March 21, 1925 (Evanston, IL) – August 19, 1944; 19 years old
Unmarried
Last local address: Elmcrest Terrace, Norwalk
Enlisted July 2, 1943
Service number 31336555
Unit: 21st Armored Infantry Battalion
Born to Frank (1891-1963) and Ellen Mann Kastner (1896-1964). Sister Elizabeth Kastner Oelschlager (1918-1984).
Attended Central High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Died “Non-Battle” in Santa Barbara, CA. The interment card says “Authority – Telegram from Commanding General, Camp Cooke, Calif. Dated, 24 Aug. 1944.” Camp Cooke in Santa Barbara was the home of a POW camp for older German POWs. When connected with the comments from the Colby College yearbook below, a picture emerges but the exact details are unknown. Internet searches come up empty.
Colby College Yearbook, 1943
Word has reached the Alumni Office of the death of Private Frank Worth Kastner Jr. The circumstances are not clear but it took place in connection with the escape of prisoners during watch duty. That the fatality happened in this country may be inferred from the fact that he was buried in Richmond, Virginia. The date of death has not been received. He was born on March 21, 1925, in Evanston, Illinois, and entered Colby from Chattanooga, Tennessee High School, although his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Kastner, then moved to Norwalk, Connecticut. He attended Colby for the year 1942-1943. After induction, he took training at Camp Roberts, California, and for a time was in an ASTU (Army Specialized Training Unit) at the College of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington. The college had not been informed of his later address when the word of his death was received.
Buried at Richmond National Cemetery; 1701 Williamsburg Road, Williamsburg, VA; Section 1C, Plot 5110. Picture provided by Mike Lawrence from the Richmond National Cemetery.
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