WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Two soldiers with Georgia ties are now laureled with one of the nation's most honorable military recognitions.
On Thursday President Joe Biden bestowed the Medal of Honor to three people — Sergeant First Class Alwyn C. Cashe, United States Army, Sergeant First Class Christopher A. Celiz, United States Army, and Master Sergeant Earl D. Plumlee.
Cashe and Celiz were both stationed in Georgia, with Cashe at Fort Benning and Celiz assigned to Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah. Aside from their Peach State connection, the soldiers also have something else in common. They both have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
Joe Biden gifted the medals to their families in an afternoon ceremony.
“As honored as you are, it's gotta be tough to be here today,” Biden told the soldiers' family.
A statement from The White House states Celiz's selfless actions in Afghanistan in 2018 saved the lives of others.
According to Biden, he was on his fifth deployment while serving as the leader of a special operations unit comprised of partnered forces and members of the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. The soldier voluntarily exposed himself to an intense enemy machine gun, using his own body as a physical shield to protect other soldiers from being hit while directing an evacuation, the statement reads. He died as a result of the injuries he sustained that day.
The 32-year-old South Carolina native enlisted in the Army in 2006. He was married and was a father to one daughter, Biden said.
"Thank you for sharing your dad with our country," Biden said.
Cashe is receiving the Medal of Honor for his courageousness in Iraq in 2005 while serving as a Platoon Sergeant with Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, officials with The White House said.
He is the first Black U.S. service member to receive a Medal of Honor for actions since the Vietnam War, according to Biden.
While on a nighttime patrol, the vehicle Cashe was commanding was attacked with explosives. Authorities said Cashe immediately helped others escape the vehicle after extracting himself. While helping his peers get out, his own fuel-soaked uniform ignited in flames causing severe burns to his body, but he still continued helping others escape.
When medical personnel started to arrive, he refused care, insisting all wounded soldiers got out. The 35-year-old's heroic actions cost him his life, "but saved the lives of his teammates."
"Despite the severe second and third degree burns covering the majority of his body, Sergeant First Class Cashe persevered through the pain to encourage his fellow Soldiers and ensure they received needed medical care," the statement reads.
Cashe was from Oviedo, Florida and enlisted in the Army in 1989. Biden said he was a father of three children.
"His love for his 3rd Infantry Division ran deep. No solider was going to be left behind on his watch," Biden said at the ceremony.