Castro, a graduate of Marianas High School, told the Variety in a phone interview that he’s grateful to have been chosen to participate in the reenactment to commemorate the Normandy landings.
“I am honored to represent Saipan. I hope I made my family and my island proud of me,” he said.
Julie, Castro’s wife who is with him in Italy, said she’s proud of her husband’s role in the historic reenactment.
“He is the first and the last resident to do the jump since this will be the last year they are doing the re-enactment of the jumps. I am very proud of him. There are only very few who were chosen for this,” she said.
The jump re-enactment was done on Omaha Beach where 5,000 of 50,000 American troops were killed within a few hours of the landing.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy led the D-Day anniversary commemoration with President Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, British Prince Charles, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Normandy veterans.
Multi-awarded actor Tom Hanks, the lead character in the movie “Saving Private Ryan,” which was about D-Day, also joined the event.
Castro said Obama greeted each American soldier who participated in the re-enactment jump after the ceremony.
When it was Castro’s turn, the president asked him about his hometown to which the paratrooper replied: “I am from the Northern Marianas sir.”
“He said ‘You’re far away from home. Thank you,’ ” Castro quoted the president as saying.
About 1,000 spectators showed up for the D-Day anniversary.
“The scene was really heartwarming,” said Castro.
Castro’s father is also a soldier and so are their other relatives.
One of them, Jessie Castro, died in Iraq in 2006.
Despite the difficulties paratroopers and other soldiers face in the battlefield, Castro said he wouldn’t trade his job for anything else.
He said the military taught him how to be disciplined, compassionate and responsible, something that he wasn’t when he was still studying on Saipan.
Castro said he and other local servicemembers are Americans who are ready to defend their nation’s freedom and others who are in harm’s way.
“There was no mistake in my decision [to join the military],” said Castro who was stationed twice in Afghanistan and once in Iraq before returning to Italy.
