Del Castillo, Dimitri Alejandro

First Lieutenant Dimitri Alejandro Del Castillo was a 2009 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was a member of the rugby team. He was commissioned as an infantry officer and assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

On June 25, 2011, Del Castillo's unit was engaged in a firefight with insurgent forces in the Watapur District of Afghanistan's Kunar Province. According to military reports, he was mortally wounded by enemy small arms fire during the engagement.

The incident occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. Del Castillo's death came during a period of intense fighting in the country's eastern provinces, where U.S. and allied forces conducted counterinsurgency operations.

Following his death, Del Castillo was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Meritorious Service Medal. His body was returned to the United States, and a memorial service was held at MacDill Air Force Base in his hometown of Tampa.

He is remembered by his alma mater, where a memorial stone was placed on campus. His name is inscribed on the West Point Memorial and on the Afghanistan War Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park in Tampa.

First Lieutenant Del Castillo was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001?2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

← Return to the full memorial | Add a memorial record