Capt. Samuel Durand Phillips was assigned to the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465 out of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. He was a member of the four-man crew of the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter; his squadron was nicknamed the “Warhorse.” On April 4, Capt. Phillips and three fellow Marine crew members were killed in a helicopter training exercise over California.

I don’t recognize Capt. Phillips’ name or photo from the obituary. I don’t have any family in the military and I have never served, but seeing the obituary of Capt. Samuel Durand Phillips hits me hard. He was 27. My own son will be 23 in a few months. Capt. Phillips graduated from Summit High School, which all three of my children have also attended.

I call the high school to ask if the flag is being flown at half-staff in Capt. Phillips’ honor. The woman working the front desk says a phone call has been made to the school district’s main office, but ultimately, the approval will have to come from the governor’s office. “Even if it is approved, how will people know who it’s for?” I ask. “Well,” she says. “They might look up at the flag and think to ask.” But that’s the problem, I think. No one is asking.

In the tri-county area, there are about 20,000 veterans. Every day you likely pass them at the grocery store or coffee shop, and you probably don’t know their names or what they did in the name of our country and freedom, yours and mine. These are veterans who run marathons and businesses, who coach their kids’ sports teams and lead religious services, who volunteer at community events, who direct organizations that care for veterans, who pick up the phone every week to call a fellow Marine or soldier to make sure he or she is still there, still battling through another day.

Capt. Samuel Durand Phillips was a standout athlete at Summit High School, and a member of both the golf and swimming state championship teams. When asked to describe Sam, Mark Tichenor, his former golf coach at Summit High School, uses the words, dignity, respect and class. Tichenor says Sam always exemplified the “team first” philosophy.

Capt. Phillips graduated from the University of Idaho. He joined the Marine Corps and was commissioned in 2013. According to his obituary in The Bend Bulletin, “he loved surfing and playing golf and cornhole, cooking, fishing, flounder gigging, and making people laugh.” Commanding officer of the Miramar-based Marine Aircraft Group 16 Colonel Craig Leflore says all four Marines “brought joy and laughter to so many around them. They each served honorably, wore the uniform proudly and were a perfect example of what makes our Marine Corps great.”

Capt. Samuel Durand Phillips was Katie’s boyfriend. He was Angela’s brother. He was Phyllis and Michael’s son. He was our community’s son. One of ours. Learn the names of veterans in our community. They are our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, too. Ask to hear their stories and prepare to be changed, perhaps to be heartbroken with them and their families, but also to be inspired and forever indebted.

— Claudia Hinz lives in Bend.