The Department of Defense has announced another Hawaii-based soldier has lost his life in the Middle East.

21-year-old private first class Stephen Castellano of Long Beach, California died January 28th in Mosul, Iraq from a non-combat related injury.

Castellano was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks.

He entered the Army on February 11, 2003, from his childhood home in Long Beach, Calif., and arrived in Hawaii in April 2003.

He is survived by his parents.

L.B. soldier fatally injured in Iraq

Pfc. Stephen Castellano dies Friday, 4 days before his 21st birthday.

By Tracy Manzer
Staff writer

LONG BEACH — Tuesday should have been a day of celebration for a Long Beach soldier fighting in Iraq.
Instead, the family of Pfc. Stephen Anthony Castellano had to take on the grim task of preparing for the young man's funeral after he became one of the latest casualties of the war Friday, just four days shy of his 21st birthday.

Castellano was killed in Mosul by a noncombat-related injury, according to the Army. The military would not release any specifics about Castellano's death Tuesday, and his mother, Susan Moncure, said that she had only been told her son had suffered a fatal gunshot wound.

It was on Friday that Moncure learned of her son's death, and since then she and her family have been struggling to cope with the devastating loss.

"I had a lot of tears Friday," she said Tuesday. "I've had a lot of tears today and every day in between."

The last time the young soldier's family saw him was on Thanksgiving, when he was home for a two-week leave. Castellano enlisted in the Army on Feb. 11, 2003, according to Army headquarters, and was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.

Now, Moncure is trying to put aside as much of her grief as she can in order to plan for her son's funeral service. Castellano's brother has written a eulogy for the hometown hero, and several other family members and friends will likely speak at the service, scheduled for Friday at Faith Presbyterian Church, 500 E. San Antonio Drive, in Long Beach.

The service will be followed by a burial at All Souls Cemetery, 4400 Cherry Ave., in Long Beach. Times for the services were still pending Tuesday, said Susan Robinson, a spokeswoman for All Souls Mortuary and Cemetery.

Castellano's death brought the number of U.S. military fatalities to 1,434 Tuesday, according to an, Associated Press count. Since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, at least 1,096 have died as a result of hostile action, the Defense Department stated.

The Associated Press count includes four military civilians and is three higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Tuesday morning.

Castellano is the fourth member of the armed forces from Long Beach killed since the start of the war.

Army Spc. Edgar P. Daclan Jr. was killed Sept. 10, 2003, when a hidden explosive device detonated hear his unit in the central Iraqi city of Balad, north of Baghdad. Army Pfc. Lyndon Ason Marcus Jr. died in a May 3, 2003, car accident in Balad, and Marine Pfc. George Torres was killed April 11, 2003, in a gunfight west of Baghdad.

Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,296 U.S. military members have died, according to the AP. That includes at least 987 deaths resulting from hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

Anyone with questions about Castellano's services can all All Souls at (562) 424-8601. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Long Beach Press Telegram

L.B. soldier paid ultimate price for freedom
Loved ones remember Pfc. Stephen Castellano, who died in Iraq.
By Tracy Manzer
Staff writer

Wednesday, February 02, 2005 - LONG BEACH — Army Pfc. Stephen Anthony Castellano was always a fighter, from his birth until the day he died.

And he was always on the side of the good fight, his family said in a joint statement Wednesday, whether it was something as simple as a personal disagreement, or the defense of an entire nation.

"Stephen gave his life protecting the most basic rights of a formerly oppressed people; the right to live in freedom and their right to express that freedom by exercising the right to participate in the formation of the government that will ultimately rule over them."

"Men and women in a country that didn't recognize women as anything more than property as recently as two years ago will be involved in the creation of a fledgling democracy. They will struggle. They will stumble and fall. It will not be perfect, but it will be free. Stephen knew this and sacrificed his freedom for their freedom. Steve paid the ultimate price to defend our freedom here in the United States and give liberty a chance to grow throughout the world."

Such are the words of Castellano's family, who banded together to write a tribute to their son, brother, nephew and hometown hero who was killed in Iraq on Friday.

Details released by the Pentagon regarding his death were sketchy, and government officials Tuesday would say only that the infantryman was killed in a non-combat-related incident.

His family, however, was told that Stephen, assigned to C Company of the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment out of Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, and another soldier were in a sniper position when they were discovered. A firefight broke out, and Stephen was shot in the head. He was pronounced dead at a military hospital.

Tuesday would have been the young soldier's 21st birthday. Instead of celebrating her eldest child's milestone day, however, Susan Moncure spent Feb. 1 preparing to bury her boy.

She hopes that her son's body will be returned home in time for a funeral service Friday. As of Wednesday, she was still awaiting news from the Army.

Services will be held at Faith Presbyterian Church, 500 E. San Antonio Drive, in Long Beach, and the burial will follow at nearby All Souls Cemetery, 4400 Cherry Ave. But it is not yet clear what time and what day, she said.

Moncure was not able to speak to her son for several weeks before he was killed, she said Wednesday. Although she clearly remembers their last three conversations, and she said the family was able to spend two weeks with Stephen over the Thanksgiving holiday when he was on leave.

"It was such a happy time," she recalled Wednesday, her voice revealing her grief and exhaustion. "I'm trying to think of the happy times."

His unit, the 1-14 "Golden Dragons," were set to leave Iraq in a few weeks after 12 months crisscrossing the country, fighting Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi army in Najaf in April, and serving in Kirkuk, Samarra and Mosul, said Army Sgt. T. Washington, of Schofield Barracks, on Wednesday.

The battalion was so traveled that soldiers dubbed their deployment the Golden Dragons Iraq Tour 2004. Despite the combat, Schofield Barracks officials said 1-14 had not lost a soldier until now. Battalion representatives declined to comment about Stephen's death Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered flags at the state Capitol flown at half-staff.

"Pfc. Castellano served his country with honor," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "Maria and I send our heartfelt sympathies and gratitude to Stephen's family and friends. His selfless service to our country will be remembered and our prayers are with his loved ones at this time."

Stephen joined the Army on Feb. 11, 2003, fresh from his high school graduation. His enlistment followed a proud family tradition of military service; his mother had been in the Navy and his father was a Marine.

Stephen is the fourth member of the armed forces from Long Beach killed since the start of the war, and his death brought the number of U.S. military fatalities to 1,434 Tuesday. Since the start of the Iraq war in March 2003, at least 1,096 have died as a result of hostile action, the Defense Department stated.

Relatives said Wednesday that Stephen had done more in his 20 short years than most people accomplish in full lifetimes. He was forever putting others before himself, and he was always ready for the call of duty, they said.

He is survived by his grandmother, Cecelia Moncure; his mother, Susan Moncure; his father, Paul Castellano; his brother, Timothy Castellano and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

"Our family, and our friends, have been so supportive, so wonderful," Susan said. "If it weren't for them, I don't know how I would manage."

I just want to point out the sad and painful truth about PFC Stephen Anthony Castellano who was killed in Iraq. Stephen was killed on January 28th, which was 4 days before his 21st birthday. You have him listed as being 21 at the time of his death, but unfortunatly, he was only 20. Stephen was my cousin, and I miss him terribly, but I am so proud of him. If you could please correct this error, I would really appreciate it.
Thank You