RIP Soldier

Go with God.
“Sgt. 1st Class Christopher A. Celiz, 32, was born January 12, 1986, in South Carolina. At the time of his death, he was assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia.

While conducting combat operations in Paktiya province, Celiz was wounded by enemy small arms fire. He was treated immediately and medically evacuated to the nearest medical treatment facility where he died of his wounds.”
...”He was on his fifth deployment with 1st Bn., 75th Rgr. Rgt., when he was killed.”
https://www.army.mil/article/208481...y_Special_Operations_Ranger_killed_in_combat/

RIP Ranger

God bless SFC Celiz and his family.

RIP

In our hearts and prayers.

Rangers lead the way, all the way.

Godspeed, Ranger.

This was sent to my DH yesterday evening by an Academy classmate, a tribute:

The Boy with the Famous Armpit
Eighteen years ago, a young teen was determined to play a role in a movie being filmed near his hometown. The movie was The Patriot, staring Mel Gibson. He was thrilled when he and his mom both were accepted as extras, the only catch was that he had to lose his braces.
Filming was shrouded in secrecy. He wasn’t allowed to talk about what was happening in the set. He did leak that both he and his mom were in several scenes and he even had a small speaking part. They spent exciting weeks participating in the film and loved it.
When the movie finally came out, I didn’t see either one of them.
We watched the DVD together with him pointing out his mom in scene after scene. She played several different roles in fantastic period costumes.
I said, “Where are you?”
He smiled. “Wait for it.”
There were a couple more scenes with his mom and then he paused the movie. “There! Do you see me?”
I studied the screen shaking my head.
He laughed and pointed to the door of a courthouse. Along side you could see a boy’s arm. The rest of him was cut out of the picture. “That’s my armpit! Nothing else made it into the film. My armpit’s famous.”
After all his work and the days spent on the set, that was his moment of fame. His mom, who only went to be with her son, had much more to show for the effort. He still treasured the experience of being involved with the movie.
The boy with the famous armpit grew up to be an outstanding American. He was an Army Ranger, a Combat Engineer, a husband, and a father. One of his commanders called him a "national treasure" who led his Rangers with "passion, competence, and an infectiously positive attitude no matter the situation."
Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher A. Celiz, 32 was killed during a combat mission supporting a medical evacuation landing zone in Afghanistan on July 12, 2018. He was a true patriot.