GOOD NEWS:  Marine gets Bronze Star 48 years after battle, more

Staff reports  |  Retired Marine Brig. Gen. William Weise pinned a Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” device  for heroic actions on former Lance Corporal Michael G. Castle in an Aug. 3 ceremony on the USS Yorktown some 48 years after a 1969 battle in Vietnam.

Castle, a native of Sioux Falls, S.D. who now lives in Texas, was a member the 2^nd Battalion 4^th Marines, nicknamed the “Magnificent Bastards.”

According to a proclamation:  “Despite his own painful wounds, Lance Corporal Castle rushed out in the open to the wounded Marine. Undaunted by the rounds impacting near him, Lance Corporal Castle used his own body to shield his comrade from further injury. Lance Corporal Castle then assisted the casualty to the safety of the tree line.”

Weise, who served as a commanding officer of battalion, received the Navy Cross for valor during a 1968 battle.  Retired Major Gen. James Livingston of Charleston received the Medal of Honor for leading a company across more than 500 yards of intense enemy fire to free an isolated company in the same battle.

In other Good News:

New Brack in town.  Congratulations to Catherine Brack, new director of development at the Charleston Gaillard Center.  According to the center, she will “will work closely with the president and CEO, board of directors and CFO; with the support of development and membership staff, volunteers and interns to enhance and support the overall mission of the organization, and ensure ample unrestricted and program funds are generated.”  A longtime fund-raiser in Washington, S.C. for technology, public television and other clients, she is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Florida State University.

New children’s book.  West Ashley author Teri Errico Griffis has a new book to help children left with a new baby sitter better understand that their mother will return.  “While Mommy is Out,” illustrated by local graphic designer Tami Boyce, “ is a narrative for children needing an introduction to the concept of a babysitter and why it’s not a scary situation, as well as reassurance mommy will always come back home to her little one in the end,” according to a press release.  More.

Airport still busy.  The number of people arriving and departing from Charleston International Airport rose 5.6 percent in June from the previous year, according to a news release.  Some 373,956 people went through the airport in June, compared to 354,250 a year ago.  “The airport looks fantastic and it’s great to walk around the terminal each day and see our airlines, rental car counters, shops and restaurants as busy as ever,” said Paul G. Campbell Jr., executive director and CEO of the Charleston County Aviation Authority. “While June is typically one of the busiest summer months for travel, we are finding that we are busy every month.”