U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- An Air Force Wounded Warrior who has dedicated his life to military service was officially promoted to master sergeant Feb. 25 in a ceremony at the Air Force Academy.
Israel Del Toro concluded a speaking engagement in front of a packed auditorium of cadets, when Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, the superintendent of the Academy, walked on stage and asked why he wasn’t wearing the proper uniform.
“Didn’t you know you’ve been promoted to master sergeant?” she said.
An Air Force specialty code mismatch after his return from Afghanistan was discovered and resulted in a retroactive promotion to master sergeant, effective August of 2014, said Chief Master Sgt. Max Grindstaff, the Academy’s command chief.
“The great detective work of Master Sgt. Matt Acevedo (Grindstaff’s former executive assistant) made today a reality for Master Sergeant Del Toro and his family,” Grindstaff said.
Del Toro’s official date of promotion is officially listed as Aug. 1, 2014.
“I'm speechless -- I don’t have words for this,” Del Toro said after his wife, Carmen, and their 13 year-old son, Israel Jr., taped printed replicas of his new stripes on his sleeves. “It’s the great feeling, being a senior NCO. It’s something I’ve always wanted.”
Carmen Del Toro said she was told of the surprise ceremony before it occurred, but didn’t tell her husband.
“I’m speechless and very happy,” she said. “This is a huge gift for us.”
Del Toro, 40, is a former Tactical Control Party instructor who was severely injured by a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan in December 2005. The blast caused third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body, evaporated the cartilage in his nose and took most of his fingers.
In February 2010, Del Toro became the first Airman to reenlist after being 100 percent medically discharged. He returned to duty as a joint terminal attack controller instructor, training service members to call in airstrikes; he’s assigned to the Air Force Services Activity at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, but serving at the Academy as part of the World Class Athlete Program. Del Toro lives in Colorado Springs and trains at the Olympic Training Center.
As a Wounded Warrior, he competes in cycling, track and field and power lifting. Del Toro has been selected to serve as the U.S. ambassador in this year’s Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida.
“It’s tremendously exciting for us to share this day with Master Sgt. Del Toro," Grindstaff said. "He represents the best of the best, a true commitment to service before self, and is an inspiring example of strength, faith and honor to all Airmen and our 4,000 cadets. Specifically, the trailblazing he's done for his fellow wounded warriors exemplifies the best of what makes us great.”