05/20/2026
🇺🇸The Ultimate Sacrifice: Celestino Chavez Returns Home
In April 2026, Gallup proudly welcomed back a true hometown hero. After nearly seventy years of uncertainty, Sergeant Celestino Chavez, Jr. was finally identified and reunited with his family, who still call Gallup home. On November 29, 1950, Sgt. Chavez was wounded and went missing near the Chosin Reservoir during the United Nations’ withdrawal from North Korea. The Army Graves Registration Services Group could not access the burial sites in enemy territory until a 2018 diplomatic agreement returned the remains of 55 soldiers to the United States as an act of good faith.
Read more about sgt. Celestino Chavez, Jr. in the May issue of the Gallup Journey! 📖
www.gallupjourney.com