Iván Castro

Iván Castro
Iván Castro
	Captain Iván Castro
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1988-present
Rank	- Captain
Unit	Special forces
Battles/wars	Operations Desert Storm and others
Awards	Purple Heart; Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal

Captain Iván Castro^[1] (born 1967)^[2] is a U.S. Army officer who did not leave the Special Forces after becoming blind. He is one of three blind officers who currently serve in the U.S. Army and the only blind officer in the United States Army Special Forces.^[3] Castro believes in helping wounded fighters return to a normal life, and has talked to Congress about this. He takes part in marathons and other races.

Early years

Castro was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. His parents were from Puerto Rico.^[2] In 1979, when he was 12 years old, he moved to Puerto Rico with his mother.^[2]^[4] After finishing military training, Castro went to university in Puerto Rico. While he was a student he went to many sports running competitions. After four years of university, Castro joined the US Army. He later trained to become an officer.^[5] He was blinded during combat in Iraq; while serving in 2006.

Marathons

Captain Iván Castro guided by Major Phil Young runs the Army Ten-Miler.

Castro is still active as a sportsman even after recovering from debilitating injuries during his army service. He previously trained with Major Phil Young, who was his leader in the United States Army Special Forces. The audiences often encourage Castro for his determination.^[6] He now trains with Lieutenant Colonel Fred Dummar, who is his Battalion Commander. Together Castro and Dummar have completed several marathons.

Awards

Castro has earned many awards. Some of them are as follows:

Medals and Awards

Purple Heart
Meritorious Service Medal
Joint Services Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Army Good Conduct Ribbon
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal
Kosovo Campaign Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Army Overseas Service Ribbon
Non-Commissioned Officer Development Ribbon
Army Service Ribbon
NATO Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabian)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Presidential Unit Citation
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Citation
Valorous Unit Citation

Badges

Combat Infantryman Badge with Star
Expert Infantryman Badge
Master parachutist badge
Pathfinder Badge
Air Assault Badge
Military Freefall Parachutist Badge
Drill Sergeant Identification Badge

Foreign badges

German Parachutist Badge
Dutch Parachutist Badge
Columbian Jumpmaster Badge

Tabs

Special Forces Tab
Ranger tab
Army Special Forces

Iván Castro Media

Dr. Jill Biden joins U.S. Army Capt. Iván Castro (right) and his guide Richard Kirby (left), 2014
First Lady Michelle Obama shaking Castro's hand during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Warrior Games.
Ribbon bar: w:Purple Heart.
Meritorious Service ribbon
U.S. Joint Service Achievement Medal ribbon