María Inés Ortiz

María Inés Ortiz
María Inés Ortiz
Maria Inez Ortiz.jpg
Captain María Inés Ortiz
First U.S. Army nurse to die in combat since the Vietnam War.
Born 1967
Camden, New Jersey
Died July 10, 2007(2007-07-10)
Baghdad, Iraq
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Department of the Army Seal.svg United States Army
Years of service 1991-2007
Rank US-O3 insignia.svg
Captain
Unit Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic
Commands held Chief Nurse of General Medicine
Battles/wars Iraq War
Awards Bronze Star
Purple Heart

Captain María Inés Ortiz (1967–July 10, 2007), was the first American nurse to die in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first Army nurse to die in combat since the Vietnam War.[1]

Contents

Early years

Ortiz's parents, Jorge and Iris Ortiz moved from Puerto Rico to Camden, New Jersey where she was born. Her parents moved back to the island when she was a child and settled in the city of Bayamón where she received her primary and secondary education. In 1991, Ortiz enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in Puerto Rico. Her first two years of active duty included service in Honduras, South Korea and the Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.[2]

Army nurse

The caisson carrying the casket of Army Captain María Inés Ortiz arrives for funeral services

Ortiz became interested in nursing and pursued her objective of becoming a registered nurse by continuing her academic education at the University of Puerto Rico. She earned her degree in nursing and commissioned as an officer in 1999. In 2004, Ortiz earned her Master's Degree in quality management from the Massachusetts National Graduate School. Ortiz was assigned to Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where she was chief nurse of general medicine.

In September 2006, she was reassigned to the 28th Combat Support Hospital, 3rd Medical Command in an area known as the "Green Zone" in Baghdad, Iraq. The Green Zone is a fortified district that also hosts the U.S. Embassy and Iraq's Parliament. That area had been the target of a series of recent attacks which had added to safety concerns for key Iraqi and international officials who live and work there.[3]

On July 10, 2007, the Green Zone area came under a heavy mortar attack. Ortiz, who was not wearing body armor at the time of the attack and was returning to the hospital after a gym workout, was mortally wounded. She was the only U.S. citizen among three people killed. According to Margaret Tippy, a spokeswoman for the United States Army Medical Command, as of July 13, 2007, 90 Army medical personnel had been killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. Ortiz is the first Army nurse to perish.[4]

In memory

A plaque at the entrance of the Forward Operating Base Prosperity clinic honors the memory of Capt. Maria Ortiz.

Captain Ortiz is survived by her parents, four sisters and fiancé in New Jersey and Florida. A memorial service was held on Wednesday, July 18 at 3 p.m. at the Aberdeen Proving Ground chapel. She was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on August 9, 2007 with full military honors. Her name was inscribed in "El Monumento de la Recordación", dedicated to Puerto Rico's fallen soldiers and which is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 26, 2008 during the Memorial Day celebrations.[5] A plaque was placed at the entrance of the Forward Operating Base Prosperity clinic honoring the memory of Capt. Maria Ortiz.

Awards and recognitions

Among Captain María Inés Ortiz's decorations and medals were the following:

Badges

See also

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Inés de Suárez — después de haber decapitado a Quilicanta y otros siete caciques cuyas cabezas colocó en las picas …   Wikipedia Español

  • Inés Rodena — Inés Alicia Rodena Collado (n. La Habana Cuba; 20 de abril de 1905 m. Miami, Estados Unidos; 15 de abril de 1985) fue una escritora cubana de la radio y de la televisión. Contenido 1 Filmografía 1.1 Radionovelas 1.2 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Maria Luisa of Parma — Portrait of Queen Maria Luisa by Vicente López, after an original by Goya (1816). Queen consort of Spain Consort 1788–1808 …   Wikipedia

  • María Eugenia Ríos — Nombre real María Eugenia Ríos Romero Nacimiento 4 de agosto de 1935 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Maria da Glória d’Orléans-Bragence — Généalogie des Bourbons Sommaire 1 Liste des branches 2 Tableau des rois 3 Généalogie des Bourbons avant Henri IV 4 Les descendants d Henri IV …   Wikipédia en Français

  • María del Carmen Peña — Mª Carmen Peña es una escritora mexicana de telenovelas colaborando con Cuauhtemoc Blanco (escritor) y Victor Manuel Medina creando historias originales que han sido reconocidas como Cadenas de Amargura, Canaveral de Pasiones y Mi Pecado. Sus… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily — Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily Princess of Asturias Tenure 6 October 1802 21 May 1806 …   Wikipedia

  • Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal — Maria Antonia of Portugal Titular Duchess of Parma Tenure 14 January 1884 16 November 1907 Spous …   Wikipedia

  • Marina Ortíz de Gaete — González (c. 1509 – April 1592) was the wife of Pedro de Valdivia, and played an important role in the politics of the conquest and early history of the Kingdom of Chile. Contents 1 Life 1.1 In America 2 Additional information …   Wikipedia

  • Sergio Elías Ortiz — Nacimiento 8 de mayo de1894 …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”