Staff Sergeant Billy M. Castleberry Memorial Highway

The Memorial Highway is a 2-lane rural blacktop roadway that runs along wooded areas, pasturelands, agricultural areas, crosses creeks, and passes through the town of Mannsville, Oklahoma. Staff Sergeant Castleberry died on October 7, 1965, while serving overseas in the Republic of Vietnam. He was a member of the Quartermaster Corps with the military occupational specialty (MOS) of supply specialist. He was a 20-year U.S. Army veteran, having entered service in 1945, and served during the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War periods. He began his tour of duty in Vietnam on August 30, 1965, and served with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 62nd Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, 79th Engineer Group, United States Army Vietnam (USARV). He was age 45 at the time of his death. His awards and decorations include: Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal (multiple awards), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Service Stars, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 1 Bronze Service Star, United Nations Korea Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with silver date bar inscribed “1960-“, and Republic of Korea War Service Medal. His unit awards include: Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation with Palm. The Memorial Highway was designated in 2008. (Note: There is a disparity in the spelling of the honoree’s first name. Official Archive records use the spelling “Billie,” as does the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Official Designation uses the spelling “Billy,” as do the ODOT highway markers. His Government Grave Marker uses the spelling “Billy.”) (Note: There is also a disparity in the cause of death. The ODOT Designation biographical notes show he was Killed in Action (KIA). The Official Archive records show his death type as Non-Hostile, with the reason for death as infectious disease.) (Note: Mannsville, Oklahoma is a town in south central Oklahoma, in Johnston County. It had a population of 863 during the 2010 Census.) (Note: The 62nd Engineer Battalion Distinguished Unit Insignia (Crest) features a red shield with a silver framed trestle, all within a silver border. The motto “MALLEIS MILITO” (1 soldier with a hammer) is silver on a red scroll at the bottom. The red shield is taken from the coat of arms of the former 18th Engineer Regiment. The silver border is used to indicate the descent of the 62nd Engineer Battalion from that organization. The shield is in the red color of the Corps of Engineers. The trestle is emblematic of the technical construction duties of the battalion.) (Note: The 20th Engineer Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (Patch) features a red square, point down, with a white medieval tower with 3 battlements at the top, inside a white square wall paralleling the red square walls, and broken into 4 segments. The colors red and white are used for the Corps of Engineers. The castle tower is suggested by the Corps of Engineers branch insignia, and its pointed base is in reference to the Brigade’s combat requirements. The tower also represents the Headquarters of the Brigade. The white square segments, simulate carpenter squares, alluding to the engineer construction missions. The tower denotes heavy construction capability. The four white segments also resemble the letter "V" for victory, and the Roman numeral (V) for the Arabic number 5. The 4 segments multiplied by the number 5 equals "20", the numerical designation of the Brigade.)