Remembering the Life and Memory of...
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Private Christopher J. Castaneda died in Al Asad Iraq on Thursday November 19, 2015 at the age of 19. Christopher was born on August 29, 1996 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Hammonton High School in 2014.
Christopher joined the Army, enlisting as an infantryman. Christopher attended Basic Combat Training and AIT at Ft. Benning, GA. Christopher was part of the 10th Mountain Division Light Infantry with the 3rd Battalion, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team in Ft. Drum, NY. He was in Iraq supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. Christopher's awards and decorations include the Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Achievement Medal. Christopher is survived by his immediate and extended families, his brothers and sisters in arms and countless friends. His friends and family remember him as a driven person, who loved to experience life, and constantly encouraged others to do the same. Funeral Services will be held Saturday December 5, 2015 at 1pm at the Carnesale Funeral Home, 202 S. Third St. Hammonton NJ where a visitation will be held from 10:00am until 1:00pm. Christopher will be laid to rest at Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery in Estell Manor, NJ. A Hammonton High School graduate died Nov. 19 in Iraq in a non-combat-related incident, the U.S. Army said in news release.
Pvt. Christopher Castaneda, 19, was serving as part of Operation Inherent Resolve at Al Asad Air Base in Al Anbar Province in western Iraq. Castaneda, who graduated from Hammonton High School in 2014, was with the 10th Mountain Division, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, according to a news release dated Nov. 20 from Fort Drum Public Affairs, where his unit was based. Castaneda, from Fripp Island, South Carolina, was an infantryman and joined the Army in January, according to the release. He trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was sent to Fort Drum in New York in May. He was deployed to Iraq in August. He was awarded the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Army Service Ribbon. Remembered in an obituary as "a driven person, who loved to experience life and constantly encouraged others to do the same," Castaneda is survived by his mother and grandfather, as well as "his brothers and sisters in arms and countless friends," the notice from Carnesale Funeral Home reads. Funeral services will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Carnesale Funeral Home, 202 S. Third St., Hammonton. He will be laid to rest following the visitation at Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery in Estell Manor. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Castaneda's name to The Fisher House Foundation, a charity for families of fallen servicemen and servicewomen, at 116 Purple Heart Drive, Dover AFB, DE 19902. |