Leonard Baldomir Castillo ★ Vietnam War Gold Star Veteran from Hawaii
On May 14, 1969 Specialist Four Castillo was declared a casualty of the Vietnam War. ★ He served with honor in the United States Army. ★ He is remembered by the people of Hawaii. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
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Click to Submit Update Request for this Fallen Service Member▼ Content Integrity Note
Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Leonard Baldomir Castillo is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2016-12-01 23:09:40.
Missing : Core Data
· Burial or memorial location
Missing : Supplemental Data
· Birth + childhood location· Educational background
· Marriage history
· Parents, family history
· Expanded references and citations
Service Details
| This Profile ID | 265985 |
| Service ID | 10125989 |
| Name | Leonard Baldomir Castillo |
| From | Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii |
| Birth Date | February 24, 1948 |
| Casualty Date | May 14, 1969 |
| War | Vietnam War |
| Service Branch | Army |
| Rank | Specialist Four |
| Specialty | Light Weapons Infantry |
| Unit/Group | 101st Airborne Division, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, C Company |
| Casualty Type | Died through hostile action .. multiple fragmentation wounds |
| Location | Dong Ap Bia Hamburger Hill 11-21 May 69, South Vietnam, Thua Thien province |
| Notable Awards |
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered |  Leonard is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 24w, Line 2. |
Additional Details
The Battle of Hamburger Hill (Hill 937) was a ten day ordeal from May 10–20, 1969. Although the heavily fortified hill was of little strategic value, U.S. command ordered its capture, only to abandon it soon after.The battle was primarily a U.S. Airborne infantry engagement. Attacks were repeatedly repelled by the well-entrenched NVA defenses. Bad weather also hindered operations. Nevertheless, the Airborne troops took the hill through direct assault, causing extensive casualties to the NVA forces. In the end over 50 Americans were killed and nearly 400 wounded in addition to several helicopters shot down. The debate over Hamburger Hill reached the United States Congress, with severe criticism of military leadership and it is considered a watershed event of negative public opinion toward the Vietnam War. |
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Combat Infantryman Badge
★ Purple Heart
★ Marksmanship Badge
★ Parachutist Badge
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Vietnam Campaign Medal
★ Vietnam Service Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Notable Reference Sources
These are typically links to pages on external sites that have provided specific nodes of information. In most cases the information has some assurance of being crowd-sourced and vetted by a community of users.Hawaii Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Hawaii who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
▼ Hawaii was home to over 827 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 147 World War II
• 403 Korean War
• 277 Vietnam War
• 23 Prisoners of war
• 149 Missing in action
• 17 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 3 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 9 Medal of Honor recipients
• 403 Korean War
• 277 Vietnam War
• 23 Prisoners of war
• 149 Missing in action
• 17 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 3 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 9 Medal of Honor recipients
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▼ Organizational Supporters - HonorStates.org and the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans is stringently curated. This attention to quality extends to our supporters program. We carefully research and screen prospective organizations we perceive as being suitably aligned with our mission
▼ American Veterans Center 75th D-Day Congressional Reception
▼ USS Midway Museum 75th Pearl Harbor Wall of Honor
▼ National Memorial Day Parade with Spirit of 45
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Honor States Admin
▼ Primary Sources - These are repositories for artifacts, documents, diaries, manuscripts, and other information that serve as original and authoritative sources of information.
National Archives (NARA)
Library of Congress (LOC)
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
Findagrave.com
Ancestry.com
Honoring our fallen. Together. Uniting us in meaningful common cause. When we work together to honor our Gold Star veterans, we heal our nation together. It's a team effort. Everyone's invited to join as a Citizen Historian and Guardian of Honor. - learn more
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