Sixty-two years after his death in the Korean War, Private First Class Ricardo Castor, Jr. was properly laid to rest today when Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) unveiled a Memorial Services Program headstone for the fallen soldier.  PFC Castor, a lifelong Laredoan, served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was killed in action on November 30, 1950. Cuellar’s office assisted PFC Castor’s family with securing the proper documentation to obtain a headstone from the Veterans Administration.

“PFC Castor honored us with his service, and it is our obligation to ensure that this hero’s resting place is marked with a headstone that preserves his legacy,” said Cuellar.  “Today PFC Castor is laid to rest with the same honor in which he lived his life.  It is a privilege to have played a role in assisting the Castor family in making sure PFC Castor is given the recognition he earned in his honorable service to our county.” 

A lifelong resident of Laredo, Texas, PFC Castor was born in Laredo on November 2, 1927 and worked at a local pharmacy before enlisting in the U.S. Army and deploying to the Korean War. After initially being classified as missing in action, PFC Castor was declared killed in action by hostile fire on November 30, 1950.  Castor’s remains went unfound for decades before being discovered in June 2004.  After extensive DNA testing using the blood and DNA samples of his sister, Mrs. Trinidad Castor-Silva, the remains of PFC Castor were positively identified on January 9, 2009.

PFC Castor was initially laid to rest in an unmarked grave because his family did not have the proper documentation required by the Department of Veterans Affairs to obtain a Memorial Services Program headstone. After being contacted by Castor’s family, Cuellar’s office found and sent numerous records to the Memorial Services Program under the Department of Veterans Affairs, including ancestry documents, PFC Castor’s military Service Number and information about his enlistment and cause of death.

 “While today’s unveiling is long overdue, this monument to PFC Castor’s extraordinary service and the bravery, courage and sacrifice he demonstrated in the name of our nation will preserve his legacy for generations to come,” said Cuellar.

For his honorable and meritorious service, Castor was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. 

During the ceremony, Cuellar presented Castor’s sister, Mrs. Trinidad Castor-Silva, with a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in PFC Castor’s honor.