Lt. j.g. Dean Castaldo began his military service in 2008 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps and attended boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. Upon graduating as Honor Graduate from the Ammunition Technician school at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., he was assigned to Ammunition Co., Greenville, S.C. During his time in the Marine Corps, Castaldo served as a Fire Team Leader, Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, and Assistant Operations Chief.
In 2014, he interned for the National President of the Marine Corps Reserve Association in Washington, D.C., advocating on behalf of Marines and their families to our nation’s leaders in Congress. At the conclusion of the internship, Dean returned to North Carolina to become a Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor and complete his final year of law school, graduating with honors.
In 2016, Castaldo received a commission as an ensign in the Navy Reserve through the highly competitive reserve Information Warfare Officer program. His initial training included the six-month active duty Naval Intelligence Officer Basic Course and Information Warfare Basic Course. In 2018, Castaldo earned his IWO pin; he continues to serve in multiple Department Head roles for the USNR.
As a civilian, Castaldo serves as the Associate Director of Alumni Engagement for the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, his alma mater. In this role, he started and continues to lead the Military and Veteran Alumni Network to support more than 3,800 mil-vet alumni and friends. Castaldo has been a proud member of MOAA since 2018.