- Emailcastro.245@osu.edu
Gunnery Sergeant Castro was born in Grand Prairie, Texas and was raised in Newport, NC. In September 2009 he attended recruit training with Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California. In January 2010 he then reported to the School of Infantry, Camp Pendleton, California for Marine Combat Training. In February 2010 he transferred to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, to attend the Engineer Equipment Operators Course where he earned the MOS 1345.
In May 2010 Private First Class Castro received orders to Combat Logistics Regiment 2, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In June 2010 he was promoted to Lance Corporal. In January of 2011 Lance Corporal Castro deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where he served as a Heavy Equipment Operator. In December 2011 he was promoted to Corporal.
In July 2012 Corporal Castro served as Company Clerk for Transportation Support Company. In January of 2013, Corporal Castro deployed to Afghanistan where he served as Heavy Equipment Operator and Machine Gunner. In October 2013, he was promoted to Sergeant and returned to CLR-2, where he served as the Color Sergeant, Squad Leader, and Assistant Engineer Chief.
In May 2014 Sergeant Castro reported to III MEF Civil Affairs Detachment on Camp Courtney in Okinawa, Japan. There he served as Training Chief, Platoon Sergeant, Team Sergeant, and Lance Corporal’s Seminar Instructor. Sergeant Castro supported multiple field training exercises to include T-AKE 14.1, Cobra Gold 2015 and 2016 in Chanthaburi, Thailand.
In October 2016, Sergeant Castro reported to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina for Drill Instructor School class 1-17. Upon graduation, Sergeant Castro was assigned to Kilo Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion. While on Drill Instructor Duty Sergeant Castro served as a Drill Instructor, Receiving Drill Instructor, and Senior Drill Instructor. He successfully completed 6 Recruit Training cycles training 468 Marines. He was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant in October 2019.
In February 2020 Staff Sergeant Castro reported to Marine Wing Support Squadron 274 for duty as Heavy Equipment Platoon SNCOIC and Operations Chief. While there he supported WTI 1-21 in providing aviation ground support to all units integrated with the exercise. In February 2021 Staff Sergeant Castro reported to Marine Wing Support Squadron 271 for duty as Maintenance Chief, Operations Chief, and Platoon Sergeant. During this time, he coordinated all platoon operations to include horizontal construction projects and the planning and execution of WTI 1-23.
Staff Sergeant Castro took over as the Assistant Marine Officer Instructor at Ohio State University in May 2023. In November 2023 Staff Sergeant Castro was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant.
Gunnery Sergeant Castro’s personal awards include a Navy Commendation Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.