María Inés Ortiz

1967–2007 (age 40)

U.S. Army nurse

Biography

María Inés Ortiz served as a United States Army nurse with compassion and bravery, caring for wounded soldiers with quiet strength until being fatally wounded during Operation Iraqi Freedom and becoming the first Army nurse from Puerto Rico to give her life in that conflict.

Her memory lives on in the hearts of those she healed, and the honor of her sacrifice is preserved at Arlington National Cemetery, where countless others pay tribute to her service.

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