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Remember...David Ervin Casto
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D-Day: June 6, 1944. It was indeed a very long day. For members of the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (PFAB), it was even longer than for those who came ashore in the sea/land invasion. Many print and film narratives exist of those brave parachutists who were the advance party to the Normandy Invasion. A brief summary of their role can be found on the U.S. Army website:
The airborne assault into Normandy, as part of the D-Day allied invasion of Europe, was the largest use of airborne troops up to that time. Paratroopers of the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, the British 6th Airborne Division, the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, and other attached Allied units took part in the assault. Numbering more than 13,000 men, the paratroopers were flown from bases in southern England to the Cotentin Peninsula in approximately 925 C-47 airplanes. An additional 4,000 men, consisting of glider infantry with supporting weapons, medical, and signal units were to arrive in 500 gliders later on D-Day to reinforce the paratroopers. The parachute troops were assigned what was probably the most difficult task of the initial operation - a night jump behind enemy lines five hours before the coastal landings.To protect the invasion zone's western extremity and to facilitate the "Utah" landing force's movement into the Cotentin Peninsula, the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions descended on the peninsula by parachute and glider in the early hours of D-Day. The paratroopers were badly scattered. Many were injured and killed during the attack, and much of their equipment was lost, but the brave paratroopers fought fiercely, causing confusion among the German commanders and keeping the German's troops occupied. Their efforts; hampered by harsh weather, darkness and disorganization, and initiative of resourceful Soldiers and leaders, ensured that the Utah Beach assault objectives were eventually accomplished. The British and Canadian attacks also accomplished their primary goal of securing the left flank of the invasion force. ("D-Day: June 6, 1944," accessed 2 January 2024, https://www.army.mil/d-day/history.html.)
According to the 101st Airborne, World War II, website, the PFAB was organized as a reserve unit but later transferred to the regular army in August of 1942. It was activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, as part of the 101st Airborne Division. The earliest recruits to the battalion were infantrymen, not parachutists. But the battalion commander immediately began training, which was completed by January of 1943. In September of 1943, the 377th sailed for England via the S.S. Strathnaver but was transferred to the S.S. John Ericsson a week later. Stationed at Benham Valence near Newbury, the battalion prepared for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Europe. ("The 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion: Unit History," accessed 2 January 2024, https://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/377/377.html.)
On D-Day the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, parachute and glider, were charged with securing the Cotentin Peninsula ahead of the landing parties' assault on Utah Beach. The night jump took place five hours prior to the sea/land invasion amid extremely dangerous conditions. Casualties among the parachutists were heavy. The 101st suffered 182 killed, 557 wounded, and 501 missing. (Gordon A. Harrison, Cross Channel Attack, [Washington, DC: United States Army Center of Military History, 1993 (first printed 1951)]: 284, accessed 5 January 2024, https://history.army.mil/html/books/007/7-4-1/CMH_Pub_7-4-1.pdf.)
One of those 182 casualties of the 101st was our subject, David Ervin Casto. David was born in Akron, Ohio, on March 15, 1919. David was the son of Otto Vincent Casto and Odressa Hinkle Casto. According to the 1920 Federal Census, Otto was a laborer in a tire shop. The promise of employment in northern cities lured many West Virginians, but the Castos' stay in Akron was short-lived. Their other son, Paul, was born in 1921 back in West Virginia. It appears that David's family lived in their home state (Nicholas County) for the rest of their lives. Odressa died in 1925, and Otto would later remarry. David's draft registration of October 1940 lists his father, of Fenwick, as the person who would always know his address. But David listed his own address as CCC Company 525 in Richwood.
According to the History.com website,
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a work relief program that gave millions of young men employment on environmental projects during the Great Depression. Considered by many to be one of the most successful of Roosevelt's New Deal programs, the CCC planted more than three million trees and constructed trails and shelters in more than 800 parks nationwide during its nine years of existence. . . .President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Civilian Corps, or CCC, with an executive order on April 5, 1933. . . .
The CCC combined FDR's interests in conservation and universal service for youth. . . .
Under the guidance of the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service and the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, CCC employees fought forest fires, planted trees, cleared and maintained access roads, re-seeded grazing lands and implemented soil-erosion controls. . . .
Additionally, they built wildlife refuges, fish-rearing facilities, water storage basins and animal shelters. To encourage citizens to get out and enjoy America's natural resources, FDR authorized the CCC to build bridges and campground facilities. . . . ("Civilian Conservation Corps," 11 May 2010, last updated 31 March 2021, accessed 2 January 2024, https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/civilian-conservation-corps.)
The CCC is considered one of Roosevelt's most successful New Deal programs. Interestingly, another prominent West Virginian, Chuck Yeager, was an alumnus of the CCC.
The Great Depression so strongly affected employment in West Virginia that high school graduates like David Ervin Casto had to turn to federal programs like the CCC for a job. By 1942, however, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Thomas, Newport, Kentucky, David stated his occupation was that of "clerks, general office."
| Assigned to HQ Company, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, David rose to the rank of staff sergeant before his untimely death in 1944. His remains were returned from Ste. Mere Eglise in July 1948, and he was interred in the National Cemetery at Grafton. For his service, S/Sgt. Casto was awarded the Purple Heart. Based on his service record, he was also eligible to receive the Parachutist Badge, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Army Good Conduct Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. |  |
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure
January 2024
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
