Del Toro Files Papers

Two Navy Commanders will do battle in this Stafford county district that is home to the US Marine Corps base at Quantico.

Carlos Del Toro, 36, is a Commander in the U.S. Navy and Director of Training for all Aegis cruisers and destroyers. A native of Cuba, Del Toro was raised in New York City. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with post-graduate degrees in national security from the Naval War College, and in legislative affairs from George Washington University. He served as a Tactical Action Officer during Operation Desert Storm.

Commander Del Toro was also took command of the USS Bulkeley when it was commisioned in Dec. 2001. The Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer was one of the most state-of-art ships in the United States Navy when it left NYC in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Fmr. Vice Admiral John Duncan Bulkeley (1933-2000) was in charge of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba during the Kennedy Administration. Forty years later, a Cuban-American who fled Castro's regime as a child, Commander Carlos Del Toro, took command of the ship that bears his name.

From a Dec. 14, 2001 WSJ OpEd piece entitled,
Our Man From Havana
The U.S.S. Bulkeley and its skipper symbolize
everything that is great about America:

"I am living the American Dream," Cmdr. Del Toro told us. "As a kid my father and I used to stand on the docks of the Hudson to watch the ships go by. From this same harbor I became the first commanding officer of a ship whose motto is 'Freedom's Torch.' " And when the Bulkeley sailed past the ruins of the World Trade Center on the way to last Saturday's commissioning ceremony, the commander told his sailors "to take a long hard look." "Freedom," he said, "does not come cheap."

But his accomplishments don't end there. Del Toro was a White House Fellow and Special Assistant to the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. He has also been awarded The Ellis Island Medal of Freedom, one of Hispanic Business Magazine's 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S., and The Hispanic National Achievement Engineer of the Year Award, just to name a few.

Commander Del Toro holds a Master of Arts/Science degrees in Space Systems Engineering, National Security and Strategic Studies, and Legislative Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School, the Naval War College, and George Washington University, respectively. He also recieved a B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy.

The district includes a southern slice of Fauquier County and two precincts in Spotsylvania County. It leans firmly Republican, voting 57% Allen, 56% Kilgore, 60% Bolling and McDonnell, and 64% Bush.

This race in the 88th can't help but to remind you of the Webb campaign a year ago. It was definetly an uphill battle; but you just knew the more people learned about Webb, the better his chances. I believe Del Toro can be that same type of candidate.

The Stafford County Democratic Committee says that his website isn't up as of yet, but they'll post a link on their site as soon as they're able.
 

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