Lance Cpl. Roger D. Castleberry Jr.

Hometown: Austin, Texas, U.S.

Age: 26 years old

Died: August 1, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Marine Reserves


Marine from Cedar Park dies in Iraq

Dale Castleberry wanted to be a Marine since his camo-clad childhood, family recalls.

By Asher Price

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Dale Castleberry wanted to be a Marine so badly as a teenager that he transferred from Westwood High in Austin to Round Rock High after he found out Westwood had only an Air Force ROTC program.

On Monday, the 26-year-old sniper with sure hands, quick eyes and a quiet smile was killed in an ambush in a heavily fought-over area of Iraq.

Lance Cpl. Roger D. Castleberry Jr., as the Cedar Park resident was officially known, assigned to the 4th Marine Division in San Antonio, was patrolling near the town of Haditha with a small contingent of other snipers when they apparently were overcome by insurgents, according to news reports.

"He always wanted to be in the military," his sister Heather Kilpatrick said. "He was a G.I. Joe fanatic. Even when it went out of style, he would go all over town to shop for camouflage.

"He wanted to be a Marine from the get-go."

As a boy, he liked wearing camouflage so much that his parents had to assure teachers that he owned more than one outfit, his stepmother, Debbie Castleberry, said.

He had taken his initial dispatch to Iraq with guarded enthusiasm, though he had second thoughts about the length of his commitment once he saw the rough situation there, his brother, Don Castleberry, said.

"He had a very sensitive heart," Debbie Castleberry said. "He was sympathetic to the people suffering there, but most of all he wanted to protect and care for his fellow Marines.

"He's the child that if you were quiet, he would always put a hand on your back and give you a rub and ask you if you needed anything."

Marine Corps service ran in the family.

Don, his older brother, was in the service, as was an uncle, who served three tours in Vietnam. Growing up, Dale Castleberry honed his shooting skills at his grandparents' ranch.

"This is a young man that from the time he was a little kid could think of nothing better to do than to fight for his country," his stepmother said. "He hoped that by going there he could prevent the war from coming back to these shores."

Family members also remembered him for the mean tortilla soup he could cook up, his skill at cards and dominoes, and his athleticism in a swimming pool.

American officials said the six Marines were patrolling near Haditha, one of several cities along the Euphrates River said to make up a main infiltration route for guerrillas entering Iraq.

In a Web posting, Ansar al Sunna, an insurgent group, said it had killed the Marines in a "silent ambush," according to news reports.

According to The Associated Press, several masked men claiming to be insurgents appeared in the city's central market, carrying helmets, flak jackets and rifles they said had belonged to U.S. troops.

"They were on a mountain near the town, so we went up, surrounded them and asked them to surrender," the men said in a leaflet, according to The AP. "They did not surrender, so we killed them."

Besides his stepmother, sister and brother, Dale Castleberry is survived by his wife, Lauren Castleberry; his father, Roger Dale Castleberry Sr.; another sister, Cobi Fletcher; and a great-grandmother, Bertie Paddock.

For a complete listing of all soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, please visit this link: The Washington Post