Afghanistan

Two communities spent this week honoring hometown heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice this month in Afghanistan.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz, 32, was killed July 12 in Afghanistan’s Paktiya province “of wounds sustained as a result of enemy small arms fire while conducting operations in support of a medical evacuation landing zone,” according to the Pentagon.

On Wednesday, a memorial service was attended by hundreds in Savannah, Georgia. The 32-year-old Summerville, SC, native is being remembered as a caring husband and father.

“I’ve never seen a man love his wife and his child as much as he loved them,” family friend Jennifer Hunter told The Post and Courier.

As an Army Ranger, Celiz earned high praise as a valiant warrior.

“Sgt. 1st Class Celiz led from the front and always put himself at the decisive point on the battlefield,” U.S. Army Lt. Col Sean McGee said.

The Post and Courier also quotes Col. Brandon Tegtmeier, the 75th Ranger Regiment’s commanding officer, as saying that Celiz was a “national treasure.”

Please pray for this fallen patriot’s wife and daughter.

In South Gate, California, a memorial service was held on Tuesday evening for U.S. Army Cpl. Joseph Maciel, 20, who was killed in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province on July 7 during an “apparent insider attack” that also wounded two others. You may have read about Cpl. Maciel’s life and legacy here last week.

At the solemn service, Maciel’s loved ones thanked fellow mourners “for coming out to support them in their time of grief,” according to KABC-TV in Los Angeles. Please continue to pray for the Maciel family in the coming weeks and months.

Southern California and the South Carolina/Georgia coastlines may be separated by thousands of miles, but this week, these communities were united in sorrow as the longest war in American history continues. You probably didn’t see national news coverage of either memorial service, but that doesn’t lessen the magnitude of the pain being endured by two Gold Star families.

We will never forget Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz and Cpl. Joseph Maciel.

Coming Home

The July 13 return of South Carolina National Guard soldiers from Afghanistan was even more meaningful given the previous day’s loss of a Palmetto State hero. While undoubtedly mourning their fellow warrior, dozens of soldiers and military families could finally breathe a sigh of relief after being separated for almost a year.

Soldiers from the South Carolina Army National Guard arrive home to Columbia, South Carolina, on July 13, 2018 after a nearly yearlong deployment to Afghanistan.

The Stream started this weekly feature to remind Americans that our military is still at war. Too often, our country looks elsewhere as less than one percent of its population volunteers to keep us safe.

Indeed, our brave men and women in uniform are national treasures. We must pay attention to their selfless, extraordinary deeds.

Tom Sileo is a contributing senior editor of The Stream. He is co-author of three books about military heroes: 8 Seconds of Courage, Brothers Forever and Fire in My Eyes. Follow Tom on Twitter @TSileo.