Blind Special Forces soldier: determined to serve
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — When Capt. Ivan Castro joined the Army, he set
goals: to jump out of planes, kick in doors and lead soldiers into
combat. He achieved them all. Then the mortar round landed five feet
away, blasting away his sight.
"Once you're blind, you have to set new goals," Castro said.
He set them higher.
Not content with just staying in the Army, he is the only blind officer
serving in the Special Forces — the small, elite units famed for
dropping behind enemy lines on combat missions.
As executive officer of the 7th Special Forces Group's headquarters
company in Fort Bragg, Castro's duties don't directly involve combat,
though they do have him taking part in just about everything that leads
up to it.
"I am going to push the limits," the 40-year-old said. "I don't want to
go to Fort Bragg and show up and sit in an office. I want to work every
day and have a mission."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jgSSBE33IxWmdtK0LhI1l1LDy8SQD91KG2OG5
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Let's hope that mission only involves making sure there is enough
bottled water for the troops returning from *their* mission.
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