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the New Lenox Patriot | September 7, 2017 | 5
awoke, he thought the life he
had known was over. He has
since undergone more than
100 surgeries.
But through it all, Del Toro
maintained the spirit of the
fighter he had always been.
By the time he was 14 years
old, he lost both his parents
and was forced to help raise
his younger siblings. That
experience, among others,
helped prepare him for what
was to come.
“I’ve always been challenged
in life,” he said.
“Maybe God put all those obstacles
in front of me to help
get me to where I am now.”
Del Toro did walk again,
is breathing just fine on his
own and is once again serving
his country – he is the
first airman to re-enlist after
being granted 100-percent
disability. He is also a Paralympian
who has participated
in the Invictus Games and
the Department of Defense
Warrior Games, and he owns
world records in the shot
put, discus and javelin. He
is the first disabled airman
to be selected for the World
Class Athlete Program.
And while the awards, accolades
and world records are
all meaningful, what matters
most to Del Toro is the effect
his story of perseverance can
have on other people.
“It showed my son and
everyone else you can accomplish
anything as long
as you keep pushing, keep
fighting, find that fire and
stay positive,” he said as to
why, among other reasons,
he re-enlisted when he could
have retired.
After he received the Pat
Tillman Award in July, Del
Toro was bombarded with
direct messages, many from
people who were inspired by
his story. Some of them, he
said, had all but given up on
themselves.
“The ones that were more
meaningful to me were the
people who were inspired
to keep pushing,” he said.
“Some said they were ready
to end their life. I answered
all those. I might not reach
Some of the roughly 200 ceremony attendees, seen here at the Village Commons beyond
Air Force Junior ROTC members, clap for Del Toro.
everyone, but if I reach that
one person who’s down and
out, I do my job. There’s a
reason why God kept me
alive. If it’s my purpose in
life to go out and speak to
help others, so be it.”
Coming home?
The final speaker at Sunday’s
awards presentation
was Del Toro himself, and
he mentioned that when he
does finally retire from the
Air Force – 2020 sounds
good to him, he said – he, his
wife, Carmen, and son, Israel,
may move to New Lenox.
He is currently stationed at
the Air Force Academy in
Colorado Springs.
“The spirit of my town has
always been with me,” he
said, and referenced his time
as a student at Oakview (now
Oster-Oakview) and Providence.
“You make me feel
like I am part of this community
again. And while the
awards and all this is great,
but you guys being out here
for me is even better. As a
wounded service member,
we usually don’t get these
welcome-home celebrations
– we’re in a hospital recovering,
trying to get better – so to
have one, finally, thank you.
It truly means a lot to me.”
Among the attendees was
New Lenox resident Matt
Kelly, who served in the
Israel Del Toro speaks to the crowd alongside the Pat
Tillman Award for Service he received at the 2017 ESPY
Awards earlier this summer.
Army from 1993 to 1997.
Kelly was there with his
wife, Jennifer, and children
Madelyn, 7, and Casey, 5.
“Because of heroes, like
Israel, we get to do our dayto-day
business and get to
enjoy our lives,” Kelly said.
Several of Del Toro’s old
high school pals also came
out to see him, including
Kristin McWilliams, who
brought two of her children
– daughter, Peyton, 10, and
son, Seth, 12 – because she
wanted them to see firsthand
the sacrifice Del Toro
made to the United States.
McWilliams, of Manhattan,
said “Izzy” is much the same
guy he was during his high
school years.
“He was quite the character,
quite the jokester and he
still is,” she said. “And that’s
what I love about him. He
hasn’t lost his sense of humor,
he hasn’t lost who he is
throughout his whole ordeal.
It’s humbling.”
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The New Lenox Patriot
LORA HEALY
708.326.9170 ext. 31 l.healy@22ndcenturymedia.com
DATE:
Saturday, October 21
TIME:
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
PLACE:
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Convention Center
Space is limited — DEADLINE: Oct. 4
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