CASTLE-WILLIAM

 CDR William Robert Castle, USN (Ret)

Naval Reserves (Seaman Recruit to Seaman)

Commander Castle, son of the late William H. and Mary K. Castle, hails from Seattle where he enlisted in the Naval Reserve on 25 April 1961, during his junior year in high school.  He transferred to the Regular Navy on 29 June 1961, upon graduating from Kent Meridian High School.  Whereby he remained on continuous active service in the Regular Navy for the next 34 plus years.

Enlisted (RMSA to RMCS(SS))

During his enlisted service from 1962-1971, he attended numerous communications schools including submarine school at Naval Submarine Base, New London, CT. He served aboard the diesel-electric fleet submarine USS BUGARA (SS-331) where he qualified to wear the coveted silver submarine dolphins. The USS BUGARA deployed to the Western Pacific in early 1964 and participated in combat operations following the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the follow-on air strikes against North Vietnam. He was a member of the pre-commissioning crew (plank owner) of the nuclear attack submarine, USS STURGEON (SSN-637), homeported out of Naval Submarine Base, New London, CT. His shore tours include Naval Communications Station Honolulu, HI, where he served at the CINCPACFT Makalapa Communications Center and at GROSSMONT College, El Cajon, CA, as a student under the Navy’s Associate Degree Completion Program. He was appointed a Warrant Office (WO-1) on 1 July 1971.

Warrant Officer/Chief Warrant Officer (WO-CWO-4)

As a newly appointed Warrant Officer, his first assignment had him reporting in November 1971, to NAVAL COMMUNICAIONS STATION PHILIPPINES, where he served in a variety of roles: Message Center Officer Subic Bay; Message Center Officer Cubi Point; Communications Watch Officer, San Miguel; Officer-in-Charge, Radio Receiving Facility, San Miguel; and Assistant Officer-in-Charge, Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Tarlac, RP.  In July 1975, he reported to the staff of Commander Attack Carrier Strike Force Seventh Fleet / Commander Carrier Group Five, homeported out of Naval Air Station, Cubi Point, RP, as the Assistant Communications Officer.   Throughout his two-year tour, the staff embarked on seven different aircraft carriers.  During this tour he was also selected as a Limited Duty Officer (LDO) - Surface Communications specialist and subsequently promoted on 1 April 1976, to Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTjg).

LDO (LTjg - CDR)

Returning to the States in Aug 1977, after nearly six years overseas, he attended the University of Washington with a follow-on assignment to report in Feb 1979, to the NATO staff of the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT), in Norfolk, Va. In March of 1981, he returned to the fleet as ship company on the oversea based USS MIDWAY (CV-41), the Navy’s oldest carrier, homeported out of U.S. Naval Base, Yokosuka, Japan, as the Assistant Communications Officer. During his tour he was designated as a Surface Warfare Officer and qualified for Command at Sea.  He returned from oversea sea duty in April 1983 and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on May 1983. In June 1983, he assumed duties as Commanding Officer NAVAL COMMUNICATIONS UNIT, Key West, FL. Following this two-year command tour he reported aboard in August 1985, the USS CARL VINSON (CVN-70), the Navy’s newest carrier, homeported out of San Francisco (Alameda), CA as the head of the Communications Department.  He was the first LDO assigned as a nuclear carrier department head. In January 1988, he reported as a student to the Armed Forces Staff COLLEGE, Norfolk, VA.  Following this assignment, he reported in August 1988 to the Joint Staff, Operations Directorate (J3) as a member of the battlestaff of the National Emergency Airborne Command Post, Omaha, NE, (a modified Boeing 747).  He served in the roles of Assistant Current Ops for Operations Team-2 and as the Deputy Director Advanced Programs Office. He was promoted to Commander in January 1991 and in June 1991, he was designated as a Naval Aviation Observer and awarded his NAO wings.  In July 1991, he volunteered for temporary duty in support of Operations Desert Storm reporting to the staff of Commander Naval Forces Central Command, as Deputy Director of Fleet Communication, embarked on the USS LASALLE, homeported in Manama, Bahrain.  Following this assignment, he reported in June 1992, as the Officer-in-Charge, Chief of Naval Operations Telecommunications CENTER, a major department of NAVAL COMPUTER TELECOMMUNICATIONS STATION WASHINGON DC.  In addition, he was assigned concurrent duties to the Navy Staff (N-6) with commensurate responsibilities as CNO’s Communications Officer. After a three-year tour as OIC and a member of the Navy Staff, he reported in July 1995, for his final assignment as Commanding Officer Naval Computer Telecommunications Station, Cutler, ME, and served in that capacity until his change of command on 26 September 1996. He was officially placed on the Retired List on December 1^st, 1996.

DESIGNATORS – BADGES

Commander Castle is designated as and authorized to wear the breast insignias of a Naval Aviation Observer (NAO), Surface Warfare Officer (SWO), and Submarine Warfare – Enlisted (SS). Additionally, he is authorized to wear the Command Ashore badge, the Joint Chiefs of Staff badge and the Allied Command Atlantic badge.

AWARDS

Commander Castle’s military awards include Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Custer, Meritorious Service Medal with three Gold Stars, Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Gold Star, Joint Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Unit Meritorious Commendation with three Bronze Stars, and the Navy Good Conduct Medal with Bronze Star.  He is authorized to wear 33 personal, campaign, and service medals and ribbons.

FAMILY

Commander Castle is married to the former Susan Darlene Mauck of Lexington, Virigina. They have four children and eight grandchildren.  They currently reside in their retirement home in the town of Culpeper, Viriginia.