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News | Dec. 10, 2020

What the holidays mean to me: Francis “Post” Casto

DLA Aviation Public Affairs

During the month of December, DLA Aviation Public Affairs will be running a special series of stories titled "What the holidays mean to me." The purpose is to spotlight members of the DLA Aviation workforce during the holidays.   

Name: Francis “Post” Casto

Organization: DLA Aviation Richmond

What is your job title, and what do you do, specifically? I am a product specialist. I perform the quality engineering function on purchased parts for fighter aircraft.

What do the holidays mean to you? Christmas is a time of giving- to be with family and friends and watch their faces as they open their gifts, especially if it’s something they wanted or needed.

What are your fondest holiday memories? One Christmas, I purchased an emerald ring for my wife. I slid it on the tail of a small stuffed dragon. Visualize it. A green stone the same color as the green dragon. I kept teasing her saying, “Guess what is in this package, it is your BIG gift.” She opened the gift, got a look of hurt on her face, and threw the dragon down. She proceeded to give me a lecture about joking with her BIG gift. Three times I picked up the dragon, handed it to her and said, “Look again, look at it very, very carefully.” The fourth time, before she could throw it down again, I said, “Maybe you should check out its tail.” You should have seen her face light up!

What is your favorite holiday tradition? We have dogs, always have, always will.  Our favorite tradition is sitting around the tree on Christmas morning in our favorite chairs. Then we open dog treats and watch the dogs for a few minutes. This is to make sure they are happy and busy. While they are busy, we open our presents. We developed this tradition to keep the dogs from helping us open presents.

Name your favorite holiday song and why it’s your favorite? I have had to spend many Christmas days away from home, so, my favorite song is, (drum roll please) “I’ll be home for Christmas” by Bing Crosby.