AFPC Airmen help wounded warrior improve quality of life

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Kat Bailey
  • Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Tech. Sgt. Israel Del Toro's injuries from Afghanistan wouldn't allow him to build the gate he needed at his home in Cibolo, Texas. Instead, he turned to Operation Homefront, which asked volunteers from the Air Force Personnel Center here to make the needed changes to his home April 30.

Operation Homefront provides emergency assistance and morale to troops, to the families left behind and to wounded warriors when they return home.

Sergeant Del Toro's fence had only one gate and it was situated such that he was forced to drag three garden hoses three-quarters of the way around his house to water the front lawn. A second gate, placed near the hose bib on the other side of the house, would be more efficient.

Building the new gate himself was impossible.

Sergeant Del Toro's injuries make it difficult to hold a saw, use a drill or stay more than a few minutes in direct sunlight.

A joint tactical air controller, Sergeant Del Toro was injured in December of 2005 when an improvised explosive device exploded near him while he was on patrol in a village in Afghanistan.

A few surgeries later and the scars of his ordeal are still evident -- burns cover almost 80 percent of his body, the tips of his fingers on his right hand are fused together, burned off up to the first knuckles, his left hand was amputated and he lost some vision in both his eyes.

This didn't stop him from helping build that gate, though. Throughout the afternoon, despite the blazing sun, high humidity and 90-degree temperatures, Sergeant Del Toro lent support as volunteer Airmen drilled screws into fence boards -- he was armed with jokes, power tools and a how-to book about fences.

"I think it's awesome for AFPC to support us (the volunteers) so we can support our war fighters," said Master Sgt. Tracy Deason, one of the Operation Homefront volunteers. "I can't think of anything I'd rather volunteer for than the opportunity to help an injured veteran."

Members of AFPC's Junior Enlisted Council and Top 3 Association volunteer with Operation Homefront once a month.

"I give my time because it's all I have to give and it feels good to help where it's truly needed," said Tech. Sgt. Becca Dahl, an AFPC volunteer.

Sometimes the volunteers help inventory donations or create care packages, while other times they get the chance to do something a little more personal -- like helping a fellow Airman build a gate.

"I feel pretty good about still being part of the team," Sergeant Del Toro said. "When I'm with a group of fellow Airmen like this, I know I'm with family. I feel like I'm not forgotten."

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