Silver Star awarded posthumously

The ceremony honoring a fallen Colusa County hero was sacred, simple and heartbreaking.

The family of Army Pfc. Justin A. Casillas received a Silver Star on Monday for his heroic actions in battle on the Fourth of July, 2009.

"The Silver Star ... is a celebration of Justin's gallantry," Capt. Bryce Kawaguchi, Casillas' commanding officer, said during the ceremony, describing Casillas as a man that "all soldiers should seek to emulate."

Lt. Col. Peter G. Minalga called Casillas "fearless" and described him as "the best kind of soldier."

Casillas' mother, Donna Casillas, and sisters, Victoria and Ashleigh, accepted the military honor together at Arbuckle Memorial Park in front of the American flag pole that bears Casillas' name.

Casillas died in battle at the age of 19, just a year after graduating from Pierce High School in Arbuckle.

"Words cannot describe the pride we feel today," Minalga remarked, "or the heartache of the loss of such a fine American paratrooper."

Kawaguchi described many acts of heroism that occurred on that day, but said Casillas' the most notable.

Stationed in a highly dangerous battle zone of Afghanistan, Casillas' unit came under sudden and heavy enemy fire around 5:30 a.m. on July 4, 2009.

Machine gun, indirect fire and heavy mortar explosions knocked out communications at the base early in the melee, Kawaguchi said.

Casillas put himself at risk several times, bravely running through the open battle field without cover to relay mission instructions between command staff and his fellow paratroopers, playing an integral role in the counterattack, Kawaguchi said.

"He saved countless other lives," Kawaguchi said. "He believed in the warrior's ethos of never leaving a soldier behind."

Casillas was killed attempting to carry a wounded friend to a distant medical unit. There was another man that initially attempted to carry the injured paratrooper, but Casillas insisted he be the one to risk himself for his friend, Kawaguchi said.

Sgt. George M Campbell, Casillas' squad leader, as well as a personal friend, said Casillas went "above and beyond what his job was."

Casillas' sister, Victoria, described the ceremony as "bittersweet."

"It's a nice recognition," Casillas said. "But, it sucks that he is not here."

Victoria and Ashleigh Casillas said they think of their brother daily.

"Some days are harder," Victoria Casillas acknowledged. "Last June, when I reached the age where I outlived him - you just try to keep your mind off it."

Ashleigh Casillas called her brother "a good guy," but was not about to let him off the hook for "fighting with me a lot," she said with a laugh.

"I think about him a lot," Ashleigh Casillas said.

Army Specialist Vincent Cutler, who was also present when Casillas died, described him as a "great soldier, all around, who never had to be told anything twice."

"He was a good friend and a goofy guy," Cutler said. "I have a lot of laughable memories of him."

While truly appreciating all of the many honors bestowed on her son, Casillas' mother was out of pretty words Monday.

"It still hasn't sunk in, I don't think," Donna Casillas said. "I feel the same all the time."

However sacred and honored, awards and medals will never fill the paralyzing void left in the Casillas family.

There may never be even a token of consolation for the Casillas family, accept, perhaps, the eternal gratitude of their son's friends and fellow soldiers who swore: "Justin will never be forgotten."

Contact Rob Parsons at 934-6800 or rparsons@tcnpress.com.