“Bill” Castner was born in San Francisco, the son of Major General Joseph C. Castner, who commanded a brigade during World War I. He graduated from West Point in 1923 and went to the 1924 Summer Olympics on the American fencing team. At the outset of World War II, Castner was serving as an intelligence officer in the Alaskan Defense Command and had the idea to create the 1st Alaskan Combat Intelligence Platoon, nicknamed “Castner's Cutthroats.” Castner chose men skilled at surviving in Alaska’s harsh conditions, including native Aleuts and Eskimos, hunters, trappers, and fishermen. The Cutthroats led reconnaissance missions and helped plan landing zones for amphibious assaults on islands occupied by the Japanese. Castner was wounded at the Battle of Attu in 1944 and received the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit for his service. He passed away at the age of 47 from complications from his wound.

LAWRENCE VARSI CASTNER

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