Blind Special Forces soldier: determined to serve

FORT BRAGG — Capt. Ivan Castro is like a lot of wounded veterans of the war in Iraq.

Castro was anxious to get back to duty after he was injured in a mortar explosion nearly two years ago.

So Castro is serving as executive officer of the 7th Special Forces Group headquarters company at Fort Bragg.

Not that unusual. Except that Castro was blinded when he was hit. He’s the only blind officer in the Special Forces.

Castro is one of just three blind officers in the active-duty Army.

The 40-year-old Castro says he plans to push the limits. He says he doesn’t want to just sit in an office.

Colonel Sean Mulholland says Castro doesn’t have a charity assignment. He says the Army is drawing on his experience in Special Forces and as a platoon leaders in the 82nd Airborne
Division.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)