Army Ranger sacrifices life shielding wounded comrade and medevac unit

Among the noblest heroes in wartime is the soldier who sacrifices his life to save a comrade-in-arms. A U.S. Army Ranger in 2018 went beyond that in an effort to protect not only his wounded partner, but the medical team and the helicopter crew evacuating the man from a still-hot battle zone.

Born in Summerville, South Carolina on Jan. 12, 1986, Christopher Andrew Celiz set his sights on a military career early on. While in Summerville High School, he joined the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. He attended The Citadel from 2004 to 2006, but he did not graduate before enlisting in the Army in January 2008.

After basic and advanced training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, he became a combat engineer. From then on, he added more military occupational specialties, starting with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Cavazos, Texas (formerly named Fort Hood) – then to Company C, 1st Battalion 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division as a team leader for the 530th Engineer Clearance Company, 92nd Engineer Battalion. Finally, he became a a mortar platoon sergeant with Company D, 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.