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Colonel Enrique “Hank” Irizarry-Toro

A Puerto Rican man wearing his Army dress uniform.
  • Date of Birth: August 20, 1930
  • Entered the Military: July 17, 1951
  • Date of Death: May 3, 2017
  • Hometown: Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  • Place of Death: Keller, Texas
  • Award(s): Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Jump Wings, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star, United Nations Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon
  • Cemetery: Section 97, Grave 951. Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, Dallas, Texas
Contributed by The Plano East History Club Officers
Mentored by Mr. Rhett Carter and Dr. Joe Russell
Plano East Senior High School (Plano, Texas)
2024/2025

Early Life

Enrique Irizarry-Toro was born to Consuelo Toro-Villarta on August 20, 1930, in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico. His early life was marked by the agricultural lifestyle of his hometown, a love of baseball, and a loving family.

The 1935 Puerto Rican census shows Enrique living in a multi-generational household, led by his grandmother, Dolores Villarta da Toro. His mother, Consuelo, runs the home. One of his uncles, Angel, worked as a mechanic for Central Azúcar (Central Sugar), and his other uncle, Jesus, worked as a baker in a panaderia (bakery). Ten children, ranging from age five to 17, lived in the home. Enrique was the youngest. 

The birth record of Colonel Irizarry-Toro, written on August 20, 1930 in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico. Ancestry.
Enrique Irizarry-Toro, living with his extended family in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, in the 1935 Puerto Rican census. National Archives and Records Administration.
Enrique Irizarry-Toro, living with his extended family in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, in the 1935 Puerto Rican census (continued). National Archives and Records Administration.

Homefront

Sabana Grande was then, as now, a jewel of Puerto Rico’s agricultural production, producing some of the territory’s best beef, fruit, and sugar. However, the demand for Puerto Rican sugar declined due to the changing economics of the sugar market and the rise of other industries. It could no longer compete as a leading producer because of high production costs and a lack of capital. 

The introduction and advent of new chemicals, including high fructose corn syrup, also led to a decline in sugar production. The challenging economic outlook offered few options for ambitious young men like Irizarry-Toro. 

A Puerto Rican worker uses a machete to cut down sugarcane near Ponce, Puerto, Rico, January 1938. Library of Congress (2017764576).
Puerto Rican workers farming on a sugarcane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, December 1941. Library of Congress (2017798713).

Military Experience

Upon graduation from the University of Puerto Rico in 1951, “Hank” (as he was known to his friends) was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He would see the first of many years of his service spent on deployment. He served as a platoon leader during the Korean War.

The often difficult realities of life as a career soldier even caused him to marry his beloved wife, Rose Hilda, by proxy in 1956. Together, they had six children. 

When his combat service in Korea ended, Colonel Irizarry-Toro retrained and redeployed to various duty stations during the Cold War. He was deployed to the Dominican Republic in 1965. He received advanced infantry officer training, Vietnamese language training, personnel management, and security assistance management. He qualified as a special forces officer and master parachutist. 

These highly specialized skills resulted in his deployment to Vietnam as a company commander for the 101st Airborne Division in 1969. There, he again received multiple commendations for bravery in combat and leadership. 

Colonel Toro also served as a professor of military science and was awarded a Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star for Valor with three oak leaf clusters, and a Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster.

He retired in 1981 after 30 years of service, 12 of which were spent overseas.

Colonel Enrique Irizarry-Toro. Find a Grave.

Veteran Experience

Anyone with as storied an Army career as Colonel Irizarry-Toro’s could have retired quietly. But when he reached his maximum years of U.S. Army service in 1981 and was retired, Colonel Irizarry-Toro continued to serve his nation by accepting a position with NASA at Edwards Air Force Base in California. After a second retirement, he and his wife relocated to Keller, Texas, where they could be near their children and grandchildren.

An aerial view of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Edwards Facility at the Edwards Air Force Base, where Irizarry-Toro worked for NASA. Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress.

Commemoration

Enrique Irizarry-Toro passed away in 2017 at the age of 86. He is buried in the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas, Texas. 

Colonel Enrique Irizarry-Toro’s resting place at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas, Texas, April 1, 2025. Courtesy of Joe Russell. 

Bibliography

Primary Sources

1950 Agricultural Census for Puerto Rico. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1952. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch12.pdf. 

“2012 Census of Agricultural Municipio Profile.” U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2012. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://agcensus.library.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012-Puerto_Rico-cppr121-1.pdf. 

Delano, Jack. Rio Piedras (vicinity), Puerto Rico. FSA (Farm Security Administration) borrowers harvesting sugar cane cooperatively on a farm. Photograph. December 1941. Library of Congress (2017798713). https://www.loc.gov/item/2017798713/. 

Enrique Irizarry-Toro, DD-214, Department of the Army. National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Enrique Irizarry-Toro. Puerto Rico, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1901-1962. https://ancestry.com. 

Enrique Irizarry-Toro. U.S., Index to Public Records, 1994-2019. https://ancestry.com. 

Enrique Irizarry-Toro. U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current. https://ancestry.com. 

Enrique Irizarry-Toro. U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current. https://ancestry.com. 

Enrique Irizarry-Toro. U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1. https://ancestry.com. 

Enrique Irizarry-Toro. U.S., Veterans’ Gravesites, ca. 1775-2019. https://ancestry.com. 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Edwards Facility, Edwards Air Force Base, Boron, Kern County, CA. Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress (ca2001) https://www.loc.gov/item/ca2001/. 

Puerto Rico. Rio Piedras. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Puerto Rico. Sabana Grande. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Puerto Rico. Sabana Grande. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Puerto Rico. Sabana Grande. 1935 Puerto Rico Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Rosskam, Edwin. Cutting cane on a sugar plantation near Ponce, Puerto Rico. Photograph. January 1938. Library of Congress (2017764576). https://www.loc.gov/item/2017764576/. 

Secondary Sources

“Enrique Irizarry-Toro.” Find a Grave. Updated May 5, 2017. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/179078397/enrique-irizarry-toro.

“Enrique Irizarry-Toro.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/ENRIQUEIRIZARRYTORO/59615E6. 

“Sabana Grande.” Puerto Rico Encyclopedia, Puerto Rico Endowment for the Humanities. Updated March 4, 2016. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055618/http://www.enciclopediapr.org/ing/article.cfm?ref=09070202&page=2.

“The Korean War Era.” U.S. Army Center of Military History. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/korea/intro/index.html. 

Suarez, Lydia R. “The Rise and Decline of Puerto Rico’s Sugar Economy.” Sugar and Sweetener S&O, December 1998, 22-23. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.ers.usda.gov/media/5cppjuyp/rise-and-decline-of-puertorico_5_17.pdf.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.