U.S. Army soldiers and teammates of 1st Sgt. Peter “Drew” McKenna Jr., 35, pay tribute to the fallen hero during an Aug. 13, 2015, memorial at Camp Integrity in Afghanistan. The U.S. Army Green Beret died on Aug. 8 of wounds suffered when he was attacked by enemy small arms fire in Kabul.

The story of 1st Sgt. McKenna, along with reports of two U.S. military service members being killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 26, should remind us that no matter what terms politicians use to describe the current mission in Afghanistan, the thousands of brave men and women serving there are still in harm’s way.

All of us at The Stream are praying for the families of these fallen American warriors.