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| Ship fitter Lewis Caster served on the USS Leedstown during Operation Torch. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71634721/lewis-paul-caster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Leedstown_(AP-73) |
Lewis Paul Caster never had a chance to reach 100 years old. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
I began this project on January 1, 2017. It will conclude on September 2, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War 2. During the intervening time, a different fallen serviceman was profiled every day on his 100th birthday. I have decided to round out the project by profiling one of the fallen born between December 7, 1916 and December 31, 1916. This will result in one of the fallen being profiled for every day America was engaged in World War 2. The total will be 1,366 men and women. That's enough for only 13 stars out of the 4,048 on the Freedom Wall of the World War II Memorial.
Lewis was born on December 24, 1916 in Ottumwa, Iowa. His parents Clyde and Dora were born in Iowa and Missouri, respectively. His father worked as a dye work laborer and later as a tent awning store proprietor. Lewis was an only child. By 1940 Lewis was still living at home, having completed four years of high school. He was working as a meat factory laborer.
He enlisted in the US Navy in May 1942 and became a ship fitter 3rd class on the USS Leedstown (AP-73), a passenger and cargo ocean liner converted to an amphibious assault ship.
As part of Operation Torch, Leedstown unloaded her troops east of Algiers on November 8. She was damaged by German bombers that day and sunk the next day, November 9, 1942, by a German submarine. Only eight men of the 500 onboard died. One of them was SF Caster.
His grave is at Ottumwa Cemetery in Ottumwa, Iowa.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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