General Frederick Castle
When you hear of Martin Luther King Jr., you might think of him and his foundational contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. When Abraham Lincoln is brought up, you might think of him and his crucial role in the American Civil War. King and Lincoln are both well-known figures in American history, who fought to continue and strengthen our democracy and ultimately paid with their lives. But while you would be hard pressed to find someone who has not heard of King or Lincoln, heroes with similar stories exist in our own communities and histories—often right under our own noses. Memorial Day recognizes the millions of veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. In Mountain Lakes, that looks like the Memorial Day parade that was just held over break. Certainly, it’s clear that the town has put significant effort into honoring our veterans—but more work remains to be done. Living among various 3D printing projects in the Mountain Lakes Library Makerspace room is a Congressional Medal of Honor—the highest military decoration awarded to those in the U.S. Armed Forces—belonging to General Frederick Castle. There is perhaps no better time to shed light on General Castle than now.
General Castle’s Life and Legacy
From our very own town of Mountain Lakes—living at 38 Lake Drive—General Frederick Castle was a World War II veteran and war hero. He served as a general officer in what would eventually become the U.S. Air Force, and on Christmas Eve of 1944, he headed a strike mission against German airfields during the Battle of the Bulge, where his plane was badly damaged by Nazi fire. Ordering the rest of his crew to bail out and refusing to offload the bombs in his plane for fear of hurting innocent civilians and Allied ground forces, Castle went down with his plane and sacrificed his life to protect others. This selfless act earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. Castle’s story, however, begins much earlier than this.
As a high school senior at Boonton High School (Mountain Lakes did not have a high school at the time), Castle demonstrated his strong principles at a young age, leading a school protest against what he believed to be the unjust termination of the high school principal, who had been pushing for a college preparation-focused curriculum similar to that of Morris High School. Castle was subsequently suspended and finished his secondary education at the Storm King School in New York State. Despite this disruption to his high school career, Frederick Castle remained undeterred in his pursuit of excellence and finding his purpose. After completing his secondary education at the Storm King School, he chose to start a new chapter of his life at the United States Military Academy at West Point. There, he not only distinguished himself with academic rigor but also showed leadership that garnered respect from his peers.
Graduating in 1930, Castle began his military career as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. And as World War II stormed over Europe, Castle’s sense of duty led him back to active service. He quickly rose through the ranks and was given the command of the 4th Combat Bomb Wing. Only a few months after this would Castle make his ultimate sacrifice.
Spotlight: Mountain Lakes Historic Preservation Committee
We spoke to two members of the Mountain Lakes Historic Preservation Committee (HPC), Ranjan Bose—who is also the committee chair—and Sueanne Sylvester about General Castle and the role that the HPC takes on in the town.
For those that are not aware, this interview will hopefully shed some light on the work of one of many committees that help make Mountain Lakes as great a town as it is. The transcript is lightly edited for clarity.
In your opinion, what is the main role that the committee takes on, and what makes it unique?
SUEANNE: Our mission is to safeguard the buildings and public spaces that make Mountain Lakes unique, and to collect and preserve artifacts and stories that help tell the borough’s history. So everything from the homes to the beautiful buildings like Lake Drive, the schools, the Station, the rock walls, we want to preserve that. But also, we’d like to share the stories of not only the people who’ve been famous years ago, but the everyday stories of what it was like to grow up in this town—to go to high school, for instance. What were the sports like? What were the people wearing? So many things that it’s hard to even picture at this point. I grew up here, and it’s changed dramatically, but in a great way. And I think one of the special things about this is how we brought young people like you on this committee, so you can be an active part of it. You can bring your own fresh ideas about what would be meaningful for your age group, and keep this wonderful committee moving forward from generation to generation.
Since you are already aware of the life and legacy of Frederick Castle, how do you think General Castle exemplifies Laker values and American values at large?
RANJAN: Frederick Castle moved to Mountain Lakes as a young man; his family moved in 1919 or so, and he lived at 38 Lake Drive, right in the center of town. He attended the rest of his elementary school days at what is now the Lake Drive School, which was then simply the Mountain Lakes School. So that means that 100 years ago, he was riding his bike to Island Beach, and doing many of the things that we all have done. I’m class of ‘76 from Mountain Lakes High School. My colleague Sueanne is class of ‘74, just to give it some perspective. So Frederick Castle was noteworthy because when he was in high school, at that time, since Mountain Lakes did not have a high school, he attended Boonton High School, and he took a very principled stand when he found out that the principal of Boonton High School, had he felt been terminated unjustly due to disagreements with the school board over curriculum. He felt that everyone should get an opportunity to take the college preparation type of classes. He was suspended from Boonton because of that, and ended up graduating from the Storm King school in New York State, then going on to West Point. That type of principled leadership stayed with him as he served in the Army following his graduation from West Point, and the type of leadership displayed by Castle is something that everyone in Mountain Lakes, and everyone around the world or in the country, should aspire to. But he demonstrated that leadership and that principle of living even as a high school kid, and that’s something that serves, and it should serve, as an inspiration to everyone today.
As a member of the Mountain Lakes Historic Preservation Committee, what do you think is the role of the committee in commemorating figures like General Castle?
SUEANNE: I think we actually need to make more of an effort to commemorate some of these key people in history, whether it’s local history or on a national stage. We do tend to focus more on the structures in town, and I think that this is a really exciting area to start focusing more on, whether it’s the famous people like Liz Claiborne who lived here, or Robert Leckie who wrote the book “Helmet for My Pillow.” There are so many fascinating people who helped change the world, and I think that’s a really exciting new direction that we need to focus on.
General Castle and Today
Reflecting on the life story of General Castle, what should we—Mountain Lakes students, teachers, families, friends—take away from his selfless actions? Obviously, times have changed. While General Castle sacrificed his life for his country, most individuals today do not carry the same burden. But regardless, Castle’s life and legacy represent service and sacrifice, core American values that continue to hold weight. So what can we do today?
We can certainly do our part in honoring modern-day heroes along with the old. For instance, first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic played a pivotal role in saving people’s lives, often at the expense of their physical and mental health. The pandemic wasn’t a war, but the efforts to fight against it are just as significant. Individuals today can also recognize the other unsung heroes that sacrifice for the sake of our futures—from teachers to firefighters to librarians.
We can also become part of that effort. In World War II, General Castle and millions of our other veterans died defending democracy. Perhaps today, we can honor that sacrifice and contribute something of our own by participating in that democracy so many have fought and died for. It doesn’t need to be at the top level; in fact, it can be as simple as volunteering around the town. Mountain Lakes is a town uniquely known for that, with its various committees—the Historic Preservation Committee included—being entirely made up of volunteers.
0
0
Average Rating