He's Still a Warrior:  U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ivan Castro, USABA Athlete

By Joe Henderson

TAMPA - There was a blinding flash when the 82-millimeter mortar shell fired by insurgents landed on the rooftop of a building in Al Yusififah, a dangerous piece of real estate 25 kilometers southwest of Baghdad . The shell landed about five feet from U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ivan Castro.

The flash was the last thing he ever saw.

His right eyeball was blown out of its socket. Shrapnel pierced the left eye. He had a fractured arm, broken nose and cheekbone, collapsed lung, amputated finger. The Army official who called Castro's wife, Evelyn Galvis, wept as he told how badly her husband was hurt.

That was 16 months ago.

Early Sunday morning, Castro was among the finishers in the Gasparilla Half Marathon presented by Publix Super Markets. He was tethered to his escort - Adm. Eric T. Olson, Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill - for the 13.1-mile run through the streets of Tampa . They finished in just 1:50:38.

"The honor was all mine," the four-star admiral said. "He is awesome with the courage and will he shows. And the best thing is, he says it's not about him. He is trying to inspire others. He is proof that an 82-millimeter mortar won't slow him down."

Remember that one main point: Castro says this is not about him. The core principle guides, pushes, directs and gives him purpose.

"I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me. I signed up to do this. No one twisted my arm. I did this on my own. I'm proud of the military, proud of being a U.S. soldier, proud of being an American," he said.

"The Lord told me it wasn't my time to go. He has something for me to do on this beautiful land here. I'm waiting for him to give me the op word, my mission. But then, maybe this is my mission here. This is not about me. Right now I'm just trying my best to help others."

His 'Happy Place'

Evelyn was in her car Sept. 2, 2006, when she got the call about the attack in Al Yusififah. She had to pull over to the side, shaking. Her husband had been evacuated to a hospital in Germany , she was told. Even as she was planning to go there, doctors decided to send Castro stateside.

Four days after the attack, Castro was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington . Evelyn was at his bedside. He wouldn't be aware of anything for about six weeks though; doctors had him heavily sedated.

"When I came to I was just skin and bones. I remember the first time I stood up - three people helped me up for a second or two - I was shaking so much. My legs could not support my weight, my upper body," he said.

Castro, an 18-year veteran of the Army, is a member of the 82nd Airborne. He was in special forces before he went to officer candidate school. He is one of the guys who draw the toughest jobs, so in his mind this was just another challenge to be met. He had run cross country in high school and college. Although that was 20 years ago he thought, what better time to fulfill a personal vow he had made?

"I was lying in my bed, down and out, and I remembered I had made a pledge that the next year I would run the Army 10-miler and the Marine Corps Marathon," he said.

"I always tried to push myself to the max. Working out for me is like a way to relieve stress. It's my outlet. It's like my happy place, you know? Some people go shop, others go to sleep, I like to work out. That's where I find joy. I love to sweat. I love to feel that pain of my heart beating. It makes me feel alive."

He has lost track of the number of surgeries - more than 20 - needed to put him back together. He'll need more, too. But a vibrant, victorious man crossed the finish line Sunday. If that mortar shell couldn't beat him, a road course in Tampa had no chance.

"Running was perfect for him," Evelyn said. "It was exactly what he needed. It gave him a goal. He's back. He is the warrior he always was."

Overcomes Every Day

The races of Gasparilla are filled with stories of inspiration. Everyone has their personal reason for being there, for lacing up their running shoes when staying in bed would be so much easier. Maybe they're trying to lose weight, or fight back from a medical condition, or maybe they just want to prove something to themselves.

But even in this positive sea of humanity, 1st Lt. Ivan Castro stands out - as much for his attitude as for what he already has overcome. He is being retrained in computer skills, woodworking and other forms of rehab. He plans to stay in the Army, which is no surprise. And yes, he did run that Marine Corps Marathon and the Army 10-miler. Just like he promised himself he would.

It led him to the streets of Tampa .

The lieutenant and the admiral hugged each other as they finished their race Sunday morning. Later, as well-wishers surrounded Castro, he talked about running the Boston Marathon. You have any doubt that he will?

"Ivan is trained to improvise, adapt and overcome," his wife said. "That is what he has continued to do after his blindness. My husband's endurance, fortitude and inner drive has pushed him to excel. And of course, I'm his biggest fan."

The United States Association of Blind Athletes, a member organization of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is a non-profit organization that provides training for blind and visually impaired athletes for competition in nine sports. USABA members range from blind children developing sports skills to elite athletes who train for competitions such as the Paralympic Games, which continually draws more than 4,000 disabled athletes.