Injured Airman shares his story with JB MDL

Published June 3, 2016
By Senior Airman Joshua King
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Walking into the crowded base theater, I wasn't sure what to expect.

I've been to multiple professional development events over the years, but this one was different. It was an opportunity to hear a tactical air control party Airman's first-hand account of suffering terrible injuries that nearly took his life and battling back to become the first service member to re-enlist with 100-percent disability.

When the large crowd of Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors took their seats, he was introduced by Chief Master Sgt. Timothy K. Pachasa, 305th Air Mobility Wing command chief, who is also an old friend of Del Toro's from their tactical air control party days.

"I have the distinct honor of being his friend for the last 20 years, he and I were Airmen together at our first duty station," Pachasa said. "Getting to introduce my friend at this professional event like this is an honor."

When he started his story, he had the entire audience laughing as he joked about his early years in the Air Force, the people he met and the Soldiers he deployed with.

"On one deployment we went in to secure an airport. We were going to take six C-130 [Hercules], land, secure the area and hold it until the main force came up," he said. "We were the only ones that were able to land; the field was too hot for the rest. I looked at my Army buddies and said, 'I don't have a problem dying for my country, but I would much rather have them die for theirs.'"

As the laughter quieted, Del Toro got to the darker part of his tale. He spoke about his deployment to Afghanistan in 2005 that changed his life forever. On Dec. 4, 2005, Del Toro was traveling inside a Humvee that drove over a roadside bomb that exploded, and engulfing it and himself in flames.

"We crossed this creek; I felt this immense heat blast and thought to myself, 'I just got hit'," Del Toro said. "I got out of the truck and was vigilant and remembered there was the creek right behind me. I turned to run to it, but I was covered in flames from head to toe; they overtook me, and I collapsed.

"I must have yelled that I was going to die here, because I heard my [lieutenant] say 'You're not going to die here DT.' He helped me up and got me to the creek. When the flames were out, I turned and looked at him and said, 'Sir, this sucks.'"

Sitting there listening to Del Toro recount his story, I couldn't get the question "How is he standing in front us today?" out of my head.

Despite his seemingly countless surgeries and treatments, he never gave up. Del Toro talked about how he maintained a positive mindset even when he first saw himself in the mirror while still recovering from third-degree burns to 80 percent of his body.

His face is burnt and partially disfigured, he no longer has hair, his fingers on his left hand were amputated and most of his right fingers are gone too. Scars cover the majority of his body.

"What got me through it?" he asked. "I told myself I wouldn't let my son grow up without a father like I did."

He returned to work instructing future TAC-P Airmen in 2010, five years after he was injured.

"Some people asked if I should be there teaching them," he said. "I replied with, 'If they see me and know what the risks of this job are, and still want to do it, that's the guy I want next to me in the fight.'"

Today, Del Toro is also a paralympic athlete, and recently represented the United States in the Invictus Games in Orlando, where he participated in track and field events.

He is an inspiration. His resilience is awe-inspiring, his ability to continue living life with absolutely no regrets is a testament to the man he is, and his story should be heard by everyone who served, is still serving and those who want to raise their right hand to defend the United States.

When his speech was over, he received an immediate, well-deserved standing ovation, and stayed afterward to answer questions, shake hands and take photos with fellow service members who were eager to meet him.

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