation credits his actions with potentially saving the lives of his fellow Rangers. His other decorations include the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Parachutist Badge.
At home Rick took on a leadership role in his family. He was especially close to his stepmother, Deborah, who said he was like her own son. Whenever she worried, he reassured her the same way, and he did so again in their final conversation two weeks before his death: “No worries, Mama, I got this.”
Rick was laid to rest at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Gary, Indiana. He is survived by his father, Ricardo Sr.; his stepmother, Deborah; his mother, Marguerite; his brothers, Nicholas and Marko; and his sister, Theresa.
Sources
- Military Times Hall of Valor: Ricardo Cerros Jr. (Silver Star citation and narrative)
- U.S. Army: Rangers recognized for valor
- Los Angeles Times: Ricardo Cerros Jr. dies at 24; Army specialist from Salinas
- UC Irvine News: UCI graduate Ricardo Cerros killed on active duty in Afghanistan
- Family-provided records on file with MVF: Ricardo Cerros bio, info sheet and 2026 honoree information sheet
