CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
Private 1st Class Devun Thomas Williams Castro, a carpentry/masonry specialist with the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 115th Engineer Company, has been selected as the September Soldier Spotlight.
Williams Castro, a graduate of Brooke County High School, is a welding apprentice when not in uniform, and enjoys running, CrossFit, and reading. He has served in the WVARNG for 18 months and has quickly established himself as a driven and engaged Soldier with focused goals and desire to achieve.
In October, he will be participating in a Special Forces Readiness Evaluation (SFRE), an intensive 3-day initial assessment and the first step to enter the Special Forces training pipeline.
“My ultimate goal is to become a Green Beret,” says Williams Castro. “The Green Beret motto is, ‘De Oppresso Liber’, which means ‘To Liberate the Oppressed’. This motto really speaks to me, and the opportunity to dedicate myself to maintain the drive, discipline and determination to push myself both physically and mentally to earn the title Green Beret is something I relish.”
Williams Castro has a history of exemplary military service in his family, with his great grandfather serving as an Infantryman in Vietnam, receiving two Purple Hearts and Bronze Star with Valor. His grandfather also served in Vietnam with the 82nd Airborne, and another grandfather was a Drill Instructor at Fort Benning.
“Military service is important, Guard service specifically,” says Williams Castro. “Our mission and ability to help our fellow citizens during disasters and right now during COVID-19 response makes me proud to wear the uniform and be a part of the WVNG.”